Columbia Encyclopedia

(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) Kitakyushu kētäˈkyo͞osho͞o [key], city (1990 pop. 1,026,455), Fukuoka prefecture, N Kyushu, Japan, on the Shimonoseki Strait between the Inland Sea and the Korea Strait. It was formed in 1963 by ...

(Encyclopedia) orphan: see adoption; foundling hospital; guardian and ward. ...

(Encyclopedia) Agrippina the Elder ăgˌrĭpīˈnə [key], d. a.d. 33, Roman matron; daughter of Agrippa and Julia and granddaughter of Augustus. She was the wife of Germanicus Caesar and accompanied him on his prov...

(Encyclopedia) Évora ĕˈvôrə [key], town, capital of Évora dist. and of Altro Alentejo, S central Portu...

(Encyclopedia) Ritsos, Yannis, 1909–90, Greek poet. One of modern Greece's most widely translated poets, Ritsos moved from an early concern with classical themes and style to a more deeply personal lyricism. His w...

(Encyclopedia) incantation, set formula, spoken or sung, for the purpose of working magic. An incantation is normally an invocation to beneficent supernatural spirits for aid, protection, or inspiration. It may also...

(Encyclopedia) Scotland Yard, headquarters of the London Metropolitan Police. The term is often used, popularly, to refer to one branch, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). Named after a short street in Lon...

(Encyclopedia) Minot mīˈnät [key], city (1990 pop. 34,544), seat of Ward co., NW N.Dak., on the Souris River; inc. 1887. It is a commercial and transportation center for an extensive agricultural, lignite-mining,...

(Encyclopedia) Hicks, Thomas, 1823–90, American portrait painter, b. Newtown, Pa. He studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and abroad, where he lived for several years. He settled in New York City i...