Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

charge

(Encyclopedia)charge, property of matter that gives rise to all electrical phenomena (see electricity). The basic unit of charge, usually denoted by e, is that on the proton or the electron; that on the proton is d...

Dardanelles

(Encyclopedia)Dardanelles chänäkˈkälĕ bōäzŭˈ [key], strait, c.40 mi (60 km) long and from 1 to 4 mi (1.6 to 6.4 km) wide, connecting the Aegean Sea with the Sea of Marmara and separating the Gallipoli peni...

McLean

(Encyclopedia)McLean, city (1990 pop. 38,168), Fairfax co., N Va., a suburb of Washington, D.C. Manufacturing includes foods, satellite components, and computer and telecommunications equipment. The headquarters of...

Meany, George

(Encyclopedia)Meany, George, 1894–1980, American labor leader, president of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO; 1955–79), b. New York City. A plumber, he was elec...

San Juan Boundary Dispute

(Encyclopedia)San Juan Boundary Dispute, controversy between the United States and Great Britain over the U.S.–British Columbia boundary. It is sometimes called the Northwest Boundary Dispute. The difficulty aros...

pH

(Encyclopedia)pH, range of numbers expressing the relative acidity or alkalinity of a solution. In general, pH values range from 0 to 14. The pH of a neutral solution, i.e., one which is neither acidic nor alkaline...

Judd, Gerrit Parmele

(Encyclopedia)Judd, Gerrit Parmele, 1803–73, missionary and statesman, b. Paris, N.Y. He arrived in Hawaii as a medical missionary. He ended his mission service in 1842 and became a Hawaiian government official u...

Newtown

(Encyclopedia)Newtown, town (1990 pop. 20,779), Fairfield co., SW Conn., on the Housatonic; inc. 1711. Pressure gauges, plastics, and paper and metal products are made, and dairy and fruit farms are in the area. In...

Girgashite

(Encyclopedia)Girgashite –sīt [key], in the Bible, Canaanite nation, whose land was occupied by Israel. ...

Amtrak

(Encyclopedia)Amtrak, the National Railroad Passenger Corp., authorized to operate virtually all intercity passenger railroad routes in the United States. Amtrak was created by Congress in 1970 in response to more ...

Browse by Subject