Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Butler, Joseph, 1692–1752, English bishop and exponent of natural theology. Butler held a series of church offices, ending his career as bishop of Durham. His principle writings are Fifteen Sermons ...

(Encyclopedia) John of the Cross, Saint, Span. Juan de la Cruz, 1542–91, Spanish mystic and poet, Doctor of the Church. His name was originally Juan de Yepes. He was a founder of the Discalced Carmelites and a clo...

(Encyclopedia) Skelton, John, 1460–1529, English poet and humanist. Tutor to Prince Henry (later Henry VIII), he later (c.1502) became rector of Diss, Norfolk. In 1512 he began to call himself royal orator, a posi...

(Encyclopedia) Coen Brothers, American filmmakers Joel Coen, 1955–, and Ethan Coen, 1958–, both b. St. Louis Park, Minn. Joel studied at New York Univ. Film School (B.A., 1978), Ethan at Princeton (B.A., 1979). ...

(Encyclopedia) Truth, Sojourner, c.1797–1883, American abolitionist, a freed slave, originally called Isabella, b. Ulster co., N.Y. Convinced that she heard heavenly...

(Encyclopedia) Milman, Henry Hart, 1791–1868, English clergyman, poet, and historian, dean of St. Paul's Cathedral, London, from 1849. He was the author of several dramatic poems as well as some important historic...

(Encyclopedia) Dam, Henrik hănˈrēk däm [key], 1895–1976, Danish biochemist. He identified vitamin K in 1934 and later investigated the role of vitamin E in nutrition. The 1943 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medi...

(Encyclopedia) Elliott, Charles Loring, 1812–68, American painter, b. Scipio, Cayuga co., N.Y.; pupil of John Trumbull and John Quidor. His portraits number over 700. His principal works include the portraits of M...

(Encyclopedia) Garrick, David, 1717–79, English actor, manager, and dramatist. He was indisputably the greatest English actor of the 18th cent., and his friendships with Diderot, Samuel Johnson, Oliver Goldsmith, ...

(Encyclopedia) Gaskell, Elizabeth Cleghorn (Stevenson) găsˈkəl [key], 1810–65, English novelist. When she was still an infant her mother died, and she was brought up by an aunt in Knutsford, Cheshire, the backg...