Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

368 results found

Baker, Newton Diehl

(Encyclopedia)Baker, Newton Diehl, 1871–1937, U.S. Secretary of War (1916–21), b. Martinsburg, W.Va. He practiced law and politics in Cleveland as a protégé of Tom L. Johnson. As city solicitor (1902–12) he...

orphan drug

(Encyclopedia)orphan drug, drug developed under the U.S. Orphan Drug Act (1983) to treat a disease that affects fewer than 200,000 people in the United States. The orphan drug law offers tax breaks and a seven-year...

Inouye, Kaoru

(Encyclopedia)Inouye, Kaoru ĭinˈəwāˌ, ĭnōˈwā [key], 1835–1915, Japanese statesman. He was a leader of the antiforeign movement in his native Choshu fief, and helped set fire to the British legation in E...

Dukakis, Michael Stanley

(Encyclopedia)Dukakis, Michael Stanley do͞okäkˈĭs [key], 1933–, American political leader, b. Brookline, Mass. He was a Democratic member of the Massachusetts house of representatives (1963–70) and was twic...

Kamprad, Ingvar Feodor

(Encyclopedia)Kamprad, Ingvar Feodor, 1926–, Swedish business executive. In 1943 he founded IKEA, which began selling low-priced furniture in 1947. In the 1950s the company began designing its own furniture and h...

Sócrates Carvalho Pinto de Sousa, José

(Encyclopedia)Sócrates Carvalho Pinto de Sousa, José, 1957–, Portuguese political leader, prime minister of Portugal (2005–11). b. Porto. A member of the center-left Socialist party since 1981, he was elected...

Castile and León

(Encyclopedia)Castile and León –lāōnˈ [key], autonomous community, 36,381 sq mi (94,227 sq km), N central Spain, ...

Bradley, Bill

(Encyclopedia)Bradley, Bill (William Warren Bradley), 1943–, American athlete and politician, b. Crystal City, Mo. He first gained wide attention as an All-America basketball player at Princeton. Graduating in 19...

closed shop and open shop

(Encyclopedia)closed shop and open shop. The term “closed shop” is used to signify an establishment employing only members of a labor union. The union shop, a closely allied term, indicates a company where empl...

election

(Encyclopedia)election, choosing a candidate for office in an organization by the vote of those enfranchised to cast a ballot. In the United States, Canada, Mexico, Great Britain, and many other nations, usuall...