Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Ridley, Nicholas

(Encyclopedia)Ridley, Nicholas, c.1500–1555, English prelate, reformer, and Protestant martyr. In 1534, while a proctor of Cambridge, he signed the decree against the pope's supremacy in England. In 1537 he becam...

Didot, François

(Encyclopedia)Didot, François fräNswäˈ dēdōˈ [key], 1689–1757, Parisian printer. The son of a printer, Denis Didot, he was the first of the family to win fame in his craft. His son, François Ambroise Dido...

Almeida, Francisco de

(Encyclopedia)Almeida, Francisco de dĭ älmāˈdə [key], c.1450–1510, Portuguese admiral, first viceroy of Portuguese India. He was first sent to India in 1503 as captain major of a fleet and helped Portuguese...

dengue fever

(Encyclopedia)dengue fever dĕngˈgē, –gā [key], acute infectious disease caused by four closely related viruses and transmitted by the bite of the female Aedes mosquito; it is also known as breakbone fever and...

dualism

(Encyclopedia)dualism, any philosophical system that seeks to explain all phenomena in terms of two distinct and irreducible principles. It is opposed to monism and pluralism. In Plato's philosophy there is an ulti...

Crab Nebula

(Encyclopedia)Crab Nebula, diffuse gaseous nebula in the constellation Taurus; cataloged as NGC 1952 and M1, the first object recorded in Charles Messier's catalog of nonstellar objects (see Messier catalog). It is...

Cousin, Victor

(Encyclopedia)Cousin, Victor vēktôrˈ [key], 1792–1867, French educational leader and philosopher, founder of the eclectic school. He lectured at the Sorbonne from 1814 until 1821, when political reaction force...

Cox, Jacob Dolson

(Encyclopedia)Cox, Jacob Dolson, 1828–1900, Union general in the Civil War and American statesman, b. Montreal, of a New York City family. Admitted to the Ohio bar in 1853, he was active in organizing the new Rep...

Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz

(Encyclopedia)Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz äbdo͝olˈlä ĭbˈən ăbdo͝olˈ ăzēzˈ [key], 1924–2015, king of Saudi Arabia (2005–15), b. Riyadh. Like his predecessor, King Fahd, he was a son of Saudi Arabia's fo...

europium

(Encyclopedia)europium yo͝orōˈpēəm [key] [from Europe], metallic chemical element; symbol Eu; at. no. 63; at. wt. 151.964; m.p. about 820℃; b.p. about 1,600℃; sp. gr. 5.25 at 25℃; valence +2 or +3. Europ...