Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

217 results found

Rollins, Sonny

(Encyclopedia)Rollins, Sonny (Theodore Walter Rollins), 1930–, African-American tenor saxophonist and composer, b. New York City. A master of jazz improvisation, Ro...

Greely, Adolphus Washington

(Encyclopedia)Greely, Adolphus Washington, 1844–1935, American army officer and arctic explorer, b. Newburyport, Mass. Entering the Union army at 17, he emerged a brevet major of volunteers at the end of the Civi...

Intracoastal Waterway

(Encyclopedia)Intracoastal Waterway, c.3,000 mi (4,827 km) long, partly natural, partly artificial, providing sheltered passage for commercial and leisure boats along the U.S. Atlantic coast from Boston, Mass. to K...

Hancock, Herbie

(Encyclopedia) Hancock, Herbie (Herbert Jeffrey Hancock), 1940- , American jazz pianist, composer, and bandleader, b. Chicago, Il., Grinnell College (B.S.E., 1960, H...

X Prize Foundation

(Encyclopedia)X Prize Foundation, private, nonprofit prize institute est. 1995 by commercial space entrepreneur Peter Diamandis. Based in Santa Monica, Calif., and funded by foundations and private individuals and ...

Birmingham, cities, United States

(Encyclopedia)Birmingham bûrˈmĭnghămˌ [key] 1 City (2020 pop. 200,733), seat of Jefferson co., N centr...

air mass

(Encyclopedia)air mass, large body of air within the earth's atmosphere in which temperature and humidity, although varying at different heights, remain similar throughout the body at any one height. Air masses for...

network

(Encyclopedia)network, in computing, two or more computers connected for the purpose of routing, managing, and storing rapidly changing data. A local area network (LAN), which is restricted by distances of up to on...

magnetic pole

(Encyclopedia)magnetic pole, the two roughly opposite ends of the planet where the earth's magnetic intensity is the greatest, as the north and south magnetic poles. For the magnetic north, it is the direction from...

Greenfield

(Encyclopedia)Greenfield <1> City (2020 pop. 18,937), Monterey co., SW Calif.; inc. 1947. Thirty-three miles SE of Salinas, the town was originally founded in 1...