Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Guericke, Otto von ôˈtō fən gāˈrĭkə [key], 1602–86, German physicist, noted for his study of pneumatics. He carried out his most important researches while burgomaster (1646–81) of Magdebu...

(Encyclopedia) tapir tāˈpər [key], nocturnal, herbivorous mammal, genus Tapirus, of the jungles of Central and South America and SE Asia. The tapir is somewhat piglike in appearance; however, it is not related to...

(Encyclopedia) parimutuel betting părˌĭmyo͞oˈtyo͞oĕl [key], system of cooperative wagering invented (c.1870) in France by Pierre Oller. According to the system, the holders of winning tickets divide the total...

(Encyclopedia) Nördlingen nörtˈlĭngən [key], city (1994 pop. 19,615), Bavaria, S central Germany. It is a manufacturing center and a rail junction, with industries in paper, clothing, and precision instruments....

(Encyclopedia) Marsh, Othniel Charles, 1831–99, American paleontologist, b. Lockport, N.Y., grad. Yale, 1860. He studied abroad, and from 1866 served at Yale as the first professor of paleontology and as curator o...

(Encyclopedia) motel, public lodging establishment for automobile travelers. Motels have traditionally differed from hotels in that the former have facilities for free parking on the premises, are seldom more than t...

(Encyclopedia) Cary, Joyce (Arthur Joyce Lunel Cary), 1888–1957, English author. From 1910 to 1920 he served as an administrator and soldier in Nigeria. Several of his early works, including Mister Johnson (1939),...

(Encyclopedia) blanket, sheet, usually of heavy woolen, or partly woolen, cloth, for use as a shawl, bed covering, or horse covering. The blanketmaking of primitive people is one of the finest remaining examples of ...

(Encyclopedia) silenus sīlēˈnəs [key], in Greek mythology, part bestial and part human creature of the forests and mountains. Part of Dionysus' entourage, the sileni are usually represented as aged satyrs—drun...

(Encyclopedia) Vreeland, Diana, 1906–89, American fashion editor and consultant, b. Paris as Diana Dalziel. In 1937, she joined Harper's Bazaar, becoming fashion editor in 1939. In 1963, she moved to Vogue magazin...