Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Pegasus, in astronomy

(Encyclopedia)Pegasus pĕgˈəsəs [key], in astronomy, northern constellation lying SW of Andromeda and SE of Cygnus. It is named for the mythological winged horse Pegasus. The constellation is easily recognized b...

Pérez, Juan

(Encyclopedia)Pérez, Juan hwän pāˈrāth [key], d. 1774, Spanish colonial naval officer, explorer on the coast of the Pacific Northwest. In 1774 he commanded a fleet sent by the Spanish viceroy to investigate Ru...

Wood Buffalo

(Encyclopedia)Wood Buffalo, regional municipality (2011 pop. 65,565), 24,571 sq mi (63,637 sq km), NE Alta., Canada, inc. 1995. Formed by Fort McMurray's amalgamation with Improvement District No. 143, Wood Buffalo...

Shaanxi

(Encyclopedia)Shaanxi shĕnˈsēˈ [key] [west of the mountain passes], province (2010 pop. 37,327,378), c.76,000 sq mi (196,840 sq km), N central China. Xi'an is the capital. From north to south Shaanxi has four m...

Harrison, William Henry

(Encyclopedia)Harrison, William Henry, 1773–1841, 9th President of the United States (Mar. 4–Apr. 4, 1841), b. “Berkeley,” Charles City co., Va.; son of Benjamin Harrison (1726?–1791) and grandfather of B...

Logan, George

(Encyclopedia)Logan, George lōˈgən [key], 1753–1821, American political figure and agriculturist, b. near Germantown (now part of Philadelphia), grandson of James Logan. After obtaining a medical degree abroad...

Medicare

(Encyclopedia)Medicare, national health insurance program in the United States for persons aged 65 and over and the disabled. It was established in 1965 with passage of the Social Security Amendments and is now run...

Muscovy Company

(Encyclopedia)Muscovy Company mŭsˈkəvē [key] or Russia Company, first major English joint-stock trading company. It began in 1553 as a group supporting exploration of a possible northeast passage to Asia. An ex...

Saint David's

(Encyclopedia)Saint David's, Welsh Tyddewi, small town, Pembrokeshire, SW Wales. The renowned town cathedral is mainly Transitional Norman in style, built of red-violet stone. Among its features is the late 13th-ce...

Thiruvananthapuram

(Encyclopedia)Thiruvananthapuram trĭvănˈdrəm [key], city (1991 pop. 826,255), capital and largest city of Kerala state, SW India, a port on the Arabian Sea. The city is a transportation hub. Industries include ...

Browse by Subject