Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Farnese, Alessandro

(Encyclopedia)Farnese, Alessandro färnāˈzā [key], 1545–92, duke of Parma and Piacenza (1586–92), general and diplomat in the service of Philip II of Spain. He was the son of Duke Ottavio Farnese and Margar...

Sebastian

(Encyclopedia)Sebastian, 1554–78, king of Portugal (1557–78), grandson and successor of John III. He was under the regency first of his grandmother (until 1562) and then of his uncle Henry (a cardinal and later...

Armada, Spanish

(Encyclopedia)Armada, Spanish ärmäˈdə [key], 1588, fleet launched by Philip II of Spain for the invasion of England, to overthrow the Protestant Elizabeth I and establish Philip on the English throne; also call...

Mymensingh

(Encyclopedia)Mymensingh mīˈmĕnsĭng [key], town (1991 pop. 188,713), N central Bangladesh, on an old channel of the Brahmaputra River. It is a trading center for rice, jute, sugar cane, oilseeds, tobacco, musta...

Hobart, city, Australia

(Encyclopedia)Hobart, city, capital and principal port of Tasmania, SE Australia, at the foot of Mt. Wellington (4,166 ft/1,270 m high). Hobart's harbor is one of the...

annealing

(Encyclopedia)annealing ənēlˈĭng [key], process in which glass, metals, and other materials are treated to render them less brittle and more workable. Annealing consists of heating the material and then cooling...

Haora

(Encyclopedia)Haora houˈrä [key], city, West Bengal state, E central India, on the Hugli River opposite K...

Ercolano

(Encyclopedia)Ercolano rāzēˈnə [key], city, Campania, S Italy, on the Bay of Naples. Situated on the site ...

Chladni, Ernst Florens Friedrich

(Encyclopedia)Chladni, Ernst Florens Friedrich ĕrnst flōˈrĕns frēˈdrĭkh klädˈnē [key], 1756–1827, German physicist. An authority on acoustics, he made studies of the transmission of sound in various gas...

Savery, Thomas

(Encyclopedia)Savery, Thomas, c.1650–1715, English engineer. He became a military engineer, rising to the rank of captain by 1702. He spent his free time performing experiments in mechanics, inventing such device...