Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Macdonald, John Sandfield

(Encyclopedia)Macdonald, John Sandfield, 1812–72, Canadian political leader. He was elected (1841) as a Conservative to the Legislative Assembly, but he afterward developed considerable political independence. He...

Macdonald-Wright, Stanton

(Encyclopedia)Macdonald-Wright, Stanton, 1890–1973, American artist, b. Charlottsville, Va. Macdonald-Wright was among the first Americans to paint in a totally abstract mode. Together with Morgan Russell, he fou...

Anson, Sir William Reynell

(Encyclopedia)Anson, Sir William Reynell rānĕlˈ [key], 1843–1914, English jurist. He was a founder of the school of law at the Univ. of Oxford. From 1899 to his death he sat in Parliament as a member for Oxfor...

Macdonald, Sir John Alexander

(Encyclopedia)Macdonald, Sir John Alexander, 1815–91, Canadian statesman, first prime minister of the Dominion of Canada, b. Glasgow. His parents settled in 1820 in Kingston, Ont. Macdonald first practiced law. W...

Brown, George

(Encyclopedia)Brown, George, 1818–80, Canadian statesman and journalist, b. Scotland. In 1837 he emigrated to the United States, but after five years in New York City, he settled in Toronto, Ont. There he founded...

science fiction

(Encyclopedia)science fiction, literary genre in which a background of science or pseudoscience is an integral part of the story. Although science fiction is a form of fantastic literature, many of the events recou...

Macdonald, Jacques Étienne Joseph Alexandre

(Encyclopedia)Macdonald, Jacques Étienne Joseph Alexandre zhäk ātyĕnˈzhôzĕfˈ älĕksäNˈdrə mäkdônälˈ [key], 1765–1840, marshal of France, of Scottish descent. He distinguished himself in the French...

Stuart, Robert, 1st duke of Albany

(Encyclopedia)Stuart or Stewart, Robert, 1st duke of Albany, 1340?–1420, regent of Scotland; third son of Robert II. As earl of Fife and Monteith, he held commands under his father and more than once raided Engla...

Byron, John

(Encyclopedia)Byron, John, 1723–86, British vice admiral and explorer. Sailing in 1740 with Admiral George Anson on a voyage around the world, he was shipwrecked off Chile. His Narrative of Great Distresses on th...

Browse by Subject