Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Austrian Succession, War of the

(Encyclopedia)Austrian Succession, War of the, 1740–48, general European war. In 1744 Frederick II, fearing the rising power of Austria, started the Second Silesian War by invading Bohemia; he was soon expell...

Harburg

(Encyclopedia)Harburg härˈbo͝orkh [key], district of Hamburg, N Germany; a port on the Elbe River. Refined petroleum and rubber goods are produced in the district. Formerly an independent town, Harburg was incor...

leprosy

(Encyclopedia)leprosy or Hansen's disease hănˈsənz [key], chronic, mildly infectious malady capable of producing, when untreated, various deformities and disfigurements. It is caused by the rod-shaped bacterium ...

chief

(Encyclopedia)chief or chieftain, political leader of a band, tribe, or confederation of tribes. At the simpler levels of social organization, the band or tribe usually lacks centralized authority and is ruled by t...

Green, William

(Encyclopedia)Green, William, 1872–1952, American labor leader, president of the American Federation of Labor (1924–1952), b. Coshocton, Ohio. He rose through the ranks of the United Mine Workers of America, of...

Port-Gentil

(Encyclopedia)Port-Gentil pôr-zhäNtēlˈ [key], city (1993 est. pop. 80,041), W Gabon, a seaport on Cape Lopez Bay (an arm of the Atlantic Ocean). Timber and locally manufactured plywood are exported. Petroleum i...

Emba

(Encyclopedia)Emba ĕmˈbə [key], river, c.400 mi (640 km) long, W Kazakhstan. It rises in the Mugodzhar Mts. and flows SW into the Caspian Sea. The lower course traverses an area of salt domes and the petroleum-r...

Szold, Henrietta

(Encyclopedia)Szold, Henrietta zōld [key], 1860–1945, American Zionist leader, editor, and translator, b. Baltimore. After graduating from high school in 1877 she taught (1878–92) in private schools, organizin...

Linden, city, United States

(Encyclopedia)Linden, city (1990 pop. 36,701), Union co., NE N.J., in the New York metropolitan area; inc. 1925. During the first half of the 20th cent., Linden changed from an agricultural district to a city of di...

multinational corporation

(Encyclopedia)multinational corporation, business enterprise with manufacturing, sales, or service subsidiaries in one or more foreign countries, also known as a transnational or international corporation. These co...