Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi

(Encyclopedia)Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi, 1977–, one of the leading African writers of her generation, b. Enugu, Nigeria. She left Nigeria for the United States in 1997 to study, and since has split her time betwe...

organized crime

(Encyclopedia)organized crime, criminal activities organized and coordinated on a national scale, often with international connections. The American tradition of daring desperadoes like Jesse James and John Dilling...

earthworm

(Encyclopedia)earthworm, terrestrial, cylindrical segmented worm of the class Oligochaeta. There are 2,200 earthworm species, found all over the world except in arid and arctic regions and ranging in size from 1 in...

Palmer, Ray

(Encyclopedia)Palmer, Ray, 1808–87, American Congregational clergyman and hymn writer, b. Little Compton, R.I., grad. Yale, 1830. He held pastorates in Bath, Maine (1835–50), and Albany, N.Y. (1850–66). He is...

Hergé

(Encyclopedia)Hergé, pseud. of Georges Remi, 1907–83, Belgian cartoonist, creator of the cartoon character Tintin. The boy reporter and his faithful fox terrier Milou (Snowy in English translations) first debute...

Bush, George Herbert Walker

(Encyclopedia)Bush, George Herbert Walker, 1924–2018, 41st President of the United States (1989–93), b. Milton, Mass., B.A., Yale Univ., 1948. Bush's handling of domestic affairs was less successful. The savi...

mirage

(Encyclopedia)mirage mĭräzhˈ [key], atmospheric optical illusion in which an observer sees in the distance a nonexistent body of water or an image, sometimes distorted, of some object or of a complete scene. Exa...

beer, alcoholic beverage

(Encyclopedia)beer, alcoholic beverage made by brewing and fermenting cereals, especially malted barley, usually with the addition of hops as a flavoring agent and stabilizer. One of the oldest of alcoholic beverag...

secret society

(Encyclopedia)secret society, organization of initiated persons whose members, purposes, and rituals are kept secret. Human groups throughout history have maintained secret societies. The ceremonies of initiation i...

hair

(Encyclopedia)CE5 A. Cross section of a hair shaft B. General structure of a hair hair, slender threadlike outgrowth from the skin of mammals. In some animals hair grows in dense profusion and is called fur or ...