Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) panhandle, in geography, a strip of land projecting from the main body of an area and shaped like the handle of a pan, such as the panhandles of West Virginia, Texas, and Alaska. ...

(Encyclopedia) Austin, Moses, 1761–1821, American pioneer, b. Durham, Conn. After developing lead mines in SW Virginia, he went to inspect (1796–97) prospects in Missouri, then Spanish territory. In 1798 he foun...

(Encyclopedia) Kendall, George Wilkins, 1809–67, American journalist, b. near Amherst, N.H. After a succession of journalistic jobs, he was a partner in founding (1837) the New Orleans Picayune. In 1841 he joined ...

(Encyclopedia) Permian Basin or West Texas Basin, extensive sedimentary basin, West Texas and SE New Mexico. Covering an area of more than 75,000 sq mi (194,000 sq km), its main components are the Midland Basin on t...

(Encyclopedia) Upshur, Abel Parker ŭpˈshər [key], 1790–1844, American cabinet officer, b. Northampton co., Va. Admitted (1810) to the bar, he practiced law in Richmond, Va., and held state offices. When most of...

(Encyclopedia) Armey, Dick (Richard Keith Armey) ärˈmē [key], 1940–, U.S. congressman, b. Cando, N.Dak., grad. Jamestown College, Univ. of Oklahoma (Ph.D.). A Republican and former economics professor at North ...

(Encyclopedia) Ferenc Krausz, 1962– , b. Mór, Hungary, Hungarian physicist, studied at Eötvös Loránd University and Technical University of Budapest in Hungary ...

(Encyclopedia) Jordan, Barbara Charline, 1936–96, African-American lawyer, public official, and educator, b. Houston. After graduating from Boston Univ. Law School (1959), she practiced law in Houston. In 1966 she...

(Encyclopedia) Richards, Ann Willis, 1933–2006, American politician, b. Lakeview, Tex., as Dorothy Ann Willis. She began her career in politics in the early 1970s after having raised four children. A Democrat, she...

(Encyclopedia) Hobby, Oveta Culp, 1905–95, American public official and newspaper publisher, U.S. Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare (1953–55), b. Killeen, Tex. She served as parliamentarian of the Texas...