Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Thai language tī [key], formerly Siamese, member of the Tai or Thai subfamily of the Sino-Tibetan family of languages (see Sino-Tibetan languages). The official language of Thailand, Thai is spoken b...

(Encyclopedia) Ginzburg, Vitaly Lazarevich, 1916–2009, Russian physicist, Ph.D. Moscow State Univ., 1938. He was a researcher at Lebedev Physics Institute of the USSR (later Russian) Academy of Sciences after 1940...

(Encyclopedia) Aco or Accault, Michel both: mēshĕlˈ äkōˈ [key], fl. 1680–1702, French explorer. He became La Salle's lieutenant, being favored by that explorer because of his courage, prudence, and wide acqu...

(Encyclopedia) novena nōvēˈnə [key] [Lat.,=a group of nine], in the Roman Catholic Church, primarily a series of public or private prayers extending over nine consecutive days, especially nine days preceding a f...

(Encyclopedia) Langdon, Harry, 1884–1944, American silent film comedian and director, b. Council Bluffs, Iowa. He repeatedly ran away from home to join traveling shows and circuses as a youngster, and later develo...

(Encyclopedia) Mechelen mĕkhˈələn [key], Fr. Malines, commune (1991 est. pop. 75,000), Antwerp prov., N central Belgium, on the Dijle River. In English it is also known as Mechlin. It is a commercial, industrial...

(Encyclopedia) Pulaski, Casimir käzēˈmyĕsh po͞oläˈskē [key], 1745–1779, Polish patriot and military commander in the American Revolution. Born in Podolia of a noble family, he participated with his father ...

(Encyclopedia)  Trabert, Tony (Marian Anthony Trabert), 1930-2021, American tennis champion, b. Cincinnati, Oh. Trabert showed talent at tennis from a young age, winn...

(Encyclopedia) Baldessari, John (John Anthony Baldessari), 1931–2020, American artist, b. National City, Calif., grad. San Diego State College (now Univ.; B.A., 1953; M.F.A., 1957). A founder of conceptual art, he...

(Encyclopedia) Putnam, Rufus, 1738–1824, American Revolutionary general, one of the founders of the Ohio Company of Associates, b. Sutton, Mass.; cousin of Israel Putnam. In the French and Indian War he joined (17...