Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) de Blasio, Bill, 1961–, American politician, b. New York City as Warren Wilhelm, Jr., B.A New York Univ., 1984, M.A. Columbia, 1987. A liberal Democrat, de Blasio worked in the New York City governm...

(Encyclopedia) Sousa, Martim Afonso de mərtēmˈ əfônˈzō dĭ sōˈzə [key], 1500?–1564, Portuguese colonial administrator. A military man, he was commissioned in 1530 to drive the French corsairs from the Br...

(Encyclopedia) California State University System, coordinating agency established in 1960 by the merger of individual California state colleges, now consisting of 23 campuses. It constitutes one of the three Califo...

(Encyclopedia) Olivares, Gaspar de Guzmán, conde-duque de gäspärˈ dā go͞othmänˈ kōnˈdā-do͞oˈkā dā ōlēväˈrās [key], 1587–1645, Spanish statesman. He was appointed chief minister on the accession...

(Encyclopedia) Hauts-de-Seine ōt-də-sĕn [key], department, N central France, W of Paris. Nanterre is the capital. ...

(Encyclopedia) Guadalupe, Sierra de syārˈrä ᵺā gwäᵺälo͞oˈpā [key], mountain range, W Spain, in Extremadura, between the Tagus and Guadiana rivers. The highest elevation is 4,734 ft (1,443 m). ...

(Encyclopedia) Machaut, Guillaume de gēyōmˈ də mäshōˈ [key], c.1300–1377, French poet and composer. Variants of his name include Machault, de Machaudio, and de Mascaudio. He studied theology and took holy o...

(Encyclopedia) De Palma, Brian, 1940–, American film director, b. Newark, N.J. Heavily influenced by Alfred Hitchcock, he is especially known for bloody, shocking, and suspenseful thrillers. Sometimes accused of v...

(Encyclopedia) Labadie, Jean de, or Jean de la Badie both: zhäN də lä bädēˈ [key], 1610–74, French mystic, founder of the Labadists, a quietist sect. He had been a Roman Catholic priest, but c.1650 he embrac...

(Encyclopedia) Kempener, Pieter de pēˈtər də kĕmˈpənər [key], c.1503–1580, Flemish painter, b. Brussels. He studied and painted for 10 years in Italy and about 1537 settled in Seville, Spain, where he was ...