Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Kindi, al- (Abu Yusuf Yakub ibn Ishak al-Kindi) äˈbo͞o yo͞oso͝ofˈ yäko͞obˈ ĭbˈən ēshäkˈ ăl-kĭnˈdē [key], 9th cent. Arab philosopher, b. Basra (now in Iraq). He studied at Basra and ...

(Encyclopedia) Ringling Brothers, seven brothers, sons of German-born August Rüngeling, who established an American circus empire. Albert C. (1852–1916), Otto (1858–1911), Alfred T. (1861–1919), Charles Edwar...

(Encyclopedia) Straus strous [key], family of American merchants, public officials, and philanthropists. Isidor Straus, 1845–1912, b. Rhenish Bavaria, emigrated (1854) with his brothers to the United States in ord...

(Encyclopedia) Changes in English Pronunciation ...

(Encyclopedia) Nakuru näko͞oˈro͞o [key], city (1989 est. pop. 164,000), capital of Rift Valley prov., W central Kenya. Founded in the early 20th cent. as a center of European settlement, Nakuru is a growing comm...

(Encyclopedia) Patos, Lagoa dos ləgôˈə do͝os päˈto͝os [key] [Port.,=lake of the ducks], shallow tidal lagoon, c.150 mi (240 km) long and up to 30 mi (48 km) wide, Rio Grande do Sul state, SE Brazil. A wide s...

(Encyclopedia) Nunes, Pedro pĕˈdro͝o no͞oˈnəsh [key], Lat. Petrus Nonius, 1502–1578, Portuguese mathematician, geographer, and writer on navigation and geometry. He was the first (1534) to demonstrate an ins...

(Encyclopedia) Bilac, Olavo o͝oläˈvo͝o bēläkˈ [key], 1865–1918, Brazilian poet, journalist, and critic. He was the chief poet of the Brazilian group related to the French Parnassians. His writings have an e...

(Encyclopedia) Staffa stăfˈə [key], uninhabited island, 3⁄4 mi (1.2 km) long and 1⁄4 mi (.4 km) wide, Argyll and Bute, NW Scotland, one of the Inner Hebrides, near Mull. Famous for Fingal's Cave, Staffa has n...

(Encyclopedia) Brasher, Rex brāˈshər [key], 1869–1960, American artist and naturalist, b. Brooklyn, N.Y., grad. St. Francis College, Brooklyn, 1884. A self-taught artist, he devoted his life to making life-size...