Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Ponzi, Charles or Carlo, 1882–1949), Italian-American swindler. He came to the United States from his native Italy in 1903, then went in 1907 to Canada, where he was convicted of check forgery. In 1...

(Encyclopedia) Randolph, John, 1773–1833, American legislator, known as John Randolph of Roanoke, b. Prince George co., Va. He briefly studied law under his cousin Edmund Randolph. He served in the U.S. House of R...

(Encyclopedia) Gulf Stream, warm ocean current of the N Atlantic Ocean, off E North America. It was first described (1513) by Spanish explorer Ponce de León. The Gulf Stream originates in the Gulf of Mexico and, as...

(Encyclopedia) steady-state theory: see cosmology. ...

(Encyclopedia) persistent vegetative state: see under coma, in medicine. ...

(Encyclopedia) Kemper, Reuben, d. 1827, American adventurer, b. Virginia. With his brothers Nathan and Samuel he settled c.1800 in Feliciana, just above Baton Rouge, in West Florida, then Spanish territory. Expelled...

(Encyclopedia) New Mexico State University, at Las Cruces; land-grant and state supported; coeducational; chartered and opened 1889 as a college. It became New Mexico State Univ. of Engineering, Agriculture, and Sci...

(Encyclopedia) Montana State University, at Bozeman; land-grant; coeducational; chartered 1893. It is primarily a technical institution specializing in agriculture, engineering, and applied sciences. The Museum of t...

(Encyclopedia) Saint Marys. 1 River, c.175 mi (280 km) long, rising in Okefenokee Swamp, SE Ga., and flowing, with a great southern bend, E to the Atlantic Ocean. It forms part of the Georgia–Florida line. The low...

(Encyclopedia) Housing and Urban Development, United States Department of (HUD), established 1965 to coordinate and administer programs that provide assistance for housing and community development. The department a...