Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Dąbrowski, Jan Henryk

(Encyclopedia)Dąbrowski, Jan Henryk yän hĕnˈrĭk dôNbrôfˈskē [key], 1755–1818, Polish general. He distinguished himself in the insurrection led by Kosciusko in 1794. After its failure he went to France an...

Velasco Alvarado, Juan

(Encyclopedia)Velasco Alvarado, Juan hwän vāläsˈkō älväräˈᵺō [key], 1910–77, president of Peru (1968–75). Born of working class parents, he entered the army (1929) and rose to the rank of general. A...

Foix, Gaston de

(Encyclopedia)Foix, Gaston de gästôNˈ də fwä [key], 1489–1512, duc de Nemours, French general in the Italian Wars; nephew of King Louis XII. As commander of the French army in Italy in 1512, he proved his ou...

Wilkinson, James

(Encyclopedia)Wilkinson, James, 1757–1825, American general and one of the most corrupt and devious officers in the nation's early army, b. Calvert co., Md. Abandoning his medical studies in 1776 to join the army...

Chang Tso-lin

(Encyclopedia)Chang Tso-lin jäng tsōˈ-lĭnˈ [key], 1873–1928, Chinese general. Chang was of humble birth. As the leader of a unit of Manchurian militia he assisted (1904–5) the Japanese in the Russo-Japanes...

Steuben, Friedrich Wilhelm, Baron von

(Encyclopedia)Steuben, Friedrich Wilhelm, Baron von styo͞oˈbən, Ger. frēˈdrĭkh vĭlˈhĕlm bärōnˈ fən shtoiˈbən [key], 1730–94, Prussian army officer, general in the American Revolution, b. Magdeburg....

Tandja, Mamadou

(Encyclopedia)Tandja, Mamadou mämädo͞oˈ tänˈjä [key], 1938–2020, Nigerien political leader, president of Niger (1999–2010). He attended military schools in Madagascar and Mali, joining the army in the mi...

Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar

(Encyclopedia)Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar săksˈ–wīˈmär, zäksˈə-vīˈmär [key], 1604–39, Protestant general in the Thirty Years War, duke of Weimar. Under Ernst von Mansfeld and the margrave of Baden, Bernh...

Mori Ogai

(Encyclopedia)Mori Ogai mōˈrē ōˈgäē [key], 1862–1922, Japanese army physician, medical researcher, literary critic, novelist, translator, scholar, and playwright, he is now primarily remembered for his fic...

Mara, Ratu Sir Kamisese

(Encyclopedia)Mara, Ratu Sir Kamisese, 1920–2004, Fijian political leader. A paramount chief of the Lau Islands, he was educated in Fiji, New Zealand, and England, founded (1960) the Alliance party, and helped ne...