Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Palomar Mountain

(Encyclopedia)Palomar Mountain pălˈōmär [key], peak, 6,126 ft (1,867 m) high, S Calif., NE of San Diego, in Cleveland National Forest. It is the site of the Palomar Observatory, operated by the California Insti...

Fonseca, Rubem

(Encyclopedia)Fonseca, Rubem, 1925–2020, Brazilian short-story writer and novelist. Fonseca, who studied law and worked for a time as a police officer, is known for urban crime tales, many informed by his police ...

Fort Myers

(Encyclopedia)Fort Myers, city (2020 pop. 86,395), seat of Lee co., SW Fla., on the Caloosahatchee River, near the Gulf of Mexico; founded 1850, inc. 1905. It has a t...

Hague, Frank

(Encyclopedia)Hague, Frank hāg [key], 1876–1956, American politician, mayor of Jersey City, N.J., b. Jersey City. He worked his way up through the ranks of the local Democratic machine and was elected (1913) to ...

Kingston, city, Jamaica

(Encyclopedia)Kingston, city (1991 pop. 97,424), capital and largest city of Jamaica, SE Jamaica. The country's chief port, it has one of the finest harbors in the West Indies and exports sugar, rum, molasses, and ...

Waltari, Mika

(Encyclopedia)Waltari, Mika mēˈkə välˈtärē [key], 1908–79, Finnish author. Waltari wrote plays, detective stories, and travelogues, but is best known for his novels. After completing his university educati...

Lyons, First Council of

(Encyclopedia)Lyons, First Council of lyôNˈ [key], 1245, 13th ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church, convened at Lyons, France, by Pope Innocent IV to deal with his struggle with Holy Roman Emperor Fred...

Melozzo da Forlì

(Encyclopedia)Melozzo da Forlì mālôtˈtsō dä fōrlēˈ [key], 1438–94, Umbrian painter. His extant works, though few, reveal him as a painter of power and individuality. He is especially notable for his bold...

Aretas

(Encyclopedia)Aretas ârˈĭtəs, –tăs [key], dynastic name of the Nabataean kings of Petra. The best-known Aretas was Aretas IV, 9 b.c.–a.d. 49, ruler of S Palestine, most of Jordan, N Arabia, and Damascus. H...

Randall, James Garfield

(Encyclopedia)Randall, James Garfield, 1881–1953, American historian, b. Indianapolis, Ind. He taught history and political science at various colleges before joining (1920) the faculty of the Univ. of Illinois. ...

Browse by Subject