Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Dunham, Katherine

(Encyclopedia)Dunham, Katherine dŭnˈəm [key], 1909?–2006, American dancer, choreographer, and anthropologist, b. Chicago. She studied anthropology at the Univ. of Chicago, where she received a B.A. and Ph.D. a...

Jolliet, Louis

(Encyclopedia)Jolliet or Joliet, Louis both: jōˈlēĕtˌ, jōˌlēĕtˈ, Fr. lwē zhôlyāˈ [key], 1645–1700, French explorer, joint discoverer with Jacques Marquette of the upper Mississippi River, b. Quebec ...

softball

(Encyclopedia)softball, variant of baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Invented (1888) in Chicago as an indoor game, it was at various times called indoor baseball, mush ball, playground ball, ki...

Sosa, Sammy

(Encyclopedia)Sosa, Sammy (Samuel Kevin Sosa Peralta) sämwĕlˈ sōˈsä pĕrälˈtä [key], 1968–, Dominican baseball player. An outfielder and designated hitter, he broke into the major leagues with the Texas ...

Watson, James Dewey

(Encyclopedia)Watson, James Dewey, 1928–, American biologist and educator, b. Chicago, Ill., grad. Univ. of Chicago, 1947, Ph.D. Univ. of Indiana, 1950. With F. H. C. Crick he began (1951) research on the molecul...

contemporary art

(Encyclopedia)contemporary art, the art of the late 20th cent. and early 21st cent., both an outgrowth and a rejection of modern art. As the force and vigor of abstract expressionism diminished, new artistic moveme...

Munkácsy, Mihály

(Encyclopedia)Munkácsy, Mihály mĭˈhälyə mo͝onˈkächĭ [key], 1844–1909, Hungarian genre and historical painter, whose original name was Michael Lieb. In 1868 he went to Düsseldorf, where he painted The L...

Muti, Riccardo

(Encyclopedia)Muti, Riccardo rēk-kärˈdō mo͞oˈtē [key], 1941–, Italian conductor. Principal conductor of the Maggio Musicale (1969–81) in Florence and of the Philharmonia Orchestra (1973–82) in London, ...

La Grange

(Encyclopedia)La Grange lə grānj [key]. 1 City (1990 pop. 25,597), seat of Troupe co., W central Ga., inc. 1828. It is an industrial center that produces lumber, plastics, textiles, and transportation equipment. ...

Armour, Philip Danforth

(Encyclopedia)Armour, Philip Danforth ärˈmər [key], 1832–1901, American meatpacker, b. Stockbridge, N.Y. Armour's Chicago meatpacking plants introduced new principles of large-scale organization, as well as re...

Browse by Subject