Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Jókai, Mór mōr yōˈkoi [key], 1825–1904, Hungarian romantic novelist and journalist. Jókai was a fervent nationalist who, after the Hungarian defeat in 1848, became a fugitive from the Austrian...

(Encyclopedia) Hatch, William Henry, 1833–96, U.S. Congressman (1879–95), b. Scott co., Ky. He was admitted (1854) to the bar and moved to Hannibal, Mo. He became prominent in Democratic politics in Missouri and...

(Encyclopedia) Robin Hood, legendary hero of 12th-century England who robbed the rich to help the poor. Chivalrous, manly, fair, and always ready for a joke, Robin Hood reflected many of the ideals of the English ye...

(Encyclopedia) Rodney, Caesar, 1728–84, American political leader, signer of the Declaration of Independence, b. near Dover, Del. He was a member of the Delaware assembly (1761–70, 1772–76), its speaker (1769,...

(Encyclopedia) Saintsbury, George Edward Bateman sāntsˈbərē [key], 1845–1933, English critic and historian. His many works on English and French literature, notable for their breadth of knowledge and spirited ...

(Encyclopedia) American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), nonpartisan organization devoted to the preservation and extension of the basic rights set forth in the U.S. Constitution. Founded (1920) by such prominent figur...

(Encyclopedia) Baker v. Carr, case decided in 1962 by the U.S. Supreme Court. Tennessee had failed to reapportion the state legislature for 60 years despite population growth and redistribution. Charles Baker, a vot...

(Encyclopedia) Griswold, Roger, 1762–1812, American political leader, b. Lyme, Conn.; son of Matthew Griswold. A Connecticut lawyer, he entered politics and, as U.S. Congressman (1795–1805), was a vigorous Feder...

(Encyclopedia) Lady of the Lake, in Arthurian legend, a misty, supernatural figure endowed with magic powers, who gave the sword Excalibur to King Arthur. She inhabited a castle in an underwater kingdom. According t...

(Encyclopedia) Bacon, Robert, 1860–1919, American banker and government official, b. Jamaica Plain, Mass. He embarked upon a career in business and in 1894 accepted a partnership with J. P. Morgan and Company. He ...