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Selected articles list
1–25
Portal:United States/Selected article/1
The United States' multi-ethnic population is reflected through a diverse array of styles of music. It is a mixture of music influenced by the music of Europe, Indigenous peoples, West Africa, Latin America, Middle East, North Africa, amongst many other places. The country's most internationally renowned genres are traditional pop, jazz, blues, country, bluegrass, rock, rock and roll, R&B, pop, hip-hop/rap, soul, funk, religious, disco, house, techno, ragtime, doo-wop, folk, americana, boogaloo, tejano, surf, and salsa, amongst many others. American music is heard around the world. Since the beginning of the 20th century, some forms of American popular music have gained a near global audience. (Full article...)
Portal:United States/Selected article/2
The
Girl Scouts of the United States of America (GSUSA) is a
youth organization for girls in the
United States and American girls living abroad. The Girl Scout program, which developed from the concerns of the
progressive movement in the United States, sought to promote the
social welfare of young ladies and was formed as a counterpart to the
Boy Scouts of America (BSA). It was founded by
Juliette Gordon Low in 1912 and is based on the
Scouting principles developed by
Robert Baden-Powell.
The GSUSA uses the Scout method to build self-esteem and to teach values such as honesty, fairness, courage, compassion, character, sisterhood, confidence, and citizenship through activities including camping, community service, learning first aid, and earning numerous badges by acquiring other practical skills. Girl Scouts' achievements are recognized through rank advancement and by various special awards. GSUSA has programs for girls with special interests, such as water-based activities.
Membership is organized according to age group with activities designed appropriately for each level. The GSUSA is a member of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS), and has a long history of accepting girls from all backgrounds.
Portal:United States/Selected article/4
Yellowstone National Park, set aside as a
national park on March 1, 1872, is located mostly in the
U.S. state of
Wyoming, though it also extends into
Montana and
Idaho. The park was the first of its kind, and is known for its
wildlife and
geothermal features, especially
Old Faithful Geyser, one of the most popular areas in the park.
Aside from visits by mountain men during the early to mid-1800s, organized exploration did not begin until the late 1860s. The U.S. Army was commissioned to oversee the park just after its establishment. In 1917, administration of the park was transferred to the National Park Service, which had been created the previous year. Hundreds of structures have been built and are protected for their architectural and historical significance, and researchers have examined more than 1,000 archaeological sites.
Yellowstone National Park spans an area of 3,472 square miles (8,987 km²), comprising lakes, canyons, rivers and mountain ranges. Yellowstone Lake is one of the largest high-altitude lakes in North America and is centered over the Yellowstone Caldera, the largest supervolcano on the continent. Half of the world's geothermal features are in Yellowstone, fueled by this ongoing volcanism. The park is the centerpiece of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, the largest remaining, nearly-intact ecosystem in the Earth's northern temperate zone.
Hundreds of species of mammals, birds, fish and reptiles have been documented. The vast forests and grasslands also include unique species of plants. Grizzlies, wolves, and free-ranging herds of bison and elk live in the park. Forest fires occur in the park each year; in the large forest fires of 1988, nearly one third of the park burned. Yellowstone has numerous recreational opportunities, including hiking, camping, boating, fishing and sightseeing. Paved roads provide close access to the major geothermal areas as well as some of the lakes and waterfalls. During the winter, visitors often access the park by way of guided tours that use either snow coaches or snowmobile.
Portal:United States/Selected article/5
The
North Carolina class was a
group of two
fast battleships,
North Carolina and
Washington, built for the
United States Navy in the late 1930s and early 1940s. The navy was originally uncertain whether the ships should be fast enough to counter the Japanese
Kongō class, which was believed by the United States to be capable of 26
knots (30 mph; 48 km/h), or should sacrifice speed for additional firepower and armor. The
Second London Naval Treaty's requirement that all
capital ships have a
standard displacement of under 35,000
long tons (35,560
metric tons (t)) meant that the desired objectives could not be fully realized within the treaty limits, and the navy considered over fifty designs before one was chosen.
Both North Carolina and Washington saw extensive service during World War II in a variety of roles, primarily in the Pacific theater. North Carolina frequently acted as an escort for the fast carrier task forces, and also conducted shore bombardments. In 1942, during the naval battle of Guadalcanal, Washington heavily damaged the Japanese battleship Kirishima in a chaotic night engagement; Kirishima had to be scuttled the next day. She also served as a carrier escort. In February 1943, she collided with the battleship Indiana and suffered severe damage to her bow. Following repairs, Washington rejoined her sister for the Battle of the Philippine Sea. After the end of the war, both ships took part in Operation Magic Carpet, the withdrawal of American military personnel from overseas deployments. The vessels were laid up in the reserve fleet until the early 1960s, when North Carolina was sold to her home state as a museum ship, and Washington was broken up for scrap.
Portal:United States/Selected article/6
African American history is the portion of
American history that specifically discusses the
African American or
Black American ethnic group in the United States. Most African Americans are the descendants of captive Africans held in the United States from 1619 to 1865. Blacks from the Caribbean whose ancestors immigrated, or who immigrated to the U.S., also traditionally have been considered African American, as they share a common history of predominantly
West African or
Central African roots, the
Middle Passage and
slavery.
It is these peoples, who in the past were referred to and self-identified collectively as the American Negro, who now generally consider themselves African Americans. It is these peoples whose history is celebrated and highlighted annually in the United States during February, designated as Black History Month, and it is their history that is the focus of this article.
Others who sometimes are referred to as African Americans, and who may self-identify as such in US government censuses, include relatively recent Black immigrants from Africa, South America and elsewhere who self-identify as being of African descent.
Portal:United States/Selected article/8
Plymouth Colony was an
English colonial venture in
North America from 1620 until 1691. The first settlement was at New Plymouth, a location previously surveyed and named by
Captain John Smith. The settlement, which served as the capital of the colony, is today the modern town of
Plymouth,
Massachusetts. At its height, Plymouth Colony occupied most of the southeastern portion of the modern state of
Massachusetts.
Founded by a group of separatists who later came to be known as the Pilgrims, Plymouth Colony was, along with Jamestown, Virginia, one of the earliest colonies to be founded by the English in North America and the first sizable permanent English settlement in the New England region. Aided by Squanto, a Native American, the colony was able to establish a treaty with Chief Massasoit which helped to ensure the colony's success. The colony played a central role in King Philip's War, one of the earliest and bloodiest of the Indian Wars. Ultimately, the colony was annexed by the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1691.
Plymouth holds a special role in American history. Rather than being entrepreneurs like many of the settlers of Jamestown, the citizens of Plymouth were fleeing religious persecution and searching for a place to worship God as they saw fit. The social and legal systems of the colony were thus closely tied to their religious beliefs. Many of the people and events surrounding Plymouth Colony have become part of American mythology, including the North American tradition known as Thanksgiving and the monument known as Plymouth Rock. Despite the colony's relatively short history, it has become an important symbol of what is now labeled "American", owing largely to its treatment in American public schools.
Portal:United States/Selected article/10
The
United States Constitution is the supreme
law of the
United States of America. It was adopted on September 17, 1787, by the
Constitutional Convention in
Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, and later
ratified by conventions in each
state in the name of "the People"; it has since been
amended seventeen times, besides the 10 added through the
Bill of Rights. The Constitution has a central place in
United States law and
political culture. The handwritten, or "engrossed",
original document is on display at the
National Archives and Records Administration in
Washington, D.C. The United States Constitution has 4,543 words, including the signatures.
Several of the ideas in the Constitution were new, and a large number of ideas were drawn from the literature of Republicanism in the United States, from the experiences of the 13 states, and from the British experience with mixed government. The most important influence from the European continent was from Montesquieu, who emphasized the need to have balanced forces pushing against each other to prevent tyranny.
Portal:United States/Selected article/11
The
American Civil War was a
civil war in the
United States of America. Eleven
Southern slave states declared their secession from the U.S., formed the
Confederate States of America and fought against the U.S. federal government.
Hostilities began on April 12, 1861, when Confederate forces attacked a U.S. military installation at Fort Sumter in South Carolina. In the war's first year, the Union assumed control of the border states and established a naval blockade as both sides massed armies and resources. In 1862, battles such as Shiloh and Antietam caused massive casualties unprecedented in U.S. military history.
In the East, Confederate commander Robert E. Lee won a series of victories, but Lee's loss at Gettysburg in July, 1863 proved the turning point. Union commander Ulysses S. Grant fought bloody battles of attrition with Lee in 1864, forcing Lee to defend the Confederate capital at Richmond, Virginia. Union general William Sherman captured Atlanta, Georgia, and began his famous March to the Sea. Confederate resistance collapsed after Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox on April 9, 1865.
The war caused 620,000 soldier deaths and an undetermined number of civilian casualties, ended slavery in the United States, restored the Union and strengthened the role of the federal government.
Portal:United States/Selected article/12
7 World Trade Center (
7 WTC,
WTC-7, or
Tower 7) is an office building constructed as part of the new
World Trade Center in
Lower Manhattan,
New York City. The tower is located on a city block bounded by Greenwich,
Vesey,
Washington, and Barclay Streets on the east, south, west, and north, respectively. 7 World Trade Center was developed by
Larry Silverstein, who holds a
ground lease for the site from the
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and designed by
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill.
The building was constructed to replace the original structure on the site, part of the original World Trade Center. The previous structure, completed in 1987, was destroyed in the September 11 attacks in 2001. Construction of the new 7 World Trade Center began in 2002 and was completed on May 23, 2006. The building is 52 stories tall (plus one underground floor), making it the 64th-tallest in New York. It is built on a smaller footprint than the original; a small park across Greenwich Street occupies space that was part of the original building's footprint.
The current building's design emphasizes safety, with a reinforced concrete core, wider stairways, and thicker fireproofing on steel columns. It also incorporates numerous green design features. The building received the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification and was part of the council's pilot program for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design – Core and Shell Development (LEED-CS). (Full article...)
Portal:United States/Selected article/13
The
Shuttle–Mir Program was a collaborative space program between Russia and the United States, which involved American
Space Shuttles visiting the Russian
space station Mir, Russian cosmonauts flying on the shuttle and an American astronaut flying aboard a
Soyuz spacecraft to engage in long-duration expeditions aboard
Mir.
The project, sometimes called "Phase One", was intended to allow the United States to learn from Russian experience with long-duration spaceflight and to foster a spirit of cooperation between the two nations and their space agencies, the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roskosmos). The project helped to prepare the way for further cooperative space ventures; specifically, "Phase Two" of the joint project, the construction of the International Space Station (ISS). The program was announced in 1993, the first mission started in 1994 and the project continued until its scheduled completion in 1998. Eleven Space Shuttle missions, a joint Soyuz flight and almost 1000 cumulative days in space for American astronauts occurred over the course of seven long-duration expeditions.
During the four-year program, many firsts in spaceflight were achieved by the two nations, including the first American astronaut to launch aboard a Soyuz spacecraft, the largest spacecraft ever to have been assembled at that time in history, and the first American spacewalk using a Russian Orlan spacesuit.
The program was marred by various concerns, notably the safety of Mir following a fire and a collision, financial issues with the cash-strapped Russian Space Program and worries from astronauts about the attitudes of the program administrators. Nevertheless, a large amount of science, expertise in space station construction and knowledge in working in a cooperative space venture was gained from the combined operations, allowing the construction of the ISS to proceed much more smoothly than would have otherwise been the case.
Portal:United States/Selected article/14
The
Statue of Liberty (
Liberty Enlightening the World [French:
La Liberté éclairant le monde]) is a
colossal neoclassical sculpture on
Liberty Island in
New York Harbor, designed by
Frédéric Bartholdi and dedicated on October 28, 1886. The statue, a gift to the United States from the people of France, is of a robed female figure representing
Libertas, the
Roman goddess of freedom, who bears a torch and a
tabula ansata (a tablet evoking the law) upon which is inscribed the date of the
American Declaration of Independence. A broken chain lies at her feet. The statue has become an iconic symbol of freedom and of the United States.
The statue was administered by the United States Lighthouse Board until 1901 and then by the Department of War; since 1933 it has been maintained by the National Park Service. The statue was closed for renovation for much of 1938. In the early 1980s, it was found to have deteriorated to such an extent that a major restoration was required. While the statue was closed from 1984 to 1986, the torch and a large part of the internal structure were replaced. After the September 11 attacks in 2001, it was closed for reasons of safety and security; the pedestal reopened in 2004 and the statue in 2009, with limits on the number of visitors allowed to ascend to the crown. The statue is scheduled to close for up to a year beginning in late 2011 so that a secondary staircase can be installed. Public access to the balcony surrounding the torch has been barred for safety reasons since 1916.
Portal:United States/Selected article/15
World War II or the
Second World War (often abbreviated as
WWII or
WW2), was a global
military conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, which involved
most of the world's nations, including all of the
great powers: eventually forming two opposing military alliances, the
Allies and the
Axis. It was the most widespread war in history, with more than 100 million military personnel mobilised. In a state of "
total war," the major participants placed their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities at the service of the war effort, erasing the distinction between civilian and military resources. Marked by significant events involving the mass death of civilians, including the
Holocaust and the
only use of nuclear weapons in warfare, it was the deadliest conflict in
human history, resulting in
50 million to over 70 million fatalities.
The war ended with the total victory of the Allies over Germany and Japan in 1945. World War II altered the political alignment and social structure of the world. The United Nations (UN) was established to foster international cooperation and prevent future conflicts (such as World War III). The Soviet Union and the United States emerged as rival superpowers, setting the stage for the Cold War, which would last for the next 46 years. Meanwhile, the influence of European great powers started to decline, while the decolonization of Asia and Africa began. Most countries whose industries had been damaged moved towards economic recovery. Political integration emerged as an effort to stabilise postwar relations.
Portal:United States/Selected article/16
The known
history of the Grand Canyon area stretches back 10,500 years, when the first evidence of
human presence in the area is found.
Native Americans have inhabited the
Grand Canyon and the area now covered by
Grand Canyon National Park for at least the last 4,000 of those years.
Anasazi, first as the Basketmaker culture and later as the more familiar Puebloans, developed from the Desert Culture as they became less
nomadic and more dependent on
agriculture. A similar culture, the
Cohonina, also lived in the canyon area.
Drought in the late 13th century likely caused both groups to
move on. Other peoples followed, including the
Paiute, Cerbat, and the
Navajo, only to be later forced onto
reservations by the
United States Government.
Early residents soon realized that tourism was destined to be more profitable than mining, and by the turn of the 20th century the Grand Canyon was a well-known tourist destination. Most visitors made the grueling trip from nearby towns to the South Rim by stagecoach. Although first afforded federal protection in 1893 as a forest reserve and later as a U.S. National Monument, the Grand Canyon did not achieve U.S. National Park status until 1919, three years after the creation of the National Park Service. Today, Grand Canyon National Park receives about five million visitors each year, a far cry from the annual visitation of 44,173 in 1919.
Portal:United States/Selected article/17
Hoover Dam, once known as
Boulder Dam, is a
concrete arch-gravity dam in the
Black Canyon of the
Colorado River, on the border between the
US states of
Arizona and
Nevada. It was constructed between 1931 and 1936 during the
Great Depression, and was dedicated on September 30, 1935, by President
Franklin Roosevelt. Its construction was the result of a massive effort involving thousands of workers, and cost over one hundred lives.
Hoover Dam impounds Lake Mead, and is located near Boulder City, Nevada, a municipality originally constructed for workers on the construction project, about 25 mi (40 km) southeast of Las Vegas, Nevada. The dam's generators provide power for public and private utilities in Nevada, Arizona, and California. Hoover Dam is a major tourist attraction; nearly a million people tour the dam each year. Heavily travelled U.S. 93 ran along the dam's crest until October 2010, when the Hoover Dam Bypass opened.
Portal:United States/Selected article/18
Chaco Culture National Historical Park is a United States
National Historical Park hosting the densest and most exceptional concentration of
pueblos in the
American Southwest. The park is located in northwestern New Mexico, between
Albuquerque and
Farmington, in a remote canyon cut by the
Chaco Wash. Containing the most sweeping collection of ancient ruins north of Mexico, the park preserves one of the United States' most important
precolumbian cultural and historic areas.
Composing a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in the arid and sparsely populated Four Corners region, the Chacoan cultural sites are fragile; fears of erosion caused by tourists have led to the closure of Fajada Butte to the public. The sites are considered sacred ancestral homelands by the Hopi and Pueblo people, who maintain oral accounts of their historical migration from Chaco and their spiritual relationship to the land. Though park preservation efforts can conflict with native religious beliefs, tribal representatives work closely with the National Park Service to share their knowledge and respect the heritage of the Chacoan culture.
Portal:United States/Selected article/19
Casablanca is a 1942 American romantic drama film directed by
Michael Curtiz, starring
Humphrey Bogart,
Ingrid Bergman and
Paul Henreid, and featuring
Claude Rains,
Conrad Veidt,
Sydney Greenstreet,
Peter Lorre and
Dooley Wilson. Set during
World War II, it focuses on a man torn between, in the words of one character, love and virtue. He must choose between his love for a woman and helping her and her
Czech Resistance leader husband escape from the
Vichy-controlled
Moroccan city of
Casablanca to continue his fight against the
Nazis.
Although it was an A-list film, with established stars and first-rate writers—Julius J. Epstein, Philip G. Epstein and Howard Koch received credit for the screenplay—no one involved with its production expected Casablanca to be anything out of the ordinary; it was just one of dozens of pictures produced by Hollywood every year. The film was a solid, if unspectacular, success in its initial run, rushed into release to take advantage of the publicity from the Allied invasion of North Africa a few weeks earlier. Despite a changing assortment of screenwriters frantically adapting an unstaged play and barely keeping ahead of production, and Bogart attempting his first romantic lead role, Casablanca won three Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Its characters, dialogue, and music have become iconic, and Casablanca has grown in popularity to the point that it now consistently ranks near the top of lists of the greatest films of all time.
Portal:United States/Selected article/20
"
Amazing Grace" is a Christian
hymn written by English poet and clergyman
John Newton (1725–1807), published in 1779. With a message that forgiveness and redemption are possible regardless of the sins people commit and that the soul can be delivered from despair through the mercy of God, "Amazing Grace" is one of the most recognizable songs in the English-speaking world.
Newton wrote the words from personal experience. He grew up without any particular religious conviction but his life's path was formed by a variety of twists and coincidences that were often put into motion by his recalcitrant insubordination. He was pressed into the Royal Navy and became a sailor, eventually participating in the slave trade. One night a terrible storm battered his vessel so severely that he became frightened enough to call out to God for mercy, a moment that marked the beginning of his spiritual conversion. His career in slave trading lasted a few years more until he quit going to sea altogether and began studying theology.
Author Gilbert Chase writes that "Amazing Grace" is "without a doubt the most famous of all the folk hymns", and Jonathan Aitken, a Newton biographer, estimates that it is performed about 10 million times annually. It has had particular influence in folk music, and become an emblematic African American spiritual. Its universal message has been a significant factor in its crossover into secular music. "Amazing Grace" saw a resurgence in popularity in the U.S. during the 1960s and has been recorded thousands of times during and since the 20th century, sometimes appearing on popular music charts.
Portal:United States/Selected article/21
The Red Badge of Courage is a
war novel by American author
Stephen Crane. Taking place during the
American Civil War, the story is about a young
private of the Union Army, Henry Fleming, who flees from the field of battle. Overcome with shame, he longs for a wound—a "red badge of courage"—to counteract his cowardice. When his regiment once again faces the enemy, Henry acts as
standard-bearer. Although Crane was born after the war, and had not at the time experienced battle firsthand, the novel is known for its
realism. He began writing what would become his second novel in 1893, using various contemporary and written accounts (such as those published previously by
Century Magazine) as inspiration. It is believed that he based the fictional battle on that of
Chancellorsville; he may also have interviewed veterans of the
124th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment, commonly known as the Orange Blossoms. Initially shortened and serialized in newspapers in
December 1894, the novel was published in full in
October 1895. Several of the themes that the story explores are maturation, heroism, cowardice, and the indifference of nature. Adapted several times for the screen, the novel became a bestseller. It has never been out of print, and is now thought to be Crane's most important work and a major American text.
Portal:United States/Selected article/22
American Airlines Flight 77 was a
passenger flight which was
hijacked by five
al-Qaeda terrorists on September 11, 2001, as part of the
September 11 attacks. They deliberately crashed it into the
Pentagon near
Washington, D.C., killing all 59 people on board plus the hijackers, as well as 125 people in the building. The aircraft involved, a
Boeing 757-223, was flying
American Airlines' daily scheduled morning
transcontinental service from
Washington Dulles International Airport, in
Dulles, Virginia to
Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles, California.
Less than 35 minutes into the flight, the hijackers stormed the cockpit and forced the passengers to the rear of the aircraft. Hani Hanjour, one of the hijackers who was trained as a pilot, assumed control of the flight. Unknown to the hijackers, passengers aboard were able to make telephone calls to loved ones and relay information on the hijacking.
The aircraft crashed into the western side of the Pentagon at 09:37 EDT. Dozens of people witnessed the crash and news sources began reporting on the incident within minutes. The impact severely damaged an area of the Pentagon and caused a large fire. A portion of the Pentagon collapsed; firefighters spent days trying to fully extinguish the blaze. The damaged sections of the Pentagon were rebuilt in 2002, with occupants moving back into the completed areas on August 15, 2002.
The 184 victims of the attack are memorialized in the Pentagon Memorial adjacent to the Pentagon. The 1.93-acre (7,800 m2) park contains a bench for each of the victims, arranged according to their year of birth, ranging from 1930 (age 71) to 1998 (age 3).
Portal:United States/Selected article/24
United Airlines Flight 93 was a scheduled U.S. domestic passenger flight from
Newark International Airport, in
Newark, New Jersey, to
San Francisco International Airport. It was
hijacked in 2001 by four men as part of the
September 11 attacks. Over 40 minutes into the flight the hijackers breached the cockpit, overpowered the pilots and took over control of the aircraft, diverting it toward
Washington, D.C. Several passengers and crew members made telephone calls aboard the flight and learned about the attacks on the
World Trade Center and
the Pentagon. As a result, the passengers decided to mount an assault against the hijackers and wrest control of the aircraft. The plane crashed in a field just outside
Shanksville, Pennsylvania, about 150 miles (240 km) northwest of Washington, D.C., killing all 44 people aboard, including the hijackers. The plane fragmented upon impact, leaving a crater, and some debris was blown miles from the crash site. The remains of everyone on board the aircraft were later identified. Subsequent analysis of the
flight recorders revealed how the actions taken by the passengers prevented the aircraft from reaching either the
White House or
United States Capitol. A permanent memorial is planned for construction on the crash site. The chosen design has been the subject of criticism and is scheduled to be dedicated in 2011.
Portal:United States/Selected article/25
Microsoft is an American
multinational corporation headquartered in
Redmond,
Washington that develops, manufactures, licenses and supports a wide range of products and services related to
computing. The company was founded by
Bill Gates and
Paul Allen on April 4, 1975. Microsoft was established to develop and sell
BASIC interpreters for the
Altair 8800. It rose to dominate the
personal computer operating system market with
MS-DOS in the mid-1980s, followed by the
Microsoft Windows line of operating systems. Since the 1990s, it has increasingly diversified from the operating system market and has
made a number of corporate acquisitions. The company also produces a wide range of other software for desktops and servers, and is active in areas including
internet search (with
Bing), the
video game industry (with the
Xbox and
Xbox 360 consoles), the digital services market (through
MSN), and mobile phones (via the
Windows Phone OS). In the 1990s, critics began to contend that Microsoft used
monopolistic business practices and anti-competitive strategies including
refusal to deal and
tying, put unreasonable restrictions in the use of its software, and used misrepresentative marketing tactics; both the
U.S. Department of Justice and
European Commission found the company in violation of
antitrust laws.
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Portal:United States/Selected article/26
The
United States Marine Corps is a branch of the
U.S. military responsible for providing
power projection from the sea, utilizing the mobility of the
U.S. Navy to rapidly deliver
combined-arms task forces to global crises. Alongside the U.S. Navy, the Marine Corps operates under the
United States Department of the Navy. Originally organized as the
Continental Marines, the Marine Corps has evolved its mission with changing military doctrine and American foreign policy. The Marine Corps has served in every American armed conflict including the
Revolutionary War. It attained prominence in the twentieth century when its theories and practice of
amphibious warfare proved prescient, and ultimately formed the cornerstone of the
Pacific campaign of
World War II. By the early twentieth century, the Marine Corps had become the dominant theorist and practitioner of amphibious warfare. Its ability to rapidly respond to regional crises has made and continues to make it an important body in the implementation and execution of American foreign policy. The United States Marine Corps, with 180,000 active duty and 40,000 reserve Marines as of 2005, is the smallest of the United States' armed forces in the Department of Defense.
Portal:United States/Selected article/27
The
Liberty Bell is an iconic symbol of American independence. It was commissioned from the London firm of Lester and Pack (today the
Whitechapel Bell Foundry) in 1752, and was inscribed with part of a verse from the
Book of Leviticus: "Proclaim LIBERTY throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof." It originally cracked when first rung after arrival in
Philadelphia, and was twice recast by local workmen. The bell hung for years in the steeple of the Pennsylvania State House (today known as
Independence Hall), and was used to summon lawmakers to legislative sessions and to alert citizens to public meetings and proclamations. Bells were rung to mark the reading of the
American Declaration of Independence on
July 8, 1776, and while there is no contemporary account of the Liberty Bell ringing, most historians believe it was one of the bells rung. It acquired its distinctive large crack sometime in the early 19th century—a widespread story claims it cracked while ringing after the death of
Chief Justice John Marshall in 1835. The bell was moved from its longstanding home in Independence Hall to a nearby glass pavilion on
Independence Mall in 1976, and then to the larger Liberty Bell Center adjacent to the pavilion in 2003.
Portal:United States/Selected article/29
The
F-4 Phantom II is an American two-seat, twin-engined
supersonic long-range all-weather
fighter-bomber originally developed for the
U.S. Navy by
McDonnell Aircraft. The Phantom remained in production from 1958 to 1981, with a total of 5,195 built, and was used by the U.S. military from 1960 to 1996, serving with the U.S. Navy,
Marine Corps, and
U.S. Air Force. It was used extensively by all three U.S. services operating in
Vietnam, ending the war as the principal air superiority fighter for both the Navy and Air Force, as well as being important in the ground-attack and reconnaissance roles. The Phantom continued to form a major part of U.S. military air power throughout the 1970s and 80s, being gradually replaced by more modern aircraft such as the
F-15 Eagle and
F-16 Fighting Falcon in the U.S. Air Force and the
F-14 Tomcat and
F/A-18 Hornet in the U.S. Navy. It remained in service in the reconnaissance and
Wild Weasel roles in the 1991
Gulf War. The Phantom was also operated by the armed forces of 11 other nations.
Israeli Phantoms saw extensive combat in numerous
Arab–Israeli conflicts, while
Iran used its large fleet of Phantoms in the
Iran–Iraq War. Phantoms remain in front line service with seven countries, and in use as an unmanned target in the U.S. Air Force.
Portal:United States/Selected article/31
The
Leopold Report is a 1963 paper composed of a series of
ecosystem management recommendations that were presented by the Special Advisory Board on Wildlife Management to
United States Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall. Named for its chairman and principal author, zoologist and conservationist
A. Starker Leopold, the report proved influential for future preservation mandates and reports. After several years of public controversy regarding the forced reduction of the
elk population in
Yellowstone National Park, Udall appointed an advisory board to collect scientific data to inform future
wildlife management of the national parks. The committee observed that culling programs at other national parks had been ineffective, and recommended management of Yellowstone's elk population. In addressing the goals, policies, and methods of managing wildlife in the parks, the report suggested that in addition to protection, wildlife populations should be managed and regulated to prevent habitat degradation. Touching upon predator control,
fire ecology, and other issues, the report suggested that the
National Park Service hire scientists to manage the parks using current scientific research. The Leopold Report became the first concrete plan to manage park visitors and ecosystems under unified principles. It was reprinted in several national publications, and many of its recommendations were incorporated into the official policies of the NPS. Although the report is notable for proposing that park management have a fundamental goal of reflecting "the primitive scene... a reasonable illusion of primitive America", some have criticized it for its idealism and limited scope.
Portal:United States/Selected article/35
The
Medal of Honor is the highest
military decoration awarded by the United States. It is awarded "for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life, above and beyond the call of duty, in actual combat against an armed enemy force." Three different medals currently exist for each of the major branches of the U.S. armed forces: one each for the
Army,
Navy, and
Air Force. Since the beginning of World War II, only 851 have been awarded, 525 of them posthumously. The rare soldier who wears the Medal of Honor is accorded special privileges that include higher pay, preference for their children at the
U.S. military academies, and the respect and admiration of all other service-people. It is an informal rule that Medal of Honor recipients, regardless of
rank, are saluted by all other service members, including the
Commander-in-Chief. The Army Medal of Honor was first awarded during the
American Civil War and was last officially awarded for action that occurred during the
Battle of Mogadishu in 1993.
Portal:United States/Selected article/36
Star Trek is an
American science fiction entertainment franchise created by
Gene Roddenberry and under the ownership of
CBS and
Paramount.
Star Trek: The Original Series and its live action TV spin-off shows,
Star Trek: The Next Generation,
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,
Star Trek: Voyager, and
Star Trek: Enterprise as well as the
Star Trek film series make up the main canon, while the canonicity of
Star Trek: The Animated Series is debated and the expansive library of
Star Trek novels and
comics whilst still part of the franchise, are generally considered non-canon. The first series, now referred to as "The Original Series", debuted in 1966 and ran for three seasons on
NBC. It followed the interstellar adventures of
James T. Kirk and the crew of the
starship Enterprise, an exploration vessel of a 23rd-century interstellar "
United Federation of Planets". In creating the first "Star Trek", Roddenberry was inspired by
Westerns such as
Wagon Train, along with the
Horatio Hornblower novels and
Gulliver's Travels.
Star Trek has been a
cult phenomenon for decades. Fans of the franchise are called
Trekkies or Trekkers. At least two museum exhibits of props travel the world. The series has its own full-fledged
constructed language,
Klingon. Several parodies have been made of
Star Trek. Its fans, despite the end of
Star Trek episodes on TV, have produced several
fan productions to fill that void.
Star Trek is noted for
its influence on the world outside of science fiction. It has been cited as an inspiration for several technological inventions such as the cell phone. Moreover, the show is noted for its progressive civil rights stances.
Portal:United States/Selected article/37
The
Washington Metro is the
rapid transit system in
Washington, D.C., United States, as well as its surrounding suburbs. It is administered by the
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), which also operates
Metrobus service under the Metro name. In Maryland, Metro provides service to
Montgomery County and
Prince George's County; in Virginia, to
Fairfax County,
Arlington County, and the
City of Alexandria. Since opening in 1976, the network has grown to include six lines, 91 stations, and 117 miles (188 km) of
route. Metro is the
second-busiest rapid transit system in the United States in number of passenger trips, after the
New York City Subway. Fares vary based on the distance traveled, the time of day, and the type of card used by the passenger. Riders enter and exit the system using a
stored-value card in the form of a paper
magnetic stripe farecard or a
proximity card known as
SmarTrip.
Portal:United States/Selected article/38
The
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (
NASA) is the
United States government agency that is responsible for the civilian
space program as well as for
aeronautics and
aerospace research.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower established the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in 1958 with a distinctly civilian (rather than military) orientation encouraging peaceful applications in space science. The
National Aeronautics and Space Act was passed on July 29, 1958, disestablishing NASA's predecessor, the
National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). The new agency became operational on October 1, 1958. Since that time, most U.S. space exploration efforts have been led by NASA, including the
Apollo moon-landing missions, the
Skylab space station, and later the
Space Shuttle. Currently, NASA is supporting the
International Space Station and is overseeing the development of the
Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle, the
Space Launch System and
Commercial Crew vehicles. The agency is also responsible for the
Launch Services Program (LSP) which provides oversight of launch operations and countdown management for unmanned NASA launches.
Portal:United States/Selected article/39
The
Battle of Gettysburg was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, by
Union and
Confederate forces during the
American Civil War. The battle involved the largest number of casualties of the entire war and is often described as the war's
turning point. Union
Maj. Gen. George Meade's
Army of the Potomac defeated attacks by Confederate
Gen. Robert E. Lee's
Army of Northern Virginia, ending Lee's attempt to invade the North. After his success at
Chancellorsville in
Virginia in May 1863, Lee led his army through the
Shenandoah Valley to begin his second invasion of the North—the
Gettysburg Campaign. Elements of the two armies initially collided at Gettysburg on July 1, 1863, as Lee urgently concentrated his forces there, his objective being to engage the Union army and destroy it. Low ridges to the northwest of town were defended initially by a Union cavalry division under Brig. Gen.
John Buford, and soon reinforced with two
corps of Union
infantry. However, two large Confederate corps assaulted them from the northwest and north, collapsing the hastily developed Union lines, sending the defenders retreating through the streets of town to the hills just to the south.
Nominations
Feel free to add FA-Class United States articles and A-Class United States articles, particularly of Top-, High- and Mid-Importance to the above list. GA-Class United States articles of Top- and High-Importance also may be preferred. Some articles of lower importance (or not listed under the U.S. project) also might be included as a way to improve the topical contents balance of the selections. Other United States-related articles may be nominated here as well.
United States popular pages by WikiProject
The following United States WikiProjects include lists of popular pages - the top pages ordered by number of views in the scope of each WikiProject.
Preferred articles
Potential articles
The following articles are of higher importance but lower quality. They might already be included here (
Y) or otherwise have a good potential for inclusion with a little improvement. Some articles of lower importance and/or quality also might be included as a way to improve the topical contents balance of the selections.