Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

balata

(Encyclopedia)balata bălˈətə [key], nonelastic natural rubber obtained as a latex from the South American tree Manikara bidentata and from related trees. Its properties are similar to those of gutta-percha, and...

Giauque, William Francis

(Encyclopedia)Giauque, William Francis jēōkˈ [key], 1895–1982, American chemist, b. Niagara Falls, Ont., Canada, grad. Univ. of California (B.S., 1920; Ph.D., 1922). A member of the faculty of the Univ. of Cal...

Lewinsky scandal

(Encyclopedia)Lewinsky scandal ləwĭnˈskē [key], sensation that enveloped the presidency of Bill Clinton in 1998–99, leading to his impeachment by the U.S. House of Representatives and acquittal by the Senate....

Hamilton, Andrew, colonial American lawyer

(Encyclopedia)Hamilton, Andrew, 1676?–1741, colonial American lawyer, defender of John Peter Zenger, b. Scotland. He practiced law in Maryland and then Pennsylvania, where he became (1717) attorney general and he...

Ashgabat

(Encyclopedia)Ashgabat əshkhəbätˈ [key], formerly Ashkhabad, city (2020 pop. 846,000), capital of Turkmenistan, near the border with Iran, on the Trans-Caspian RR. The city has text...

Achilles' tendon

(Encyclopedia)Achilles' tendon (tendo calcaneus) tĕnˈdō kălkāˈnēəs [key], sinew prominent at the back of the ankle, connecting the tendons of the calf muscles to the heelbone. When the musculature contracts...

Arnoldson, Klas Pontus

(Encyclopedia)Arnoldson, Klas Pontus kläs pônˈtəs ärˈnôldsōn [key], 1844–1916, Swedish journalist and peace advocate. His untiring efforts for peace were rewarded by the 1908 Nobel Peace Prize, which he s...

D'Alembert's principle

(Encyclopedia)D'Alembert's principle dălˈəmbârzˌ [key], in mechanics, principle permitting the reduction of a problem in dynamics to one in statics. This is accomplished by introducing a fictitious force equal...

Hillingdon

(Encyclopedia)Hillingdon, outer borough of Greater London, SE England. Industries include printing, motion-picture production, and the manufacture of aircraft, food p...

Schildkraut, Rudolph

(Encyclopedia)Schildkraut, Rudolph shĭltˈkrout [key], 1862–1930, Austrian actor. He was a member of Max Reinhardt's Deutsches Theater, Berlin. In 1911 he came to the United States and until 1922 was a star of t...
 

Browse by Subject