Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Black Lives Matter, a global political movement. Founded in 2013 by organizers Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi, the #Black Lives Matter ...

(Encyclopedia) Bosch, Hieronymus, or Jerom Bos hērônˈĭməs, yāˈrôm bôs [key], c.1450–1516, Flemish painter. His surname was originally van Aeken; Bosch refers to 's-Hertogenbosch (popularly called Den Bosc...

(Encyclopedia) Bratislava bräˈtēsläˈväˌ [key], Ger. Pressburg, Hung. Pozsony, city, SW Slovakia, on t...

(Encyclopedia) Chrétien, Jean (Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien) zhōsĕfˈ zhäk zhäN krātyăNˈ [key], 1934–, Canadian politician and prime minister (1993–2003), b. Quebec. He received his legal education at Q...

(Encyclopedia) Cossa, Baldassare bäldäs-säˈrā kôsˈsä [key], c.1370–1419, Neapolitan churchman, antipope (1410–15; see Schism, Great) with the name John XXIII. He had a military career before entering the...

(Encyclopedia) Wittenberg vĭtˈənbĕrkhˌ [key], city (1994 pop. 53,374), Saxony-Anhalt, E Germany, on the Elbe River. A city with a noted history, it is today an industrial and mining center and a rail junction. ...

(Encyclopedia) Velasco, Luis de vāläsˈkō [key], d. 1564, Spanish administrator, second viceroy (1550–64) of New Spain (now Mexico), successor to Antonio de Mendoza. His rule was remarkably energetic, humanita...

(Encyclopedia) Verdi, Giuseppe vârˈdē, Ital. jo͞ozĕpˈpā vĕrˈdē [key], 1813–1901, foremost Italian composer of opera, b. Le Roncole. Verdi, the son of an innkeeper, showed a precocious talent for the orga...

(Encyclopedia) Ba Jin or Pa Chin both: bäˈ jĭnˈ [key], pseud. of Li Yaotang (also Li Feigan), 1904–2005, one of China's most acclaimed modern novelists, b. Chengdu. Born into a wealthy family, he received a br...

(Encyclopedia) Baker, Ella Josephine, 1903–1986, U.S. civil rights activist, b. Norfolk, Va. Ella Baker was an activist and organizer whose b...