Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Rangel, Charles Bernard răngˈgəl [key], 1930–, U.S. congressman, b. New York City. Receiving his law degree from St. John's Univ. in 1960, Rangel served in the New York state assembly (1966–70)...

(Encyclopedia) gag rules, in parliamentary procedure, rules limiting or prohibiting free debate on a particular issue. In U.S. history, the term is applied especially to procedural rules in force in the House of Rep...

(Encyclopedia) Fauquier, Francis fôkērˈ [key], c.1704–1768, acting royal governor of Virginia (1758–68). He came to the colony as lieutenant governor in 1758, and in the absence of the governors—the earl of...

(Encyclopedia) Addams, Jane, 1860–1935, American social worker, b. Cedarville, Ill., grad. Rockford College, 1881. In 1889, with Ellen Gates Starr, she founded Hull House in Chicago, one of the first social settle...

(Encyclopedia) blackbuck, small antelope, Antilope cervicapra, found in semidesert plains and open forest throughout India. Males are dark brown above and white below, with white rings around the eyes; they stand ab...

(Encyclopedia) Samoyed sămˈəyĕd [key], breed of hardy, muscular working dog developed in N Siberia many centuries ago. It stands from 19 to 23.5 in. (48.3–59.7 cm) high at the shoulder and weighs from 35 to 65...

(Encyclopedia) Rainey, Joseph Hayne, 1832–87, first African American elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, b. Georgetown, S.C. The son of a free man, he fled to the West Indies during the Civil War. Return...

(Encyclopedia) Leghorn chicken, relatively small, white-colored breed of poultry that currently dominates the American egg-producing class. The bird, as bred today, produces a good number of chalk white eggs, a feat...

(Encyclopedia) Beltsville swine, two breeds of swine developed at the agricultural research center of the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Beltsville, Md. The breeds are designated Beltsville No. 1 and Beltsville N...

(Encyclopedia) whiting, white, powdery substance, prepared by grinding chalk or some other source of calcium carbonate. When mixed with linseed oil it forms putty, and with water and several other substances it cons...