Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Golden Gate Bridge, across the Golden Gate from San Francisco to Marin Co., W Calif.; built 1933–37. Its overall length is 9,266 ft (2,824 m); its main span across the strait, 4,200 ft (1,280 m), is...

(Encyclopedia) totalitarianism tōtălˌĭtârˈēənĭzəm [key], a modern autocratic government in which the state involves itself in all facets of society, including the daily life of its citizens. A totalitarian...

(Encyclopedia) Peninsular War, 1808–14, fought by France against Great Britain, Portugal, Spanish regulars, and Spanish guerrillas in the Iberian Peninsula. The Peninsular War immeasurably raised Britain's mi...

(Encyclopedia) Nelson, Robert, 1794–1873, Canadian rebel, b. Montreal; brother of Wolfred Nelson. Like his brother, he was a surgeon in the War of 1812, and with him he entered the Legislative Assembly of Lower Ca...

(Encyclopedia) DeKalb dēkălb [key], city (2020 pop. 40,290), DeKalb co., N Ill., in a farm area; inc. 1861...

(Encyclopedia) Borel, Petrus, pseud. of Joseph-Pierre Borel D'Hauterive, 1809–59, French novelist, poet, and translator. Although trained as an architect, he soon turned to writing. Borel was the most extreme of t...

(Encyclopedia) Botany Bay, inlet, New South Wales, SE Australia, just S of Sydney. It was visited in 1770 by James Cook, who proclaimed British sovereignty over the east coast of Australia. The site of the landing i...

(Encyclopedia) Aquila Ponticus pŏnˈtĭkəs [key], 2d cent., Jewish translator of the Old Testament from Hebrew into Greek. The characteristic feature of Aquila's version was its extremely literal rendering of the ...

(Encyclopedia) Stevens, Siaka Probyn sēäˈkä prōˈbĭn [key], 1905–88, president of Sierra Leone (1971–85). He served (1951–57) in the legislative council and was appointed (1967) prime minister. Briefly e...

(Encyclopedia) Vitry-le-François vētrēˈ-lə-fräNswäˈ [key], town (1990 pop. 17,483), Marne dept., NE France, on the Marne River. Textiles and earthenware are the chief manufactures. The town was founded by Fr...