Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Williamson, Hugh

(Encyclopedia)Williamson, Hugh, 1735–1819, American political leader, physician, and scientist, b. West Nottingham, Pa. He studied theology, preached for a short time, and then was (1760–63) professor of mathem...

Vico, Giovanni Battista

(Encyclopedia)Vico, Giovanni Battista jōvänˈnē bät-tēˈstä vēˈkō [key], 1668–1744, Italian philosopher and historian, also known as Giambattista Vico, b. Naples. In 1699, Vico became professor of rhetor...

Pestalozzi, Johann Heinrich

(Encyclopedia)Pestalozzi, Johann Heinrich yōˈhän hīnˈrĭkh pĕsˌtälôtˈsē [key], 1746–1827, Swiss educational reformer, b. Zürich. His theories laid the foundation of modern elementary education. He stu...

Locke, John

(Encyclopedia)Locke, John lŏk [key], 1632–1704, English philosopher, founder of British empiricism. Locke summed up the Enlightenment in his belief in the middle class and its right to freedom of conscience and ...

Nečas, Petr

(Encyclopedia)Nečas, Petr pĕtˈər nĕˈchäs [key], 1964–, Czech politician. Trained as a physicist, he graduated (1988) from Brno's Uherske Science Univ. and taught (1983–88) at Masaryk Univ., Brno. After w...

London, University of

(Encyclopedia)London, University of, at London, England; founded 1836 as an examining and degree-giving body. Teaching functions were not added until 1898. It comprised at first University College (or UCL, which ha...

Maskin, Eric Stark

(Encyclopedia)Maskin, Eric Stark, 1950–, American economist, b. New York City, Ph.D. Harvard, 1976. He was on the faculty at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1977–84) and Harvard (1985–2000) before ...

Baron, Salo Wittmayer

(Encyclopedia)Baron, Salo Wittmayer säˈlō vĭtˈmīər bärônˈ [key], 1895–1989, Jewish historian and educator, b. Galicia. He was taken as a child to Vienna, where he later studied at the university, earnin...

Gorton, Sir John Grey

(Encyclopedia)Gorton, Sir John Grey, 1911–2002, Australian political leader, b. Melbourne. A fighter pilot in World War II, he was elected to the senate as a Liberal in 1949. He held a number of cabinet posts in ...

Davutoğlu, Ahmet

(Encyclopedia)Davutoğlu, Ahmet, 1959–, Turkish politician. Before entering politics, he taught political science and international relations at Marmara Univ., Beykent Univ., and other institutions. From 2003 to ...