Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Rule, Britannia

(Encyclopedia)Rule, Britannia, English patriotic song. The music was composed by Thomas Augustine Arne for his masque Alfred, first performed August 1, 1740, in commemoration of the accession of George I. The words...

Bacon, Sir Nicholas

(Encyclopedia)Bacon, Sir Nicholas, 1509–79, English jurist. Called to the bar in 1533, he was made attorney of the court of wards and liveries in 1546 and, although a staunch Protestant, held this office through ...

Coke, Sir Edward

(Encyclopedia)Coke, Sir Edward ko͝ok [key], 1552–1634, English jurist, one of the most eminent in the history of English law. He entered Parliament in 1589 and rose rapidly, becoming solicitor general and speake...

Hardenberg, Karl August, Fürst von

(Encyclopedia)Hardenberg, Karl August, Fürst von kärl ouˈgo͝ost fürst fən härˈdənbĕrk [key], 1750–1822, Prussian administrator and diplomat, b. Hanover. After service for Hanover and Brunswick, he enter...

Kane, Elisha Kent

(Encyclopedia)Kane, Elisha Kent, 1820–57, American physician and arctic explorer, b. Philadelphia. Seeking adventure after medical school, Kane entered naval service and before he was 30 had seen many parts of th...

Pašić, Nikola

(Encyclopedia)Pašić or Pashitch, Nikola both: nēˈkôlä päˈshĭch [key], 1845?–1926, Serbian statesman. After studying engineering, he became interested in politics and was elected (1878) to the Serbian par...

Weizmann, Chaim

(Encyclopedia)Weizmann, Chaim khīmˈ vītsˈmän [key], 1874–1952, scientist and Zionist leader, first president (1948–52) of Israel, b. Russia, grad. Univ. of Freiburg, 1899. He lectured in chemistry at the U...

Edmund

(Encyclopedia)Edmund, 921–46, king of Wessex (939–46), half-brother and successor of Athelstan. Immediately after his accession he had to face an invasion of Irish vikings led by Olaf Guthfrithson. He was force...

Daugavpils

(Encyclopedia)Daugavpils douˈgäfpēls [key], Ger. Dünaburg, city, SE Latvia, on the Western Dvina River....

Charleroi

(Encyclopedia)Charleroi shärlərwäˈ [key], city, Hainaut prov., S Belgium, on the Sambre River and on the ...