Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Joseph, 1714–77, king of Portugal (1750–77), son and successor of John V. Little inclined to rule, his reign was dominated by his minister, the marquês de Pombal. After Lisbon was partially destr...

(Encyclopedia) Head, Bessie, 1937–86, South African writer. Born in South Africa to a white mother and black father, she was placed in foster homes and orphanages as a child. After 1964, she lived in exile in Bots...

(Encyclopedia) Skara skäˈräˌ [key], city (1990 pop. 10,790), Skaraborg co., S Sweden. Situated in a farming region, it has industries that manufacture metal goods and footwear. Dating from at least the 9th cent....

(Encyclopedia) Södergran, Edith Irene söˈdərgrän [key], 1892–1923, Swedish poet, b. St. Petersburg, Russia. Södergran spent most of her adult life in poor health and in isolation in SE Finland near the Russi...

(Encyclopedia) Wolverhampton wo͝olˈvərhămpˌtən [key], city and metropolitan borough (1991 pop. 263,501), W central England, in the Black Country. Wolverhampton is highly industrialized; products include automo...

(Encyclopedia) York, Alvin Cullum, 1887–1964, American soldier known as Sergeant York, b. Fentress co., Tenn. He was reared on a back-country farm in Tennessee. A conscientious objector at the beginning of World W...

(Encyclopedia) San Pedro Sula säm pāˈᵺrō so͞oˈlä [key], city (1997 est. pop. 417,000), capital of Cortés dept., NW Honduras. It is the second largest city in the country. San Pedro Sula and Puerto Cortés ...

(Encyclopedia) Santo Tomás, University of sänˈtō tōmäsˈ [key], at Manila, the Philippines; Roman Catholic, coeducational; founded 1611 by Dominican priests. It is the oldest institution of higher learning in ...

(Encyclopedia) Tarshish tärˈshĭsh [key], in the Bible. 1 Eponym of a country distant from Palestine which cannot be accurately identified; Cyprus, Spain, and Tarsus (S Asia Minor) have been suggested. Traditional...

(Encyclopedia) Telford, town (1991 pop. 28,645), Telford and Wrekin, W England. It was originally designated a new town in 1963 as Dawley but was enlarged and renamed in 1968. Telford was established to alleviate ov...