Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Child, Julia

(Encyclopedia)Child, Julia, 1912–2004, American cooking teacher, author, and television personality, b. Pasadena, Calif., as Julia Carolyn McWilliams. In the early 1940s both she and her husband-to-be, Paul Child...

Christie, Dame Agatha

(Encyclopedia)Christie, Dame Agatha, 1890–1976, English detective story writer, b. Torquay, Devon, as Agatha Mary Clarissa Miller. Christie's second husband was the archaeologist Sir Max Mallowan, and she gained ...

Daladier, Édouard

(Encyclopedia)Daladier, Édouard ādo͞oärˈ dälädyāˈ [key], 1884–1970, French politician, a Radical Socialist. After World War I he was a member of successive French cabinets. He was premier from Jan. to Oc...

Chang Hsüeh-liang

(Encyclopedia)Chang Hsüeh-liang or Zhang Xueliang jängˈ shüĕˈ-lyängˈ [key], 1898–2001, Chinese warlord, son of Chang Tso-lin. On the death (1928) of his father, he succeeded as military governor of Manchu...

Gramont, Philibert, comte de

(Encyclopedia)Gramont, Philibert, comte de grämôNˈ [key], 1621–1707, French courtier at the court of King Louis XIV. He fought with distinction in the early campaigns of the prince de Condé and at first foll...

Park Geun-hye

(Encyclopedia)Park Geun-hye päk go͝on-hĕ [key], 1952–, South Korean political leader, president of South Korea (2013–17). The daughter of South Korean dictator Park Chung Hee, she served as his acting first ...

Kawabata, Yasunari

(Encyclopedia)Kawabata, Yasunari yäso͞onäˈrē käwäˈbätä [key], 1899–1972, Japanese novelist. His first major work was The Izu Dancer, (1925). He came to be a leader of the school of Japanese writers that...

Pike, James Albert

(Encyclopedia)Pike, James Albert, 1913–69, American Episcopal bishop, b. Oklahoma City. A lawyer who had been raised as a Roman Catholic, he served (1943–45) in the U.S. navy and then studied for the Episcopal ...

Saladin

(Encyclopedia)Saladin sălˈədĭn [key], Arabic Salah ad-Din, 1137?–1193, Muslim warrior and Ayyubid sultan of Egypt, the great opponent of the Crusaders, b. Mesopotamia, of Kurdish descent. He lived for 10 year...

Jones, John Paul

(Encyclopedia)Jones, John Paul, 1747–92, American naval hero, b. near Kirkcudbright, Scotland. His name was originally simply John Paul. After the Revolution Jones was sent to Europe to collect the prize mone...

Browse by Subject