Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Bay of Pigs Invasion

(Encyclopedia)Bay of Pigs Invasion, 1961, an unsuccessful invasion of Cuba by Cuban exiles, supported by the U.S. government. On Apr. 17, 1961, an armed force of about 1,500 Cuban exiles landed in the Bahía de Coc...

San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge

(Encyclopedia)San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge, double-decked structure, W Calif.; built 1933–36 and (eastern section replacement) 2002–13. It has a total length of 8.25 mi (13.2 km). From San Francisco it cr...

Rhode Island, University of

(Encyclopedia)Rhode Island, University of, at Kingston; coeducational; land-grant and state-supported; chartered 1888, opened as a school 1890, as an agricultural and mechanical college 1892. From 1909 to 1951 it w...

Quonset Point

(Encyclopedia)Quonset Point kwŏnˈsĭt [key], peninsula extending into Narragansett Bay, S R.I., in the town of North Kingstown. In World War II the peninsula became the site of a naval air station and constructio...

Green Bay, arm of Lake Michigan

(Encyclopedia)Green Bay, western arm of Lake Michigan, c.100 mi (160 km) long and from 10 to 20 mi (16–32 km) wide, NE Wis. and NW Mich.; separated from the lake by the Door and Garden peninsulas. The Fox River f...

Rhode Island, island, United States

(Encyclopedia)Rhode Island, island, 15 mi (24 km) long and 5 mi (8 km) wide, S R.I., at the entrance to Narragansett Bay. It is the largest island in the state, with steep cliffs and excellent beaches. Known to the...

Whipple, Abraham

(Encyclopedia)Whipple, Abraham, 1733–1819, American Revolutionary naval officer, b. Providence, R.I. In 1759–60, as captain of the privateer Game Cock in the French and Indian Wars, he captured numerous prizes....

Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve

(Encyclopedia)Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, SE Alaska, near Juneau. The park (3,224,840 acres/1,305,603 hectares) and the preserve (58,406 acres/23,646 hectares) were established in 1925 as a national mon...

Gosnold, Bartholomew

(Encyclopedia)Gosnold, Bartholomew gŏzˈnōld [key], fl. 1572–1607, English explorer and colonizer. In 1602 he commanded the Concord on a voyage of exploration. He navigated the coast from Maine to Narragansett ...

Block, Adriaen

(Encyclopedia)Block, Adriaen, fl. 1610–24, Dutch navigator. Eager to establish a fur trade with the Native Americans, Amsterdam merchants sent (1613) Block and another Dutch navigator to explore the region discov...