Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) left, in politics, the more radically progressive wing in any legislative body or party. The designation apparently originated in the French National Assembly of 1789, where the radicals were seated t...

(Encyclopedia) sperm or spermatozoon spûrˌmətəzōˈən, –zōˈŏn [key], in biology, the male gamete (sex cell), corresponding to the female ovum in organisms that reproduce sexually. In higher animals the spe...

(Encyclopedia) Wheaton, William Rufus, 1814–88, American baseball pioneer, b. New York City. He practiced law in New York during the 1830s and 40s, and was a founding member and vice president of the Knickerbocker...

(Encyclopedia) Fakhfakh, Elyes, 1972–, Tunisian politician, prime minister of Tunisia, 2020. Trained as an engineer and manager in France, he worked for the French company Total in Europe, returning to Tunisia in ...

(Encyclopedia) Forster, William Edward, 1818–86, British statesman. He entered Parliament as a Liberal in 1861. As vice president of the council in William Gladstone's first ministry (1868–74), he introduced the...

(Encyclopedia) gasohol, a gasoline extender made from a mixture of gasoline (90%) and ethanol (10%; often obtained by fermenting agricultural crops or crop wastes) or gasoline (97%) and methanol, or wood alcohol (3%...

(Encyclopedia) dark horse, in U.S. politics, a person unexpectedly chosen by a major party as a candidate for public office, especially for the presidency. A presidential dark horse is usually chosen at a party nati...

(Encyclopedia) right, in politics, the more conservative groups in the political spectrum, in contrast to the radical left and the liberal center. The designation stems from the seating of the nobility on the right ...

(Encyclopedia) Hall, Lyman, 1724–90, political leader in the American Revolution, signer of the Declaration of Independence, b. Wallingford, Conn. He was a Congregational minister for some time before practicing m...

(Encyclopedia) Hoar, George Frisbie, 1826–1904, American legislator, b. Concord, Mass. He practiced law, became a Republican in politics, and was U.S. Representative (1869–77) and U.S. Senator (1877–1904). Hoa...