Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Crawford, Thomas, 1813–57, American sculptor, b. New York City. He was apprenticed to a wood carver and later worked for a firm of tombstone cutters. He achieved his first success with decorations f...

(Encyclopedia) Fox sisters, family of American spiritualists including Margaret, 1836–93, Leah, 1814–90, and Catherine, 1841–92. In 1848, Margaret and Catherine claimed to hear mysterious rappings in their Arc...

(Encyclopedia) Lawton, city (1990 pop. 80,561), seat of Comanche co., SW Okla.; inc. 1901. It is a commercial and trade center for the surrounding cotton, wheat, and cattle area. Fort Sill is the largest local civil...

(Encyclopedia) Cargill, Donald, 1619?–1681, Scottish Covenanter. He was a minister in Glasgow from c.1655 until 1662, when he was expelled for denouncing the Restoration and resisting the establishment of the epis...

(Encyclopedia) Alexander Severus (Marcus Aurelius Alexander Severus) sĭvērˈəs [key], d. 235, Roman emperor (222–35), b. Syria. His name was changed (221) from Alexius Bassianus when he was adopted as the succe...

(Encyclopedia) Naseby nāzˈbē [key], village, Northamptonshire, central England, near Northampton. Nearby, on June 14, 1645, the parliamentarians under Sir Thomas Fairfax of Cameron and Oliver Cromwell defeated th...

(Encyclopedia) Kalmar Union, combination of the three crowns of Denmark, Sweden, and Norway, effected at Kalmar, Sweden, by Queen Margaret I in 1397. Because the kingship was elective in all three countries, the uni...

(Encyclopedia) Margrethe. For Danish queens thus named, use Margaret.

(Encyclopedia) Caesar sēˈzər [key], ancient Roman patrician family of the Julian gens. There are separate articles on its two most distinguished members, Julius Caesar and Augustus. Another distinguished member o...

(Encyclopedia) Claudian (Claudius Claudianus) klôdˈēən [key], c.370–c.404, last notable Latin classic poet. Probably born in Alexandria, he flourished at court under Arcadius and Honorius. Besides panegyrics, ...