Halle
2 of the 7 encyclopedias on this shelf carry an entry for Halle. Both are reproduced below, so you can see where they agree and where they differ.
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
a city of Prussian Saxony, known as Halle an der Saale, to distinguish it from other places of the same name in Germany; on the right bank of the Saale and on several small islands of the river; 20 miles N. W. of Leipsic. As an important railway center, Halle has rapidly increased in size, industry, and prosperity. Its famous university was founded in 1694 by Frederick I. of Prussia; after having been suppressed by Napoleon in 1806, and again in 1813, it was re-established in 1815 and incorporated with the University of Wittenberg, which had been dissolved during the war. The Francke Institutions rank among the most important establishments of the place. The noteworthy buildings and institutions embrace St. Mary's Church (1529-1554); the Gothic church of St. Maurice, dating from the 12th century, with fine woodcarvings and sculptures; the red tower, 276 feet high, in the market-place, with with a Roland statue in front of it; the townhall; the remains of the Moritzburg, built in 1484, the ancient residence of the archbishops of Magdeburg; a deaconesses' home; a large penitentiary; the medical institutes and clinical hospitals; the agricultural institute; the university library (220,000 vols.); a provincial museum; an art collection; and an archæological and other museums. The most important industrial product of Halle is salt, obtained from brine springs within and near the town, which have been worked from before the 7th century. The industries next in importance prior to the World War, were sugar-refining, printing, brewing, the manufacture of mineral oil, and fruit cultivation. A very active trade was carried on in machines, raw sugar, mineral oil, grain, and flour. Halle is the birthplace of Handel, the comborder fortress Originally a poser. against the Slavs, it became in the 10th century an appanage of the Archbishop of Magdeburg, and by the 12th century was famous as a commercial city. In that and the 13th century Halle was a powerful member of the Hanseatic League, and successfully withstood fierce siege by the Archbishop of Magdeburg in 1435, but finally fell into his hands in 1478. Terribly impoverished during the Thirty Years' War, it was incorporated with Brandenburg at the peace of Westphalia. Pop. about 180,000.
Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)
hal'le, a city of Prussian Saxony. It is situated on the Saale, twenty miles northwest of Leipsic. It is an old Hanse town. It possesses a university of great repute, founded in 1694. The University of Wittenberg was united with it in 1817. Many Americans have studied here. The old marketplace is the center of interest. A clock tower, a picturesque medieval city hall, a bronze statue of Handel, the musician, who was born here, a Gothic fountain, and the market people themselves are objects of interest. Halle is noted for the production of salt. Eleven thousand tons are made annually. The industry is in the hands of workmen known as Halloren. They are probably a remnant of the Wends who once inhabited this district. All funerals are conducted by this people. There are large starch, chemical, and beet sugar factories. At the beginning of the second decade of the present century the population was 170,000. See Francke