Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Tartini, Giuseppe jo͞ozĕpˈpā tärtēˈnē [key], 1692–1770, Italian violinist, the greatest violin master of his day. In 1728 he founded at Padua a school of the violin that became known through...

(Encyclopedia) Gibeah gĭbˈēə [key] [Heb.,=hill]. 1 In the Bible, home town and capital of Saul; the present-day Tell el-Ful, the West Bank, 3 mi (4.8 km) N of Jerusalem. A fortress that may have been Saul's resi...

(Encyclopedia) Farrukhabad fəro͝okhˈäbädˌ [key], joint municipality with Fategarh, Uttar Pradesh state, N central ...

(Encyclopedia) Lumet, Sidney lo͞o-mĕtˈ [key], 1924–2011, one of the great American film directors of the 20th cent., b. Philadelphia. A child actor in New York's Yiddish radio and theater and (1935–41) on Bro...

(Encyclopedia) playing cards, parts of a set or deck, used in playing various games of chance or skill. The origin of playing cards is unknown, and almost as many theories exist as there are historians of the subjec...

(Encyclopedia) Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), division of the U.S. Dept. of Justice charged with investigating all violations of federal laws except those assigned to some other federal agency. The FBI has j...

(Encyclopedia) Loris-Melikov, Mikhail Tarielovich mēkhəyēlˈ təryĕlˈəvĭch lôˈrĭs-mĕˈlyĭkəf [key], 1826–88, Russian general and statesman, of Armenian descent. He was created count for his services i...

(Encyclopedia) Lost Battalion, in World War I, popular name given to those American units of the 77th Division—six companies of the 1st and 2d battalions of the 308th Infantry, one company of the 307th Infantry, a...

(Encyclopedia) Nahman of Bratslav näkhˈmən, brätˈsläf [key], 1772–1810, Jewish Hasidic leader, the great-grandson of the Baal-Shem-Tov. His messianic pretensions put him in conflict with other Hasidic (see H...

(Encyclopedia) Maecenas (Caius Maecenas) mĭsēˈnəs, mē– [key], d. 8 b.c., Roman statesman and patron of letters. He was born (between 74 b.c. and 64 b.c.) into a wealthy family and was a trusted adviser of Oct...