Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Cratinus krətīˈnəs [key], d. c.419 b.c., Athenian comic dramatist. He won the prize at the Athenian drama contest when Aristophanes competed with The Clouds and was regarded with Aristophanes and ...

(Encyclopedia) Jayhawkers, term applied to free-state guerrilla fighters opposed to the proslavery “border ruffians” during the struggle over Kansas in the years prior to the Civil War. Later, during the war, it...

(Encyclopedia) John Henry, legendary African American famous for his strength, celebrated in ballads and tales. In the most popular version of the story, John Henry tries to outwork a steam drill with only his hamme...

(Encyclopedia) Hayne, Paul Hamilton, 1830–86, American poet, b. Charleston, S.C., grad. Charleston College. Considered the last of the Southern literary cavaliers, he wrote a book of nature poetry (1855) and edite...

(Encyclopedia) Annau or Anau both: ənouˈ [key], town, in S Turkmenistan, 5 mi (8 km) SE of Ashgabat, near the Iranian border. At Annau, Raphael Pumpelly discovered (1903) traces of habitation dating back to c.3000...

(Encyclopedia) hertz hûrts [key] [for Heinrich R. Hertz], abbr. Hz, unit of frequency, equal to 1 cycle per second. The term is combined with metric prefixes to denote multiple units such as the kilohertz (1,000 Hz...

(Encyclopedia) Hiawatha hīˈəwäˈthə [key], fl. c.1550, legendary chief of the Onondaga of North America. He is credited with founding the Iroquois Confederacy. He is the hero of the well-known poem by Henry Wad...

(Encyclopedia) Prester John, legendary Christian priest and monarch of a vast, wealthy empire in Asia or in Africa. The legend first appeared in the latter part of the 12th cent. and persisted for several centuries....

(Encyclopedia) proof, in printing, a trial impression for inspection. Proofreading is the inspection and marking of proof for correction of errors and imperfections. Proofreaders' marks are included in dictionaries....

(Encyclopedia) Tickell, Thomas tĭkˈəl [key], 1686–1740, English poet and translator. A contributor of verse to the Spectator, he was a friend of Addison, for whom he wrote a fine elegy (1721). His translation o...