Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Henslow, John Stevens

(Encyclopedia)Henslow, John Stevens hĕnzˈlō [key], 1796–1861, English botanist. He was professor of mineralogy (1822–27) and of botany (1827–61) at Cambridge. Henslow was a teacher and friend of Charles Da...

John Henry

(Encyclopedia)John Henry, legendary African American famous for his strength, celebrated in ballads and tales. In the most popular version of the story, John Henry tries to outwork a steam drill with only his hamme...

Sheriffmuir

(Encyclopedia)Sheriffmuir shĕrˈĭfmyo͝orˌ [key], battlefield in Stirling, central Scotland, near Dunblane. It was the scene, Nov. 13, 1715, of an indecisive battle between the Jacobites under John Erskine, 6th ...

Rankine, William John Macquorn

(Encyclopedia)Rankine, William John Macquorn răngˈkĭn [key], 1820–72, Scottish engineer and physicist. Serving as a professor of engineering at the Univ. of Glasgow from 1855, he made valuable contributions to...

Percy, George

(Encyclopedia)Percy, George, 1580–1631?, English colonial official in Virginia. He sailed to Virginia with the expedition of 1606–7 and was deputy governor (1609–10) after John Smith's return to England and, ...

Trevisa, John of

(Encyclopedia)Trevisa, John of trəvēˈsə [key], c.1326–c.1402, English writer. He was the vicar of Berkeley. In 1387 he translated into English Ranulph Higden's Polychronicon, a history of the world, and in 13...

Goddard, John

(Encyclopedia)Goddard, John gŏdˈərd [key], 1724–85, American furniture maker, b. Dartmouth, Mass. He worked in Newport, R.I., and is recognized as having been one of the finest cabinetmakers in early America. ...

Wallis, John

(Encyclopedia)Wallis, John wŏlˈĭs [key], 1616–1703, English mathematician. He was Savilian professor of geometry at Oxford from 1649. He systematized the use of formulas, introduced the symbol ∞ for infinity...

Bouvier, John

(Encyclopedia)Bouvier, John bo͝ovērˈ [key], 1787–1851, American writer on law, b. France. He emigrated to Philadelphia in 1802 with his parents and later was a lawyer and journalist in Pennsylvania. His Law Di...

Clare, John

(Encyclopedia)Clare, John, 1793–1864, English poet. A romantic poet who wrote shortly after the vogue for such verse, he had a profound and singular gift for capturing nature in exquisitely specific detail. The s...
 

Browse by Subject