Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Garey, Thomas Andrew

(Encyclopedia)Garey, Thomas Andrew, 1830–1909, American pioneer in citrus culture, b. Cincinnati. He traveled from Iowa to California by ox team (1849–52). In 1865 he built a citrus nursery on land now a commer...

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...

Münzer, Thomas

(Encyclopedia)Münzer or Müntzer, Thomas tōˈmäs münˈtsər [key], c.1489–1525, radical German Protestant reformer. During his studies at Leipzig (1518) Münzer fell under the influence of Martin Luther. On L...

Edwards, Jonathan, 1745–1801, American theologian

(Encyclopedia)Edwards, Jonathan, the younger, 1745–1801, American theologian, b. Northampton, Mass., grad. College of New Jersey (now Princeton), 1765; son of Jonathan Edwards (1703–58). His career in some ways...

Titan , in astronomy

(Encyclopedia)Titan tīˈtən [key], in astronomy, the largest of the named moons, or natural satellites, of Saturn. Also known as Saturn VI (or S6), Titan is 3,200 mi (5,150 km) in diameter, orbits Saturn at a mea...

Mayo-Smith, Richmond

(Encyclopedia)Mayo-Smith, Richmond, 1854–1901, American statistician, b. Troy, Ohio, grad. Amherst, 1875. After graduation he studied for two years in Germany. From 1877 to 1901 he taught at Columbia. He is best ...

code, in communications

(Encyclopedia)code, in communications, set of symbols and rules for their manipulation by which the symbols can be made to carry information. By this extended definition all written and spoken languages are codes. ...

buffalo soldiers

(Encyclopedia)buffalo soldiers, name given to the African-American U.S. army regiments commissioned by Congress to patrol the American West after the Civil War. Consisting of two infantry and two cavalry regiments,...

Taylor, Elizabeth, Anglo-American film actress

(Encyclopedia)Taylor, Elizabeth, 1932–2011, Anglo-American film actress, b. London. Regarded as one of the world's most beautiful women, Taylor went from child star and typical teenager roles to a series of ladyl...

Browse by Subject