Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Khatami, Mohammad

(Encyclopedia)Khatami, Mohammad khätˈämē [key], 1943–, Iranian religious and political leader. From a prominent clerical family, Khatami opposed the regime of Muhammad Reza Shah Pahlevi in the 1960s and 70s, ...

Douglas, Kirk

(Encyclopedia)Douglas, Kirk, 1916–2020, American film actor, b. Amsterdam, N.Y., as Issur Danielovitch, later Isadore Demsky. A leading man with a muscular physique and handsome cleft-chin face that made him a na...

Portocarrero, Luis Manuel Fernández de

(Encyclopedia)Portocarrero, Luis Manuel Fernández de lwēs mänwĕlˈ fĕrnänˈdāth dā pôrˈtōkärāˈrō [key], 1635–1709, Spanish statesman, cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. Created cardinal in 1669...

Schmalkaldic League

(Encyclopedia)Schmalkaldic League shmälkälˈdĭk [key], alliance formed in 1531 at Schmalkalden by Protestant princes and delegates of free cities. It was created in response to the threat (1530) by Holy Roman Em...

Killigrew, Thomas

(Encyclopedia)Killigrew, Thomas kĭlˈəgro͞oˌ [key], 1612–83, English dramatist and theater manager, b. London. Before the closing of the theaters by the Puritans in 1642, he wrote several tragicomedies, inclu...

La Trémoille, Georges de

(Encyclopedia)La Trémoille or La Trimouille, Georges de zhôrzh də lä trāmoiˈyə or trēmo͞oˈyə [key], c.1385–1446, favorite of King Charles VII of France, sometime chamberlain to John the Fearless of Bur...

Nordhoff, Charles

(Encyclopedia)Nordhoff, Charles nôrdˈhŏf [key], 1830–1901, American journalist and author, b. Westphalia. In 1835 he emigrated with his family to Cincinnati. His service (1844–47) in the navy, and later on w...

Charles IX, king of France

(Encyclopedia)Charles IX, 1550–74, king of France. He succeeded (1560) his brother Francis II under the regency of his mother, Catherine de' Medici. She retained her influence throughout his reign. After 1570, ho...

Bradlaugh, Charles

(Encyclopedia)Bradlaugh, Charles brădˈlô [key], 1833–91, British social reformer, a secularist. Editor of the free-thinking weekly National Reformer from 1860 and later associated with Annie Besant, he was an ...

road

(Encyclopedia)road, strip of land used for transportation. The history of roads has been related to the centralizing of populations in powerful cities, which the roads have served for military purposes and for trad...
 

Browse by Subject