Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Spanish-American literature, the writings of both the European explorers of Spanish America and its later inhabitants. See also Spanish literature; Portuguese literature; Brazilian literature. T...

(Encyclopedia) Grady, Henry Woodfin, 1850–89, American journalist and orator, b. Athens, Ga. In 1879 a gift from Cyrus W. Field enabled him to buy into the Atlanta Constitution. He gained fame with his editorials ...

(Encyclopedia) Drew, Elizabeth, 1935–, American journalist, b. Cincinnati. A deeply insightful analyst of the national political scene, she was the Washington correspondent for two major U.S. magazines, the Atlant...

(Encyclopedia) Soderbergh, Steven (Steven Andrew Soderbergh), 1963–, American film director, b. Atlanta, Ga. After making short films and documentaries, he scored a commercial success with sex, lies, and videotape...

(Encyclopedia) American Legion, national association of male and female war veterans, founded (1919) in Paris. Membership is open to veterans of World Wars I and II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. The preamble...

(Encyclopedia) Delano, Amasa ămˈəsə dĕlˈənō [key], 1763–1823, American sea captain, b. Duxbury, Mass. At 15, he served as a soldier in the American Revolution and later as a privateersman. His experiences ...

(Encyclopedia) Thomson or Thompson, Mortimer Neal, 1831–75, American journalist and humorist who used the pseudonym Q. K. Philander Doesticks, P.B., b. Riga, N.Y. He joined the staff of the New York Tribune in 185...

(Encyclopedia) American literature, literature in English produced in what is now the United States of America. The years immediately after World War I brought a highly vocal rebellion against established socia...

(Encyclopedia) Hale, Nathan, 1755–76, American soldier, hero of the American Revolution, b. Coventry, Conn. A young schoolteacher when the Revolution broke out, he was commissioned an officer in the Connecticut mi...

(Encyclopedia) Thomas, Helen Amelia, 1920–2013, American journalist, b. Winchester, Ky., grad Wayne State Univ. (B.A., 1942). The daughter of Lebanese immigrants, she was a pioneering woman journalist in an era do...