Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Oklahoma City (1990 pop. 444,719), state capital, and seat of Oklahoma co., central Okla., on the North Canadian River; inc. 1890. The state's largest city, it is an important livestock market, a whol...

(Encyclopedia) Gaddis, William, 1922–98, American novelist, b. New York City. An erudite master of satire and black comedy, he was both praised and criticized for his avant-garde techniques—repetitions, multiple...

(Encyclopedia) Damophon dămˈəfŏn [key], fl. 2d cent. b.c., Greek sculptor of Messene. He is remembered for colossal heads of Demeter and Artemis, found in Arcadia. He was a skilled worker in ivory and gold. ...

(Encyclopedia) Kwekwe, formerly Que Que both: kwāˈkwāˈ [key], city (1992 pop. 75,425), central Zimbabwe, founded 1900. It is a gold-mining center and the focal point of Zimbabwe's iron and steel industry. ...

(Encyclopedia) Roodepoort ro͞oˈdəpo͝ort [key], city, now part of the City of Johannesburg metropolitan municipality, Gauteng prov., NE South Africa; founded in 1887. It is a gold-mining center and a resort. ...

(Encyclopedia) alchemy ălˈkəmē [key], ancient art of obscure origin that sought to transform base metals (e.g., lead) into silver and gold; forerunner of the science of chemistry. Some scholars hold that it was ...

(Encyclopedia) money, term that refers to two concepts: the abstract unit of account in terms of which the value of goods, services, and obligations can be compared; and anything that is widely established as a mean...

(Encyclopedia) free silver, in U.S. history, term designating the political movement for the unlimited coinage of silver. In 1896 free silver became the major issue of a presidential campaign when William Jennings...

(Encyclopedia) Latin Monetary Union. In 1865, France, Belgium, Italy, and Switzerland (joined in 1868 by Greece) agreed to regulate their national currencies on a uniform basis, thus making it freely interchangeable...

(Encyclopedia) Pactolus păktōˈləs [key], small river of ancient Lydia, W central Asia Minor (now Turkey), joining the Hermus (modern Gediz) after passing Sardis. It was famous for the gold washed from its sands,...