Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Booth, John Wilkes wĭlks [key], 1838–65, American actor, the assassin of Abraham Lincoln, b. near Bel Air, Md.; son of Junius Brutus Booth and brother of Edwin Booth. He made his stage debut at the...

(Encyclopedia) Orlon, trademark for an acrylic fiber available in filaments (long single strands) or staples (bundles of short fibers). Orlon is resistant to sunlight and atmospheric gases, which makes it ideal for ...

(Encyclopedia) utilitarianism yo͞oˌtĭlĭtrˈēənĭzəm, yo͞otĭˌ– [key], in ethics, the theory that the rightness or wrongness of an action is determined by its usefulness in bringing about the most happines...

(Encyclopedia) ethics, in philosophy, the study and evaluation of human conduct in the light of moral principles. Moral principles may be viewed either as the standard of conduct that individuals have constructed fo...

(Encyclopedia) Gould, Jay, 1836–92, American speculator, b. Delaware co., N.Y. A country-store clerk and surveyor's assistant, he rose to control half the railroad mileage in the Southwest, New York City's elevate...

(Encyclopedia) Penitent Thief: see Good Thief.

(Encyclopedia) East India Company, Dutch, 1602–1798, chartered by the States-General of the Netherlands to expand trade and assure close relations between the government and its colonial enterprises in Asia. The c...

(Encyclopedia) Whitby, town (1991 pop. 61,281), SE Ont., Canada, NE of Toronto, on Lake Ontario. It has a good harbor. The town's manufactures include tires and electronic equipment. ...

(Encyclopedia) Nicholson, Jack, 1937–, American film actor, b. Neptune, N.J. After appearing in a series of low-budget movies for some 10 years, he scored his first success with Easy Rider (1969). One of Hollywood...

(Encyclopedia) Gill, Sir David gĭl [key], 1843–1914, Scottish astronomer, educated at the Univ. of Aberdeen. He made observations of the transits of Venus and Mars and investigated the solar parallax. As astronom...