Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Foot, Michael, 1913–2010, British politician. He joined the Labour party in the 1930s, entered Parliament in 1945, and served there until 1992. An superb debater and orator, he became an eloquent sp...

(Encyclopedia) Tyrwhitt, Thomas tĭrˈĭt [key], 1730–86, English scholar. He was noted for his studies of Shakespeare (1766) and for his edition of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales (5 vol., 1775–78). Tyrwhitt reveale...

(Encyclopedia) Guy, Thomas gī [key], 1645?–1724, English philanthropist, founder of Guy's Hospital, London (1721). As a printer and bookseller, Guy amassed a fortune, which he devoted to private and institutional...

(Encyclopedia) Gloucester, Thomas of Woodstock, duke of, 1355–97, English nobleman; youngest son of Edward III. He was betrothed (1374) to Eleanor, heiress of Humphrey de Bohun, earl of Hereford, and became earl o...

(Encyclopedia) Newcomen, Thomas nyo͞oˈkəmən, nyo͞okŭmˈən [key], 1663–1729, English inventor of an early atmospheric steam engine (c.1711). It was an improvement over an earlier engine patented (1698) by Th...

(Encyclopedia) O'Toole, Erin Michael, 1973–, Canadian politician. He served in the Royal Canadian Air Force (1991–2000), then earned a law degree and practised corporate law. A member of the Conservative party, ...

(Encyclopedia) Thomas, Ambroise äNbrwäzˈ tōmäˈ [key], 1811–96, French operatic composer, studied at the Paris Conservatory, receiving the Prix de Rome in 1832. He later taught composition there and became it...

(Encyclopedia) Michael, in the Bible. 1 Father of Sethur the spy. 2 Chief of Issachar. 3 One of David's captains at Ziklag. 4 Jehoshaphat's murdered son. ...

(Encyclopedia) Thomas, Dylan dĭlˈən [key], 1914–53, Welsh poet, b. Swansea. An extraordinarily individualistic writer, Thomas is ranked among the great 20th-century poets. He grew up in Swansea, the son of a te...

(Encyclopedia) Jackson, Michael Joseph, 1958–2009, American performer, b. Gary, Ind. Jackson was an extremely successful pop singer, superb dancer, and talented composer who often conveyed an androgynous image and...