Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Peale, Charles Willson pēl [key], 1741–1827, American portrait painter, naturalist, and inventor, b. Queen Annes County, Md. Charles Willson Peale's brother James Peale, 1749–1831, b. Cheste...

(Encyclopedia) Leonard, Benny, 1896–1947, American boxer, originally named Benjamin Leiner, b. New York City. Leonard, a master boxer and hard puncher, fought in 209 professional bouts, losing only 5. He was light...

(Encyclopedia) Fowler, Sir John, 1817–98, English engineer. With Benjamin Baker, he designed and built the Forth Bridge (1882–90) in Scotland, the first major structure made of steel. He also designed much of th...

(Encyclopedia) Bela bēˈlə [key], in the Bible. 1 First king of Edom. 2 Benjamin's first son. An alternative spelling is Belah. 3 City later called Zoar. ...

(Encyclopedia) Guinea gĭnˈē [key], an archaic term for the west coast of Africa. In its widest sense it has been applied to the region from Angola to Senegal. Parts of the region bore names originating in early c...

(Encyclopedia) Hudson, river, c.315 mi (510 km) long, rising in Lake Tear of the Clouds, on Mt. Marcy in the Adirondack Mts., NE N.Y., and flowing generally S to Upper New York Bay at New York City; the Mohawk River...

(Encyclopedia) Nash, John Henry, 1871–1947, American printer and bibliophile, b. Woodbridge, Canada. After learning the printer's trade, he emigrated to the United States in 1894. He eventually became professor of...

(Encyclopedia) Ferrier, Kathleen, 1912–53, British contralto, b. Higher Walton, Lancashire. Ferrier began voice lessons at 25. She became known for her rich, expressive, and remarkably low voice. Her celebrated pe...

(Encyclopedia) Rusk, Jeremiah McLain, 1830–93, American political leader, b. Malta, Ohio. He became a farmer in Wisconsin, where he entered politics and held numerous offices. After serving in the Civil War, he wa...

(Encyclopedia) Copley, John Singleton kŏpˈlē [key], 1738–1815, American portrait painter, b. Boston. Copley is considered the greatest of the American old masters. He studied with his stepfather, Peter Pelham, ...