Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Sangster, Charles, 1822–93, Canadian poet, b. Ontario. At first an imitator of Byron, he became, with the publication of Hesperus and Other Poems and Lyrics (1860), the first notable Canadian poet t...

(Encyclopedia) Hasdrubal hăzˈdro͞obəl [key], d. 221 b.c., Carthaginian general. He fought under his father-in-law, Hamilcar Barca, in Africa and in Spain, where he succeeded (229 or 228 b.c.) Hamilcar as general...

(Encyclopedia) Cage, John Milton Jr., 1912–92, American composer, b. Los Angeles. A leading figure in the musical avant-garde from the late 1930s, he attended Pomona...

(Encyclopedia) Ku Klux Klan ko͞oˌ klŭks klăn [key], designation mainly given to two distinct secret societies that played a part in American history, although other less important groups have also used the name....

(Encyclopedia) Bates, Katharine Lee, 1859–1929, American author, b. Falmouth, Mass., grad. Wellesley, 1880. She was professor of English literature at Wellesley (1891–1925). Her hymn, “America the Beautiful,�...

(Encyclopedia) Martin IV, d. 1285, pope (1281–85), a Frenchman named Simon de Brie; successor of Nicholas III. He was chancellor under Louis IX of France and was created cardinal by Urban IV. He was thus a support...

(Encyclopedia) Edmund, Saint, d. 869, king of East Anglia (855–869). He was supposedly martyred by the invading Danes for his adherence to Christianity. His shrine was at Bury St. Edmunds. Feast: Nov. 20. ...

(Encyclopedia) speleology spēlēŏlˈəjē [key], systematic exploration of caves, popularly called spelunking. It includes the measuring and mapping of caves and reporting on the flora and fauna found in them. One...

(Encyclopedia) metaphysics mĕtəfĭzˈĭks [key], branch of philosophy concerned with the ultimate nature of existence. It perpetuates the Metaphysics of Aristotle, a collection of treatises placed after the Physic...

(Encyclopedia) Harkness, Edward Stephen, 1874–1940, American philanthropist, b. Cleveland. He inherited a fortune from his father, a partner of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. His extensive philanthropies, many of them a...