Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Grand Ole Opry, weekly American radio program featuring live country and western music. The nation's oldest continuous radio sho...

(Encyclopedia) drone or remotely piloted vehicle, a pilotless craft guided by remote control. Aircraft, ships, and land vehicles can be designed or outfitted as drones. Underwater vessels—both piloted and pilotles...

(Encyclopedia) Chamorro, Violeta Barrios de chämōˈrō [key], 1929–, president of Nicaragua (1990–97). Widow of martyred newspaper editor Joaquim Chamorro, she briefly joined the ruling Sandinista junta follo...

(Encyclopedia) Lewisohn, Ludwig lo͞oˈĭzōn [key], 1882–1955, American author, b. Berlin. After teaching German at Ohio State (1911–19), he was associate editor for the Nation (1920–24). His novels include D...

(Encyclopedia) Mukherjee, Pranab Kumar, 1935–2020, Indian political leader. He was a lawyer, college teacher, and journalist before entering politics, and from 1972 (except for 1986–88) was a member of the Congr...

(Encyclopedia) Mahajanga mäjo͞ongˈgä [key], city (1993 pop. 100,807), NW Madagascar, on the Mozambique Channel. Despite its shallow harbor, Mahajanga is one of the nation's chief ports. The Betsiboka River valle...

(Encyclopedia) Mandarin mănˈdərĭn [key] [Port. mandar=to govern, or from Malay mantri=counselor of state], a high official of imperial China. For each of the nine grades there was a different colored button worn...

(Encyclopedia) Mars, in Roman religion and mythology, god of war. In early Roman times he was a god of agriculture, but in later religion (when he was identified with the Greek Ares) he was primarily associated with...

(Encyclopedia) Pereira, Aristides Maria ärĭshˈtēdĭsh märēˈä pərāˈrä [key], 1923–2011, first president of Cape Verde. In the late 1940s he became an activist in the struggle against Portuguese colonial...

(Encyclopedia) Mitchel, John, 1815–75, Irish revolutionist and journalist. A practicing lawyer, Mitchel contributed articles to the Nation (Dublin) and the United Irishman, which he founded in 1848, calling for re...