Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) McGwire, Mark David məgwīrˈ [key], 1963–, American baseball player, b. Pomona, Calif. A muscular first baseman who was a college and Olympic (1984) star, McGwire broke into the American League as...

(Encyclopedia) Paris pârˈĭs [key], city (1990 pop. 24,699), seat of Lamar co., E Tex., in the Red River valley; settled 1824. It is a processing center for the rich farms of the blackland region, which produces c...

(Encyclopedia) chemical bond, mechanism whereby atoms combine to form molecules. There is a chemical bond between two atoms or groups of atoms when the forces acting between them are strong enough to lead to the for...

(Encyclopedia) Bankhead, William Brockman, 1874–1940, U.S. Representative from Alabama (1917–40), b. Lamar co., Ala. Chairman of the House rules committee (1934–35), Democratic floor leader (1935–36), and Sp...

(Encyclopedia) Procter, Bryan Waller: see Cornwall, Barry. ...

(Encyclopedia) cyclopropane, C3H6, a gaseous hydrocarbon. It is a cyclic alkane, its three carbon atoms being joined together in a ring. The angle between successive carbon-carbon bonds in the ring is only 60°, muc...

(Encyclopedia) Beane, Billy (William Lamar Beane 3d), 1962–, American baseball player and general manager, b. Orlando, Fla. An outfielder with a lifetime average of .219, he had a short, unimpressive career with t...

(Encyclopedia) aromatic compound, any of a large class of compounds that includes benzene and compounds that resemble benzene in certain of their chemical properties. Originally applied to a small class of pleasant-...

(Encyclopedia) mutual fund, in finance, investment company or trust that has a very fluid capital stock. It is unique in that at any time it can sell or redeem any of its outstanding shares at net asset value (i.e.,...

(Encyclopedia) junk bond, a bond that involves greater than usual risk as an investment and pays a relatively high rate of interest, typically issued by a company lacking an established earnings history or having a ...