Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Silius Italicus sĭˈlēo͝osˈ ĭtăˈlĭko͝os [key], a.d. 25–a.d. 101, Latin poet. An orator and state functionary, Silius was made consul in a.d. 68 and proconsul in Asia Minor in a.d. 77. Retir...

(Encyclopedia) Bergman, Torbern Olof to͝orˈbərn o͞oˈlôv bĕrˈyəmän [key], 1735–84, Swedish chemist, physicist, and mineralogist. A professor at the Univ. of Uppsala from 1758, he developed a theory of che...

(Encyclopedia) Zeyer, Julius yo͝oˈlĭo͝os zāˈĕr, tsīˈər [key], 1841–1901, Czech writer. Restless, nostalgic, and mystical, Zeyer wrote ornate, almost decadent epic poetry based on ancient and medieval leg...

(Encyclopedia) Sultan Husayn so͝oltänˈ ho͞osānˈ [key], d. 1729, Safavid shah of Persia (1694–1722). A weak and superstitious man, Shah Sultan Husayn was surrounded by astrologers and fanatics and was able to...

(Encyclopedia) Warming, Johannes Eugenius Bülow yōhänˈəs ĕo͝ogāˈnēo͝os büˈlou värmˈĭng [key], 1841–1924, Danish botanist, a founder of the science of plant ecology. He was a professor at the Univ. ...

(Encyclopedia) Purdue University pərdyo͞oˈ, –do͞oˈ [key], main campus at West Lafayette, Ind.; land-grant with state support; coeducational; chartered 1865, opened 1874. It maintains campuses at Hammond (Calu...

(Encyclopedia) Uusikaupunki o͞oˈsēkouˌpo͝ongkē [key], Swed. Nystad, city (1996 pop. 17,631), Western Finland prov., SW Finland, on the Gulf of Bothnia. A local trade center and port, it has sawmills, machine s...

(Encyclopedia) Veliki Ustyug vyĭlyēˈkē o͝ostyo͞okˈ [key], city (1989 pop. 36,200), N central European Russia, a port on the Northern Dvina River. First mentioned as Ustyug in the 12th cent., the city later be...

(Encyclopedia) Zunser, Eliakum ĕlˈyōko͝om tso͝onˈzər [key], 1846–1913, Lithuanian folk poet and singer who wrote in Yiddish. The most popular Jewish folk singer of his time, he appeared at weddings all over...

(Encyclopedia) Banu Musa bäno͞oˈ mo͞osäˈ [key], family of Arab mathematicians and astronomers of the 9th cent. a.d. The name means “sons of Musa” and refers to the three brothers, Muhammad, Ahmad, and al-H...