Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Curl, Robert Floyd, Jr., 1933–, American chemist, b. Alice, Tex., Ph.D. Univ. of California, Berkeley, 1957. Curl has been a professor at Rice Univ. in Houston, Tex., since 1958. In 1996 he was awar...

(Encyclopedia) Laird, Melvin Robert, 1922–2016, American politician, U.S. secretary of defense (1969–73), b. Omaha, Nebr. After serving (1942–46) in the navy during World War II, he entered politics as a Repub...

(Encyclopedia) McCardell, Claire, 1905–58, American fashion designer, b. Frederick, Md. She began her career as a model and assistant designer for Robert Turk in 1929. Her clothes were functional with clean lines ...

(Encyclopedia) lyric, in ancient Greece, a poem accompanied by a musical instrument, usually a lyre. Although the word is still often used to refer to the songlike quality in poetry, it is more generally used to ref...

(Encyclopedia) Henley, William Ernest, 1849–1903, English poet, critic, and editor. Although crippled by tuberculosis of the bone, he led an active, vigorous life. As editor of several reviews successively, he int...

(Encyclopedia) Livingston, Robert R., 1654–1728: see under Livingston, family. ...

(Encyclopedia) Livingston, Robert R. 1718–75: see under Livingston, family. ...

(Encyclopedia) Crewe, Robert Offley Ashburton Crewe-Milnes, 1st marquess of kro͞oˌmĭlzˈ [key], 1858–1945, British statesman. He succeeded (1885) his father as Baron Houghton and was created earl (1895) and lat...

(Encyclopedia)  Leonard, Bobby (Robert Leonard), 1932-2021, American basketball player and coach, b. Terre Haute, Ind. Leonard played basketball and tennis in high...