Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

prisoner of war

(Encyclopedia)prisoner of war, in international law, person captured by a belligerent while fighting in the military. International law includes rules on the treatment of prisoners of war but extends protection onl...

internal-combustion engine

(Encyclopedia)CE5 Internal-combustion engines: In the four-stroke reciprocating engine (above), a mixture of fuel and air is taken into the chamber on the down-stroke of the piston, is compressed on the up-strok...

Lillie, Beatrice

(Encyclopedia)Lillie, Beatrice (Lady Peel), 1898–1989, British comedienne, b. Toronto, Ont. as Constance Munston. Lillie first performed in London in 1914 and in New York in 1924. She won an international reputat...

Moneta, Ernesto Teodoro

(Encyclopedia)Moneta, Ernesto Teodoro ārnĕsˈtō tāōᵺôˈrō mōnĕˈ-tä [key], 1833–1918, Italian editor and pacifist; winner of the 1907 Nobel Peace Prize. He joined the movement for Italian unification,...

Malé

(Encyclopedia)Malé mäˈlā [key], small island and town (1995 pop. 62,937) of Malé Atoll, capital of the Maldives, in the Indian Ocean. A ship anchorage, Malé is a center of interisland trade with diverse manuf...

Massena

(Encyclopedia)Massena məsēˈnə [key], village (1990 pop. 11,719), St. Lawrence co., extreme N N.Y., on the St. Lawrence River; settled 1792, inc. 1886. Aluminum and aluminum products are the chief manufactures. ...

San Leandro

(Encyclopedia)San Leandro săn lēănˈdrō [key], city (1990 pop. 68,223), Alameda co., W Calif., on San Francisco Bay; inc. 1872. Metal, wood, and paper products; chemicals; leather goods; foods and beverages; me...

Ramotar, Donald Rabindranauth

(Encyclopedia)Ramotar, Donald Rabindranauth, 1950–, Guyanese political leader. An economist, he joined the People's Progressive party (PPP) in 1967, was elected to its central committee (1979) and executive commi...

Rapperswil

(Encyclopedia)Rapperswil räˈpərsvēl [key], town, St. Gall canton, NE Switzerland, on the Lake of Zürich. It has some diversified light industry. Allied with several Swiss cantons after the 15th cent., Rappersw...

Transandine Railway

(Encyclopedia)Transandine Railway, former rail line, 156 mi (251 km) long, between Mendoza, Argentina, and Los Andes, Chile, traversing the Andes at Uspallata Pass. Opened to traffic in 1910, the railway rose to c....