Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Merrill, James (James Ingram Merrill), 1926–95, American poet, b. New York City. Born into wealth as the son of Charles Merrill, he studied at Amherst College (grad. 1947) and was free to live as he...

(Encyclopedia) Leonov, Aleksei Arkhipovich ŭlˌyĭksyāˈ ärkhˌyĭpôˈvyĭch [key], 1934–2019, Soviet-Russian cosmonaut and military officer. While serving as copilot of Voskhod 2 (Mar. 18–19, 1964), he beca...

(Encyclopedia) Laing, R. D. (Ronald David Laing) lăng [key], 1927–89, British psychiatrist. After studying at Univ. of Glasgow (M.D., 1951), he taught there (1953–56), later moving to the Tavistock Clinic and I...

(Encyclopedia) National Museum of African American History and Culture, Washington, D.C., a division of the Smithsonian Institution. Devoted to the collection, presentation, and preservation of the culture of Africa...

(Encyclopedia) Horatii hōrāˈshēī [key], in Roman legend, male triplets who represented Rome in a battle against Alba, which was represented by the Curiatii, also triplets. After two of the Horatii had been kill...

(Encyclopedia) Coues, Elliott kouz [key], 1842–99, American ornithologist, b. Portsmouth, N.H., grad. Columbian College, later Columbian Univ. and now George Washington Univ. (B.A., 1861; M.D., 1863; Ph.D., 1869)....

(Encyclopedia) Jehoiada jēhoiˈədə [key], in the Bible. 1 High priest. He married Jehosheba, a princess of Judah, and together they saved the infant Jehoash. They led the conspiracy against Athaliah that put Jeho...

(Encyclopedia) Judah, in the Bible, the southern of the two kingdoms remaining after the division of the kingdom of the Jews that occurred under Rehoboam. The northern kingdom, Israel, was continually at war with Ju...

(Encyclopedia) Volterra, Daniele da dänyāˈlā dä vōltĕrˈrä [key], 1509–66, Italian mannerist painter and sculptor. His family name was Ricciarelli, but he was known by the name of his birthplace. He was ac...

(Encyclopedia) Ruth, book of the Bible. It tells a story, set in the days of the judges, of the fidelity of a Moabite widow (Ruth) to her widowed mother-in-law (Naomi). After the death of her husband in Moab, Ruth r...