Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Müller, Paul Hermann

(Encyclopedia)Müller, Paul Hermann mŭlˈər [key], 1899–1965, Swiss chemist, Ph.D. Univ. of Basel, 1925. He worked as a research scientist with J. R. Geigy A.G. in Basel, Switzerland. Muller won the 1948 Nobel...

Hertz, Heinrich Rudolf

(Encyclopedia)Hertz, Heinrich Rudolf hĕrts [key], 1857–94, German physicist. He confirmed J. C. Maxwell's electromagnetic theory and in the course of experiments (1886–89) produced and studied electromagnetic...

Andronicus II

(Encyclopedia)Andronicus II (Andronicus Palaeologus) pālēŏlˈəgəs [key], 1258–1332, Byzantine emperor (1282–1328), son and successor of Michael VIII. He devoted himself chiefly to church affairs, renewing ...

Fuji, Mount

(Encyclopedia)Fuji, Mount fo͞oˈjē-sän [key], volcanic peak, 12,389 ft (3,776 m) high, central Honshu, Japan, in Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park (472 sq mi/1,222 sq km; est. 1936). The highest mountain in Japan, i...

Alvear, Marcelo Torcuato de

(Encyclopedia)Alvear, Marcelo Torcuato de dā älvāärˈ [key], 1868–1942, Argentine statesman and diplomat, president of the republic (1922–28). A member of the Radical party, he became minister to France af...

Judah ha-Levi

(Encyclopedia)Judah ha-Levi or Judah Halevy häˌlēˈvī [key], c.1075–1141, Jewish rabbi, poet, and philosopher, b. Tudela, Spain. His poems—secular, religious, and nationalist—are filled with a serene and ...

Demetrius Phalereus

(Encyclopedia)Demetrius Phalereus fəlērˈo͞os, fəlērˈēəs [key] [Lat.,=of Phalerum], d. c.280 b.c., Athenian orator. One of the first Peripatetics, he wrote extensively in history, rhetoric, and literary cri...

Duchesne, Saint Rose Philippine

(Encyclopedia)Duchesne, Saint Rose Philippine düshĕnˈ [key], 1769–1852, French educator in the United States, a Roman Catholic nun, b. Grenoble, France. She entered the order of the Visitation, but was forced...

Decius Mus, Publius

(Encyclopedia)Decius Mus, Publius mŭs [key], name of three Romans, father, son, and grandson, who, according to legend, sacrificed themselves for their country. As a tribune, the father fought (343 b.c.) in the wa...

Ciudad Guayana

(Encyclopedia)Ciudad Guayana gēănˈə, –änˈ– [key], formerly Santo Tomé de Guayana, city, ...