Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Maier, Hermann hĕrˈmänˌ mīˈər [key], 1972–, Austrian skier. Sent home from a ski academy in his teens by a physical condition, he was a bricklayer before winning a place on the Austrian World...

(Encyclopedia) Feuerbach, Paul Johann Anselm von foiˈərbäkh [key], 1775–1833, German jurist; father of Ludwig Feuerbach. His work was in the field of criminal law. In Kritik des natürlichen Rechts [critique o...

(Encyclopedia) Biron or Biren, Ernst Johann von ĕrnst yōhänˈ fən bēˈrôn, bēˈrən [key], 1690–1772, duke of Courland (1737–43, 1763–69), favorite of Czarina Anna of Russia. A Baltic nobleman, he rose ...

(Encyclopedia) Fischer von Erlach, Johann Bernhard yōˈhän bĕrnˈhärt fĭshˈər fən ērˈläkh [key], 1656–1723, the leading Austrian baroque architect. After studying in Rome he returned to Vienna. In 1705 ...

(Encyclopedia) Herder, Johann Gottfried von yōˈhän gôtˈfrēt fən hĕrˈdər [key], 1744–1803, German philosopher, critic, and clergyman, b. East Prussia. Herder was an enormously influential literary critic ...

(Encyclopedia) Maier, Vivian, 1926–2009, American photographer, b. Bronx, N.Y. She spent much of her childhood and early adulthood in France, where she began photographing street scenes; she moved in 1951 to New Y...

(Encyclopedia) Scharnhorst, Gerhard Johann David von gĕrˈhärt yōˈhän däˈvēt fən shärnˈhôrst [key], 1755–1813, Prussian general. A Hanoverian army officer, military writer, and director of the war coll...

(Encyclopedia) Schadow, Johann Gottfried yōˈhän gôtˈfrēt shäˈdôf [key], 1764–1850, German sculptor of the neoclassical school. He studied in Rome. In 1788 he returned to Berlin, where he became court scul...

(Encyclopedia) Döllinger, Johann Joseph Ignaz von yōˈhän yōˈzĕf ĭgˈnäts fən dölˈĭngər [key], 1799–1890, German theologian and historian, leader of the Old Catholics. Ordained in 1822, he was subsequ...

(Encyclopedia) Fischart, Johann yōˈhän fĭshˈärt [key], b. 1548, d. 1590 or 1591, German satirist and moralist. He lived in Strasbourg. He translated and paraphrased works by Rabelais called Geschichtsklitterun...