Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Neptune, in astronomy, 8th planet from the sun at a mean distance of about 2.8 billion mi (4.5 billion km) with an orbit lying between those of Uranus and the dwarf planet Pluto; its period of revolut...

(Encyclopedia) Monet, Claude klōd mônāˈ [key], 1840–1926, French landscape painter, b. Paris. Monet was a founder of impressionism. He adhered to its principles throughout his long career and is considered the...

(Encyclopedia) Homo erectus hōˈmō ērĕkˈtəs [key], extinct hominin living between 1.6 million and 250,000 years ago, possibly as late as c.110,000 years ago. Homo erectus is thought to have evolved in Africa f...

(Encyclopedia) Last Judgment: see Judgment Day. ...

(Encyclopedia) Palm Sunday, in the Christian calendar, the Sunday before Easter, sixth and last Sunday in Lent, and the first day of Holy Week. It recalls the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem riding upon an ass, when h...

(Encyclopedia) pyrotechnics pīˌrōtĕkˈnĭks, pīˌrə– [key], technology of making and using fireworks. Gunpowder was used in fireworks by the Chinese as early as the 9th cent., and it was they who brought fir...

(Encyclopedia) Telemann, Georg Philipp gāˈôrk fēˈlĭp tĕlˈəmän [key], 1681–1767, German composer. From 1721 until his death he was director of music for the five major churches in Hamburg. Extremely proli...

(Encyclopedia)  Supreme Court Justices(including dates on bench) Chief Justices Associate Justices ...

(Encyclopedia) calendar [Lat., from Kalends], system of reckoning time for the practical purpose of recording past events and calculating dates for future plans. The calendar is based on noting ordinary and easily o...

(Encyclopedia) Doom or Doomsday: see Judgment Day. ...