Columbia Encyclopedia
Search results
500 results found
Buckingham, George Villiers, 1st duke of
(Encyclopedia)Buckingham, George Villiers, 1st duke of vĭlˈyərz, bŭkˈĭng-əm [key], 1592–1628, English courtier and royal favorite. He arrived (1614) at the English court as James I was tiring of his favori...Astor, William Backhouse, 1829–92, American financier and sportsman
(Encyclopedia)Astor, William Backhouse, 1829–92, American financier and sportsman, b. New York City. The son of William Backhouse Astor (1792–1875), he was a retiring man, notable principally for his wealth and...Lind, Jenny
(Encyclopedia)Lind, Jenny, 1820–87, Swedish soprano. She made her debut in 1838 as Agathe in Weber's Der Freischütz. She studied in Paris and sang in Germany, England, and Sweden. In 1849 she abandoned opera for...Siegfried
(Encyclopedia)Siegfried sĭgˈərd [key], great folk hero of early and medieval Germanic mythology. His legend, important in several Germanic epics, recounts his killing of the dragon Fafnir, his marriage to Gudrun...Powhatan
(Encyclopedia)Powhatan pouˌətănˈ [key], d. 1618, Native North American chief of the Powhatan tribe in Virginia, whose personal name was Wahunsenaca, Wahunsenacawh, or Wahunsonacock. He greatly extended the domi...Sophonisba
(Encyclopedia)Sophonisba sōfənĭzˈbə [key], fl. 3d cent. b.c., Carthaginian noblewoman, daughter of Hasdrubal. She was the Carthaginian wife of Syphax of Numidia, who after the marriage fought for Carthage. Whe...Freyja
(Encyclopedia)Freyja frāˈä [key], Norse goddess of love, marriage, and fertility. Her identity and attributes were often confused with those of the goddess Frigg. As a deity of the dead, Freyja was entitled to h...Blessington, Marguerite, countess of
(Encyclopedia)Blessington, Marguerite, countess of, 1789–1849, English author and famous beauty, b. Ireland. At the age of 14 she was forced by her father into marriage with Capt. Maurice St. Leger Farmer, a sadi...Carlyle, Jane Baillie Welsh
(Encyclopedia)Carlyle, Jane Baillie Welsh, 1801–66, English woman of letters; wife of Thomas Carlyle, whom she married in 1826. She possessed a genius for letter writing, manifest in the volumes of her published ...Catherine, Saint
(Encyclopedia)Catherine, Saint kăthˈrən, kăthˈərĭn [key], 4th cent.?, Alexandrian virgin martyr. Nothing certain is known of her life, and in 1969 her name was dropped from the liturgical calendar. According...Browse by Subject
- Earth and the Environment +-
- History +-
- Literature and the Arts +-
- Medicine +-
- People +-
- Philosophy and Religion +-
-
Places
+-
- Africa
- Asia
- Australia and Oceania
- Britain, Ireland, France, and the Low Countries
- Commonwealth of Independent States and the Baltic Nations
- Germany, Scandinavia, and Central Europe
- Latin America and the Caribbean
- Oceans, Continents, and Polar Regions
- Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, and the Balkans
- United States, Canada, and Greenland
- Plants and Animals +-
- Science and Technology +-
- Social Sciences and the Law +-
- Sports and Everyday Life +-
