Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) M'Ba, Léon lāôNˈ əmbäˈ [key], 1902–67, Gabonese political leader. He was a member of the dominant Fang ethnic group. When Gabon became a self-governing republic in the French Community (1958)...

(Encyclopedia) Doumer, Paul pōl do͞omârˈ [key], 1857–1932, president of the French republic (1931–32). He entered the chamber of deputies in 1888, was governor-general of Indochina (1897–1902) and a senato...

(Encyclopedia) Institute for Advanced Study, at Princeton, N.J.; chartered 1930, opened 1933. It differs from a university in that it offers no curriculum or examinations, and confers no degrees. Founded with a gift...

(Encyclopedia) Work, Hubert, 1860–1942, American cabinet officer, b. Marion Center, Pa. A practicing physician in Colorado, he became prominent in state and then in national Republican politics. He was Postmaster ...

(Encyclopedia) Varley, John, 1778–1842, English painter in watercolor; one of the founders of the Old Water Colour Society. He is best known for his paintings of Welsh mountain country. He was also an influential ...

(Encyclopedia) Leopold II, 1835–1909, king of the Belgians (1865–1909), son and successor of Leopold I. His reign saw great industrial and colonial expansion. In 1876 he organized, with the help of H. M. Stanley...

(Encyclopedia) Henry VII, c.1275–1313, Holy Roman emperor (1312–13) and German king (1308–13). A minor count of the house of Luxembourg, Henry was elected German king on the death of King Albert I after the el...

(Encyclopedia) Saxe-Coburg săks-kōbərg [key], Ger. Sachsen-Coburg, former duchy, central Germany. A possession of the Ernestine branch of the house of Wettin, it was given by Ernest the Pious (d. 1675) of Saxe-Go...

(Encyclopedia) Sisyphus sĭsˈĭfəs [key], in Greek mythology, son of Aeolus and founder and king of Corinth. Renowned for his cunning, he was said to have outwitted even Death. For his disrespect to Zeus, he was c...

(Encyclopedia) Leopold III, 1901–83, king of the Belgians (1934–51), son and successor of Albert I. In 1936, Leopold announced a fundamental change in foreign policy; Belgium abandoned its military alliance with...