Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

243 results found

Gutenberg, Johann

(Encyclopedia)Gutenberg, Johann go͞oˈtənbərg, Ger. yōˈhän go͞oˈtənbĕrk [key], c.1397–1468, German inventor and printer, long credited with the invention of a method of printing from movable type, inclu...

Fust, Johann

(Encyclopedia)Fust yōˈhän foust [key], d. 1466?, printer at Mainz. Johann Gutenberg borrowed substantial sums of money from Fust, a goldsmith, lawyer, and money lender. When Gutenberg was unable to repay these s...

Agricola, Johann

(Encyclopedia)Agricola, Johann or Johannes əgrĭkˈələ [key], c.1494–1566, German Protestant minister, whose family name was Schnitter (originally Schneider). He was born at Eisleben and is sometimes called M...

Kuhnau, Johann

(Encyclopedia)Kuhnau, Johann yōˈhän ko͞oˈnou [key], 1660–1722, German composer and performer. Kuhnau was J. S. Bach's predecessor as organist and cantor at St. Thomas Church in Leipzig. He wrote various trea...

Hedwig, Johann

(Encyclopedia)Hedwig, Johann yōˈhän hātˈvĭkh [key], 1730–99, German botanist, b. Transylvania. He was an authority on the lower plants, especially mosses, and was professor at the Univ. of Leipzig from 1786...

Pachelbel, Johann

(Encyclopedia)Pachelbel, Johann päkhĕlˈbĕl, päkhˈəlbĕlˌ [key], 1653–1706, German organist and composer, b. Nuremberg. He held a number of posts as an organist in German churches, returning to his birthpl...

Zoffany, Johann

(Encyclopedia)Zoffany, Johann yōˈhän zŏfˈənē [key], 1735–1810, English painter. After 12 years of study in Italy, Zoffany settled in England. He frequently painted conversation pieces, domestic tableaux fi...

Schober, Johann

(Encyclopedia)Schober, Johann yōˈhän shōˈbər [key], 1874–1932, Austrian chancellor (1921–22, 1929–30). A respected career civil servant, he held the key post of head of the Vienna police after July, 191...

Deisenhofer, Johann

(Encyclopedia)Deisenhofer, Johann dīˈzənhōˌfər [key], 1943–, German chemist, Ph.D. Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry, 1974. He was a researcher at the Max Planck Institute until 1987 when he joined the ...

Fischart, Johann

(Encyclopedia)Fischart, Johann yōˈhän fĭshˈärt [key], b. 1548, d. 1590 or 1591, German satirist and moralist. He lived in Strasbourg. He translated and paraphrased works by Rabelais called Geschichtsklitterun...