Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Alcmaeon ălkmēˈən [key], in Greek legend, son of Amphiaraüs and Eriphyle, a leader of the expedition of the Epigoni against Thebes. He murdered his mother in revenge for his father's death and co...

(Encyclopedia) Coriolanus (Gnaeus Marcius Coriolanus) kôrˌēəlāˈnəs [key], Roman patrician. He is said to have derived his name from the capture of the Volscian city Corioli. According to legend he was expelle...

(Encyclopedia) Wainewright, Thomas Griffiths wānˈrīt [key], 1794–1852, English art critic and criminal. He contributed essays on the arts to the London Magazine under the pseudonyms Egomet Bonmot and Janus Weat...

(Encyclopedia) Willem-Alexander, 1967–, king of the Netherlands, eldest son of Queen Beatrix. He served (1985–87) in the navy and graduated (1993)from Leiden Univ.; he has been a member of the International Olym...

(Encyclopedia) Eriphyle ĕrˌĭfīˈlē [key], in Greek legend, wife of Amphiaraüs and sister of Adrastus. She forced her husband into the battle of the Seven against Thebes when Polynices bribed her with the magic...

(Encyclopedia) parent and child, legal relationship, created by biological (birth) relationship or by adoption, that confers certain rights and duties on parent and child; in some states the courts have given the no...

(Encyclopedia) O'Brien, Edna, 1932–, Irish writer. Although she moved to London in 1954, her constant theme and recurring setting is Ireland. In richly sensual prose, O'Brien explores the dreams, failed marriages,...

(Encyclopedia) McNally, Terrence, 1939–2020, American playwright, b. St. Petersburg, Fla., grad. Columbia, 1960. Known for his dark humor, social satire, and focus on human isolation and the need to connect, he of...

(Encyclopedia) Lange, Dorothea, 1895–1965, American photographer, b. Hoboken, N.J. as Dorothea Nutzhorn, adopted her mother's maiden name in her twenties. From 1916 until 1932, Lange operated a portrait studio in ...

(Encyclopedia) Roe v. Wade, case decided in 1973 by the U.S. Supreme Court. Along with Doe v. Bolton, this decision legalized abortion in the first trimester of ...