Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Cowen, Brian, 1960– Irish political leader, prime minister of the Repubic of Ireland (2008–11). A lawyer from a family long involved in Fianna Fáil politics, he was first elected to the Irish par...

(Encyclopedia) Jansky, Karl Guthe, 1905–50, American radio engineer; b. Norman, Okla. After graduating (1927) from the Univ. of Wisconson, he joined the Bell Telephone Laboratories. While trying to determine the c...

(Encyclopedia) Yap yăp, yäp [key], state (1990 pop. 10,886), c.47 sq mi (121 sq km), in the W Caroline Islands, W Pacific. One of four states comprising the Federated States of Micronesia, the island group was for...

(Encyclopedia) wildlife refuge, haven or sanctuary for animals; an area of land or of land and water set aside and maintained, usually by government or private organization, for the preservation and protection of on...

(Encyclopedia) Madinat ash Shab mədēˈnət ăsh shăb [key], town, SW Yemen, just N of Aden. Formerly called al-Ittihad, it was built in the 1960s as the federal capital of the Federation of South Arabia. From 196...

(Encyclopedia) rent control, in economics and law, government regulation of rent to prevent unreasonable or excessive increases. In the United States, the federal government imposed rent control (and other price con...

(Encyclopedia) Conemaugh kŏnˈəmôˌ [key], river c.70 mi (110 km) long, rising in the Allegheny Mts. and flowing NW to the Allegheny River, SW Pa. Federal flood-control works on the river and its tributaries incl...

(Encyclopedia) Hopkinson, Joseph, 1770–1842, American jurist, b. Philadelphia; son of Francis Hopkinson. A successful lawyer, he helped to defend (1804) Justice Samuel Chase in impeachment proceedings and was asso...

(Encyclopedia) Internal Revenue Service (IRS), division of the U.S. Treasury Dept. that is responsible for the assessment and collection of most federal taxes, except those relating to alcohol, tobacco, firearms, an...

(Encyclopedia) Woodlawn, uninc. town (1990 pop. 32,907 including Woodmoor), Baltimore co., N Md., a residential suburb of Baltimore. Called Powhattan in 1856 after the company name for a local mill, the site was ren...