Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Severing, Wilhelm Karl vĭlˈhĕlm kärl zāˈvəring [key], 1875–1952, German statesman. A Social Democrat, he served (1907–33) in the Reichstag, was German minister of the interior (1928–30), ...

(Encyclopedia) Meinecke, Friedrich frēˈdrĭkh mīˈnĕkə [key], 1862–1954, German historian and intellectual figure. Educated at the Univ. of Berlin, he became a professor there in 1914 and directed (1893–193...

(Encyclopedia) Naumann, Friedrich frēˈdrĭkh nouˈmän [key], 1860–1919, German political leader. A Lutheran pastor, he renounced (1894) the ministry to enter politics. He was a leading member of the Progressive...

(Encyclopedia) Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm vĭlˈhĕlm mīˈər-lüpˈkə [key], 1861–1936, Swiss philologist. Meyer-Lübke taught at the universities of Jena, Vienna, and Bonn. He was the author of many works on Romanc...

(Encyclopedia) Eichler, August Wilhelm ouˈgo͝ost vĭlˈhĕlm īkhˈlər [key], 1839–87, German botanist. He worked out the symmetry of the parts of a flower and developed a system of plant classification which, ...

(Encyclopedia) Bode, Wilhelm von bōˈdə [key], 1845–1929, German art critic and writer. He abandoned law for art and archaeology in 1869. In 1872 he was made assistant in the Berlin Museum; in 1883, director of...

(Encyclopedia) Giesebrecht, Wilhelm von vĭlˈhĕlm fən gēˈzəbrĕkht [key], 1814–89, German historian. A gifted student of Ranke, he later taught at the Univ. of Königsberg. His Geschichte der deutschen Kaise...

(Encyclopedia) Wöhler, Friedrich frēˈdrĭkh vöˈlər [key], 1800–1882, German chemist. He studied under the German chemist Leopold Gmelin and J. J. Berzelius, a Swedish chemist, and in 1836 was appointed profe...

(Encyclopedia) Steinitz, Wilhelm vĭlˈhĕlm shtīˈnĭts [key], 1836–1900, German chess player. In 1866 he won a match from Adolf Anderssen, the leading player after Paul Morphy's retirement, and became world cha...

(Encyclopedia) Hölderlin, Friedrich frēˈdrĭkh hölˈdərlĭn [key], 1770–1843, German lyric poet. Befriended and influenced by Schiller, Hölderlin produced, before the onset of insanity at 36, lofty yet subje...