Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Lissitzky, El (Eliezer Markovich Lissitzky) lyĭsyētsˈkē [key], 1890–1941, Russian painter, designer, teacher, and architect. Lissitzky studied at Darmstadt and later taught at the Moscow Academy...

(Encyclopedia) Lorentz, Hendrik Antoon hĕnˈdrək änˈtōn lōˈrĕnts [key], 1853–1928, Dutch physicist, a pioneer in formulating the relations between electricity, magnetism, and light. He was one of the first...

(Encyclopedia) Land, Edwin Herbert, 1909–91, American inventor and photographic pioneer. While at Harvard, Land became interested in the properties and manipulation of polarized light. He left Harvard and, in 1932...

(Encyclopedia) Oliphant, Laurence ŏlˈĭfənt [key], 1829–88, British author, b. Capetown, South Africa. Although he wrote some valuable travel books, he is probably best remembered for his fascinating life. The ...

(Encyclopedia) Olney, Richard, 1835–1917, American cabinet member, b. Oxford, Mass. He was a successful Boston lawyer and had served briefly in the state legislature before President Cleveland appointed him to his...

(Encyclopedia) Overijssel ōˌvərīˈsəl [key], province (1994 pop. 1,044,600), c,1,500 sq mi (3,885 sq km), E central Netherlands; it borders on Germany in the east. Zwolle is the capital; other cities include Al...

(Encyclopedia)  Pacheco, Johnny (Juan Azarías Pacheco Knipping), 1935-2021, Dominican-American salsa musician, bandleader, and recording executive, b. Santiago de lo...

(Encyclopedia) parapsychology, study of mental phenomena not explainable by accepted principles of science. The organized, scientific investigation of paranormal phenomena began with the foundation (1882) of the Soc...

(Encyclopedia) perversion, sexual, in psychology, sexual behavior deemed pathological by its deviation from “normal” sexual desire. The definition of sexual perversion has shifted considerably over time: indeed,...

(Encyclopedia) Shaw, Artie, 1910–2004, American clarinetist and bandleader, b. New York City as Arthur Jacob Arshawsky. He began playing professionally as a teenager, becoming a studio musician in New York after 1...