Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Siemens, Ernst Werner von ĕrnst vĕrˈnər fən zēˈməns [key], 1816–92, German electrical engineer and inventor. He was a founder and director of Siemens and Halske, a firm that made electrical ...

(Encyclopedia) Blücher, Gebhard Leberecht von gĕpˈhärt lāˈbərĕkht fən blüˈkhər [key], 1742–1819, Prussian field marshal, an outstanding military opponent of Napoleon I. An officer in the army of King F...

(Encyclopedia) Laban, Rudolf von fôn läbˈän [key], 1879–1958, Slovakian dancer, choreographer, and dance theorist. After studying in Paris and performing in N Africa, Germany, and Austria, he founded (1910) a ...

(Encyclopedia) Treitschke, Heinrich von hīnˈrĭkh fən trīchˈkə [key], 1834–96, German historian. A fervid partisan of Prussia, he left Baden at the outbreak of the Austro-Prussian War (1866) and became profe...

(Encyclopedia) Slatin, Rudolf Carl, Freiherr von päˈshä [key], 1857–1932, Austrian adventurer in British and Egyptian service. Called to Egypt by C. G. Gordon, Slatin became governor of Dara (1879) and governor...

(Encyclopedia) Welsbach, Carl Auer, Baron von kärl ouˈər bärōnˈ fən vĕlsˈbäkh [key], 1858–1929, Austrian chemist. He discovered the rare earth elements neodymium and praseodymium (1885) and lutetium (c.1...

(Encyclopedia) Liman von Sanders, Otto ôˈtō lēˈmän fən zänˈdərs [key], 1855–1929, German general. In 1913 he was made head of the German military mission to Constantinople to reorganize the army of the O...

(Encyclopedia) Patkul, Johann Reinhold von yōˈhän rīnˈhôlt fən pätˈko͝ol [key], 1660–1707, Livonian nobleman. He incurred the wrath of Charles XI of Sweden by championing the rights of the Livonian gentr...

(Encyclopedia) Holst, Hermann Eduard von fən hôlst [key], 1841–1904, American historian, b. Livonia (then part of Russia), of German parents. He was barred from Russia because of a pamphlet attacking the czarist...

(Encyclopedia) Martens, Georg Friedrich von gāôrkhˈ frēˈdrĭkh fôn märˈtəns [key], 1756–1821, German writer on international law, b. Hamburg. He was professor of international law at Göttingen (1783–89...