Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Sweet, Henry

(Encyclopedia)Sweet, Henry, 1845–1912, English philologist and phonetician. An authority on Anglo-Saxon and the history of the English language, Sweet was also a pioneer in modern scientific phonetics. His Histor...

Beaufort, Henry

(Encyclopedia)Beaufort, Henry bōˈfərt [key], 1377?–1447, English prelate and statesman. The son of John of Gaunt, duke of Lancaster, and his mistress (later wife) Catherine Swynford, he was half-brother to Hen...

Adams, Henry

(Encyclopedia)Adams, Henry, 1838–1918, American writer and historian, b. Boston; son of Charles Francis Adams (1807–86). He was secretary (1861–68) to his father, then U.S. minister to Great Britain. Upon his...

Stevens, Henry

(Encyclopedia)Stevens, Henry, 1819–86, American bookdealer and bibliographer, b. Barnet, Vt. After attending college and law school, Stevens went to Europe as agent for several important libraries of the United S...

Bergh, Henry

(Encyclopedia)Bergh, Henry bûrg [key], 1811–88, American philanthropist, b. New York City. He founded (1866) the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. This organization, the first of its kin...

Bone, Henry

(Encyclopedia)Bone, Henry, 1755–1834, English enamel painter. He decorated china at Plymouth and Bristol and later went to London, where he was employed in making small enameled pieces and miniatures. In 1780 he ...

Brooke, Henry

(Encyclopedia)Brooke, Henry, c.1703–1783, Irish author. Educated at Trinity College, Dublin, he studied law in London before returning to Ireland permanently. In 1735 he published his long philosophical poem, Uni...

Cavendish, Henry

(Encyclopedia)Cavendish, Henry, 1731–1810, English physicist and chemist, b. Nice. He was the son of Lord Charles Cavendish and grandson of the 2d duke of Devonshire. He was a recluse, and most of his writings we...

Briggs, Henry

(Encyclopedia)Briggs, Henry, 1561–1630, English mathematician. He was the first professor of geometry at Gresham College, London (1596–1619), and Savilian professor of astronomy at Oxford (from 1619). After pub...

Carey, Henry

(Encyclopedia)Carey, Henry, 1687–1743, English author. After the first collection of his poems appeared in 1713, he turned to writing for the stage. Primarily a writer of farce comedy, his greatest success was Ch...

Browse by Subject