Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Burckhardt, Johann Ludwig or John Lewis bo͝orkˈhärt [key], 1784–1817, European explorer, b. Switzerland, educated in Germany. Supported by an English association for promoting African discovery,...

(Encyclopedia) Englert, François, 1932–, Belgian theoretical physicist, Ph.D. Université libre de Bruxelles (U.L.B.), Brussels, 1959. He has been a professor at U.L.B. since 1964. Englert was the recipient, join...

(Encyclopedia) Gustavus IV, 1778–1837, king of Sweden (1792–1809). On the assassination of his father, Gustavus III, he succeeded under the regency of his uncle, later King Charles XIII, a liberal. Attaining his...

(Encyclopedia) Fribourg frīˈbûrg, Fr. frēbo͞orˈ [key], Ger. Freiburg, canton , 645 sq mi (1,671 sq km), W ...

(Encyclopedia) Lucerne lo͞otsĕrnˈ [key], canton (1993 pop. 331,800), 576 sq mi (1,492 sq km), central Switzerland. Drained by the Reuss and Kleine Emme rivers, Lucerne is mainly an agricultural and pastoral regio...

(Encyclopedia) Piano, Renzo rĕntˈsō pyäˈnō [key], 1937–, Italian architect, b. Genoa. Piano attended architecture school at Milan Polytechnic, graduating in 1964. The prolific Piano has been lauded for respo...

(Encyclopedia) millet, common name for several species of grasses cultivated mainly for cereals in the Eastern Hemisphere and for forage and hay in North America. The principal varieties are the foxtail, pearl, and ...

(Encyclopedia) Caballé, Montserrat mōnsĕrätˈ käbälyāˈ [key], 1933–2018, Spanish soprano. After voice study with Eugenia Kemeny and Conchita Badia in Barcelona, she made her operatic debut in Basel, Switze...

(Encyclopedia) CERN or European Organization for Nuclear Research, nuclear and particle physics research center straddling the French-Swiss border W of Geneva, Switzerland. Established in 1952 as the provisional Eur...

(Encyclopedia) Humboldt, Wilhelm, Freiherr von frīˈhĕr fən ho͝omˈbôlt [key], 1767–1835, German statesman and philologist; brother of Alexander von Humboldt. As Prussian minister of education (1809–10) he...