Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) de Duve, Christian (Christian Renē Maria Joseph de Duve), 1917–2013, Belgian cell biologist, b. England, M.D., Catholic Univ. of Louvain, 1941. He joined the faculty at Louvain in 1947 and at the R...

(Encyclopedia) Calvo, Carlos kärˈlōs kälˈvō [key], 1824–1906, Argentine diplomat and historian. He spent much of his life in diplomatic service abroad. He edited a collection of Latin American treaties and d...

(Encyclopedia) Versace, Gianni (Giovanni Maria Versace), 1946–97, Italian fashion designer, b. Reggio Calabria. A dressmaker's son, Versace worked for several Italian designers before opening (1978) his own Milan ...

(Encyclopedia) Rohan, Louis René Édouard, prince de rôäNˈ [key], 1734–1803, French churchman and politician, cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. Although he succeeded (1779) his uncle as archbishop of Str...

(Encyclopedia) Rajoy Brey, Mariano märēäˈnō rähoiˈ brā [key], 1955–, Spanish political leader, b. Santiago de Compostela. The son of a prominent Galician lawyer, he received (1978) a law degree from the Un...

(Encyclopedia) Sangallo säng-gälˈlō [key], three Italian Renaissance architects, two brothers and their nephew. Giuliano da Sangallo, 1445–1516, designed the Church of Santa Maria delle Carceri at Prato and pa...

(Encyclopedia) García, Manuel del Popolo Vicente pätrēˈthyō rōdrēˈgāth [key], 1805–1906, left (1829) the operatic stage to teach at the Paris Conservatory (1830–48) and the Royal Academy, London (1848�...

(Encyclopedia) Myrdal, Alva älˈvä mĭrˈdäl, Swed. mürˈdäl [key], 1902–86, Swedish sociologist, diplomat, and political leader. As a sociologist in the 1930s, she initiated a national program establishing s...

(Encyclopedia) Lang Lang, 1982–, Chinese virtuoso pianist. A child prodigy, he studied at the Central Music Conservatory, Beijing, and the Curtis Institute, Philadelphia. Noted for the romantic, emotive nature of ...

(Encyclopedia) Aznavour, Charles, 1924–2018, French singer, songwriter, and actor, b. Paris as Shahnourh Varinag Aznavourian. The son of ethnic Armenian refugees, he began performing while a child. Edith Piaf made...