Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Voigt, Deborah Joy voit [key], 1960–, American dramatic soprano, b. Des Plaines, Ill., grad. California Staate Univ., Fullerton (1978). She is particularly known for her performances in the operas o...

(Encyclopedia) Nash, Beau (Richard Nash), 1674–1761, Englishman of fashion. As master of ceremonies at Bath he was the recognized leader of society. He maintained his luxurious mode of living by gambling until gam...

(Encyclopedia) Jennys, family of American painters, fl. 1770–1810. Little is known of the Jennys family. William Jennys and his son Richard painted portraits in Massachusetts and Connecticut. These are classed as ...

(Encyclopedia) Engleheart, George, 1752–1829, English miniature painter. He studied with Sir Joshua Reynolds and made copies in miniature of Reynolds's paintings. Court miniaturist under George III, he competed su...

(Encyclopedia) Henry II, 1133–89, king of England (1154–89), son of Matilda, queen of England, and Geoffrey IV, count of Anjou. He was the founder of the Angevin, or Plantagenet, line in England and one of the a...

(Encyclopedia) Middle East, term traditionally applied by western Europeans to the countries of SW Asia and NE Africa lying W of Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India. Thus defined it includes Cyprus, the Asian part of T...

(Encyclopedia) Abdullah I (Abdullah ibn Husayn) äbdo͝olˈlä ĭˈbən ho͝osānˈ [key], 1882–1951, king of Jordan (1946–51), b. Mecca; son of Husayn ibn Ali of the Hashemite family. During World War I, Abdull...

(Encyclopedia) Plimer, Andrew, c.1763–1837, English miniature painter. He was an apprentice to Richard Cosway. His fine portraits are to be seen in the Victoria and Albert Museum and in the Metropolitan Museum. Hi...

(Encyclopedia) Lod lōd [key], city (1994 pop. 51,200), central Israel. It is also known as Lydda. Its manufactures include paper products, chemicals, oil products, electronic equipment, processed food, and cigarett...

(Encyclopedia) Westminster Palace or Houses of Parliament, in Westminster, London. The present enormous structure, of Neo-Gothic design, was built (1840–60) by Sir Charles Barry to replace an aggregation of ancien...