Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Fisher, M. F. K. (Mary Frances Kennedy Fisher), 1908–92, American culinary writer, b. Albion, Mich. Raised in California, Fisher lived in France for three years, where she was inspired by Brillat-Sa...

(Encyclopedia) Godiva, Lady gōdīˈvə [key], fl. c.1040–80, wife of Leofric, earl of Mercia; famous for her legendary ride through the city of Coventry. She was a benefactor of several monasteries, especially th...

(Encyclopedia) Heym, Georg gāˈôrkh hīm [key], 1887–1912, German poet and novelist of early expressionism. Rebelling against the new romanticism, Heym created the “demon” metropolis. This became his symbol ...

(Encyclopedia) Whitman, Marcus, 1802–47, American pioneer and missionary in the Oregon country, b. Federal Hollow (later Rushville), N.Y. In 1836 he left a country medical practice to go West as a missionary for t...

(Encyclopedia) Turpin, Dick, 1706–39, English robber. After a short and brutal career of horse stealing and general crime he was hanged at York. The fame—or notoriety—that he later achieved derives mainly from...

(Encyclopedia) Revere, Paul, 1735–1818, American silversmith and political leader in the American Revolution, b. Boston. In his father's smithy he learned to work gold and silver, and he became a leading silversmi...

(Encyclopedia) Little Richard, 1935–2020, American musician and singer, b. Macon, Ga., as Richard Wayne Penniman. One of the first rock musicians in the 1950s, he recorded such tunes as “Tutti Frutti,” “Long...

(Encyclopedia) I, 9th letter of the alphabet. This vowel can be pronounced with a short vowel sound, as the ĭ in sit, or with a long vowel sound, like the ī in ride. The Greek correspondent is iota. J is a formal ...

(Encyclopedia) Kern, Jerome kûrn [key], 1885–1945, American composer of musicals, b. New York City. After studying in New Jersey and New York he studied composition in Germany and England. His first success was t...

(Encyclopedia) snowmobile, vehicle designed to travel over snow, ice, and similar surfaces that offer limited traction and weight-supporting capability. As the performance of the vehicle depends to a large extent on...