Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Czolgosz, Leon F. chŏlˈgŏsh [key], c.1873–1901, American anarchist, b. Detroit, Mich. He shot and killed William McKinley in Buffalo on Sept. 6, 1901, saying that the President was “an enemy of...

(Encyclopedia) limpkin or courlan ko͝orˈlən [key], common terms for a long-legged, nonmigratory marsh bird, considered the connecting evolutionary link between the crane and the rail. They have a cranelike skelet...

(Encyclopedia) Asa āˈsə [key], in the Bible, king of Judah, son and successor of Abijah. He was a good king, zealous in his extirpation of idols. When Baasha of Israel took Ramah (a few miles N of Jerusalem), Asa...

(Encyclopedia) modacrylic, synthetic copolymer fiber. Modacrylics are soft, strong, resilient, and dimensionally stable. They can be easily dyed, show good press and shape retention, and are quick to dry. They have ...

(Encyclopedia) slipware, pottery decorated with various colors of slip, a thin mixture of clay and water. Slip may form a design on a contrasting background, or lines may be scratched through a coating of slip to sh...

(Encyclopedia) Dressler, Marie, 1869–1934, American actress, b. Coburg, Ont., Canada. She appeared on stage and in vaudeville before making her first film, Tillie's Punctured Romance (1914). Although she gained fa...

(Encyclopedia) Coatzacoalcos kwätsäkwälˈkōs [key], city, Veracruz state, E central Mexico, at the mouth of the ...

(Encyclopedia) monkey-puzzle tree, evergreen tree (Araucaria araucana) native to Chile and widely cultivated elsewhere as an ornamental. The symmetrical branches have an unusual angularity and are completely covered...

(Encyclopedia) Armageddon ärˌməgedˈən [key], in the New Testament, great battlefield where, at the end of the world, the powers of evil will fight the powers of good. If the usual etymology is correct, the name...

(Encyclopedia) Montes Claros môNˈtəsh kläˈro͝osh [key], city (1996 pop. 271,324), Minas Gerais state, E central Brazil. Cattle breeding is the chief economic activity, and agriculture is important. Montes Clar...