Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Pedaiah pēdāˈyə, pēˌdəīˈyə [key], in the Bible. 1 Manassite. 2 Grandfather of Jehoiakim. 3 Father of Zerubbabel. 4 Repairer of the wall. 5 Assistant of Ezra. 6 Benjamite. 7 One of Nehemiah's...

(Encyclopedia) Astor, William Backhouse, 1792–1875, American financier, b. New York City; son of John Jacob Astor (1763–1848). Educated in Germany, he was associated with his father in business after 1818. Later...

(Encyclopedia) Philippe, 1960–, king of the Belgians (2013–). Eldest son of Albert II, he was educated at the Belgian Royal Military Academy, Oxford, and Stanford. Philippe married Mathilde d'Udekem d'Acoz in 19...

(Encyclopedia) Darwin, Sir Francis, 1848–1925, English botanist, assistant to his father, Charles Robert Darwin. He lectured in botany at Cambridge and was foreign secretary of the Royal Society and president of t...

(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...

(Encyclopedia) Heinsius, Daniel däˈnēĕl hīnˈsēəs [key], 1580–1655, Dutch classicist. One of the most famous Renaissance scholars, he edited many Latin works, composed fine Latin poetry, and wrote in Dutch ...

(Encyclopedia) Klaproth, Martin Heinrich märˈtēn hīnˈrĭkh kläpˈrōt [key], 1743–1817, German chemist. He is often referred to as the father of analytic chemistry. He recognized (1789) the presence of zirco...

(Encyclopedia) Zaccur zăkˈər [key], in the Bible. 1 Father of a spy sent into Canaan. 2 Leader of temple singers. 3 Signer of the Covenant. Additional mention of this name is in First Chronicles and Nehemiah. The...

(Encyclopedia) Puah pyo͞oˈə [key], in the Bible. 1 Midwife ordered by Pharaoh to kill Jewish boys at birth. 2 Father of the judge Tola. 3 See Phuvah. ...

(Encyclopedia) Barbara, Saint, fl. 3d or 4th cent., virgin martyr, whose life is shrouded in contradictory legends. Her father is said to have shut her up in a tower and then to have killed her for being a Christian...