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San Antonio, Texas

San Antonio, Texas

] San Antonio is the county seat of Bexar County, Texas. San Antonio was named for Saint Anthony of Padua, whose feast day it was when a Spanish expedition stopped in the area in 1691. San Antonio was the third-largest city within the state of Texas and ninth in the United States as of the 2000 U.S. Census, with a population of 1.1 million. The July 1, 2004 estimate by the U.S. Census Bureau, however, placed the city's population of 1,236,249 and is now the second-largest city in Texas (surpassing Dallas) and eighth in the United States. San Antonio is the county seat of Bexar County. The San Antonio metropolitan area (MSA) is the third largest within Texas with a population of about 1.8 million as of the 2003 U.S. Census estimates. Famous for its Riverwalk and the Alamo, its Tejano culture, the three-time NBA Champion Spurs basketball team, the Tower of the Americas, and being home to SeaWorld and Fiesta Texas theme parks, San Antonio is visited by 20 million tourists per year. The city has a strong military presence, it is home to Fort Sam Houston, Lackland Air Force Base, Randolph Air Force Base and Brooks City Base. San Antonio is home to the first museum of Modern Art in Texas, the Marion Koogler McNay Art Museum^{[http://www.mcnayart.org/index2.html]}. San Antonio's corporate profile includes AT&T Inc. (formerly SBC Communications), Valero Energy Corp, USAA, Tesoro Petroleum Corp, Southwest Research Institute, H-E-B supermarkets and Clear Channel Communications, which are all headquartered in the city. San Antonio is also home to the South Texas Medical Center, the largest medical research and care provider in South Texas. The Fairmont Hotel, built in 1906, is in the Guinness Book of World Records as one of the heaviest buildings ever moved intact. It was placed in its new location, three blocks south of the Alamo, over four days in 1985, and cost $650,000 to move.

History

The place San Antonio and the San Antonio River were formally named under Spanish viceregal authority on June 13, 1691, by a Spanish expedition led by Domingo Teran de los Rios, the governor of the province of Texas of New Spain and Franciscan Father Damien Massanet who named the river and site in honor of Portuguese born Saint Anthony of Padua "because it was his day" on the official Catholic Church calendar; St. Anthony was born June 13, 1231, in Lisbon. From that point on, the location was known as San Antonio and it appeared that way on both official and unofficial maps. Some settlers had been left at the site, but they soon died from the elements or from hostile Indians. Various other expeditions came through the area but the one which established permanent occupancy by European settlers occurred May 1-5, 1718, when Gov. Don Martin Alarcon and Father Antonio Olivares founded Mission San Antonio de Valero and the Presidio of San Antonio de Bexar. In 1720, Mission San Jose was founded and then three missions were moved from East Texas to San Antonio in 1731 -- Mission Conception, Mission San Juan and Mission Espada. Lisbon Lisbon On March 9, 1731, a contingent of 55 settlers from Spain's Canary Islands arrived in San Antonio armed with a royal charter to establish the first civilian government in Texas, joining the religious and military establishments that were already in San Antonio. The islanders named their city, Villa de San Fernando, a name that never stuck because the place and river had already been known for 40 years as San Antonio. The missions closed in the late 1700s and the old Mission San Antonio was occupied in 1803 as headquarters for 100 members of the Second Flying Company (mounted lancer cavalry) of San Carlos de Parras (Alamo de Parras) sent to reinforce the Spanish garrison at the Presidio. They named the old mission compound El Alamo after their former home. The city's first hospital was opened there as well. In 1821 Spain granted Mexico its independence and American settlers were allowed into Texas under special conditions. In late 1835 San Antonians fought with the Mexican garrison, forcing its surrender and sending the troops to Mexico City. That enraged Mexico President Gen. Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, who led his army to San Antonio to put down the local insurrection. He arrived Feb. 23 and a 13-day siege ensued with about 200 defenders inside the Alamo complex holding off several thousand Mexican troops until the final assault before dawn on March 6 in which all the defenders died in what became one of the most famous battles in history. Santa Anna was defeated April 21 at the Battle of San Jacinto near Houston in which he agreed to recognize Texas independence that had been declared on March 2 by Texas leaders. The independent Republic of Texas, however, was not recognized by the goverment in Mexico City, but was by the United States, France and England. Texas petitioned the United States for annexation as a state, which was granted in 1845. That touched off war with Mexico (1847-49)in which the U.S. Marines occupied Mexico City (from the Halls of Montezuma) and eventually saw Mexico surrender to the terms of the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo in which the United States claimed Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Oklahoma and parts of Kansas, Wyoming and other states. Today, the Alamo is a historic shrine in downtown San Antonio surrounded by businesses, hotels and tourist attractions such as the River Walk or Paseo del Rio. The other four Spanish colonial Missions have been restored and are part of the Missions San Antonio National Historical Park and all operate as active missions or parishes of the Catholic archdiocese of San Antonio.

Geography and climate

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1,067.3 km² (412.07 mi²). 1,055.6 km² (407.56 mi²) of it is land and 11.7 km² (4.51 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 1.09% water. The city sits on the Balcones Escarpment.

Climate

San Antonio's weather is somewhat dry, turning hot in the summer, mild in the winter with cool nights, and comfortably warm in the spring and fall. Only a few freezes occur each year and snow is rare. In San Antonio, July is the average warmest month. The highest temperature ever to be recorded was 111°F/43.8ºC on September 5, 2000. The average coolest month is January. The lowest recorded temperature ever was 0°F/-17.7ºC on January 31, 1949. May, June and October have quite a bit of precipitation. Winter: Average daytime highs are in the low to mid 60's while being around 40 degrees overnight. Spring: Average daytime highs are in the upper 70's to low 80's while being in the upper 50's low 60's overnight. Summer: Average daytime highs are in the mid to upper 90's while being in the low to mid 70's overnight. Fall: Average daytime highs are in the low to mid 80's while dropping into the upper 50's and low 60's overnight.

Demographics

1949 According to the 2000 census, San Antonio is the 9th largest city in the United States and the 3rd largest in Texas (8th and 2nd according to the July 1, 2004 U.S. Census Bureau estimates). There are 1,144,646 people, 405,474 households, and 280,993 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,084.4/km² (2,808.5/mi²). There are 433,122 housing units at an average density of 410.3/km² (1,062.7/mi²). According to Texas.com, the current racial make up of San Antonio is: 32% non-Hispanic White, 7% African-American, 2% Asian, 1% Native American; 58% of the population is Hispanic. Hispanics blanket the city, and can be found anywhere in the city. San Antonio's relatively small African-American community resides in the city's eastern neighborhoods, while Anglo/Whites reside in the northern neighborhoods. In the city the population is spread out with 28.5% under the age of 18, 10.8% from 18 to 24, 30.8% from 25 to 44, 19.4% from 45 to 64, and 10.4% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 32 years. In San Antonio, 48% of the population are Males, and 52% of the population are Females. For every 100 females there are 93.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 89.7 males. The median income for a household in the city is $36,214, and the median income for a family is $41,331. Males have a median income of $30,061 versus $24,444 for females. The per capita income for the city is $17,487. 17.3% of the population and 14.0% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 24.3% of those under the age of 18 and 13.5% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Tourism

poverty line] San Antonio is a popular tourist destination. The jewel of the city is the Paseo del Rio, or River Walk, which meanders through the downtown area. Lined with numerous shops, bars, and restaurants as well as the Arneson River Theater, this attraction is transformed into an impressive festival of lights during the Christmas and New Year holiday period. The downtown area also features HemisFair Park (home of the Tower of the Americas and the Institute of Texan Cultures), La Villita, El Mercado, the city's most widely recognized landmark, the Alamo, and the historic Menger Hotel. Other places of interest include Brackenridge Park (home of the San Antonio Zoo), the missions of the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, the Witte Museum, the McNay Art Museum, SeaWorld of Texas, and the Six Flags Fiesta Texas theme park. Six Flags Fiesta Texas Every April, San Antonio hosts Fiesta San Antonio, a 10-day celebration of the city's diverse cultures and of the heroes of the Battle of the Alamo and the Battle of San Jacinto, featuring over one hundred events held throughout the city. Visitors can also experience something of the cowboy culture every February at the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo; year round, they can also see the 40 ft./12 m. tall cowboy boots at North Star Mall. Beyond taking in the sights and sounds of San Antonio, tourists can sample some of its world famous Tex-Mex cuisine at the many fine restaurants located throughout the city. San Antonio also has no shortage of establishments offering Texas style barbecue, and for the truly intrepid barbecue aficionado, a day trip to some of the more renowned barbecue pits and smokehouses of Central Texas is both necessary and easily manageable.

Districts and Neighborhoods

See main article: Districts and Neighborhoods of San Antonio, Texas

Government

San Antonio operates on the council-manager form of government. Voters elect 11 representatives. This includes 10 district representatives and 1 mayor to pass laws and establish policies for the city. San Antonio politics is non-partisan. Representatives are paid $20 a meeting, while the Mayor earns $4040 a year. The council hires a City Manager to serve as the City's chief administrator. The current mayor is Phil Hardburger.

Transportation

Districts and Neighborhoods of San Antonio, TexasThe San Antonio International Airport is located in north central San Antonio, approximately eight miles from downtown. It has two terminals and is served by 12 airlines serving 28 destinations including 3 in Mexico. An extensive bus and trolley system is provided by the city's metropolitan transit system, [http://www.viainfo.net VIA.] VIA offers 78 regular bus routes and four trolley routes, including express routes from downtown to the theme parks. VIA also offers a special service to city events, including Spurs games and city parades, from its Park and Ride locations. San Antonio serves as the southern terminus for Amtrak's Texas Eagle train service, originating in Chicago. From there, the Sunset Limited travels west to Los Angeles and east to Orlando three times per week. The old [http://www.sunset-station.com Sunset Station] is now an entertainment venue owned by VIA and neighbored by the current station and the Alamodome.

Notable San Antonians

See main article and list of Notables of San Antonio, Texas.

Sister cities

- Notables of San Antonio, Texas Guadalajara, Mexico
- Mexico Kaohsiung, Taiwan
- Taiwan Kumamoto, Japan
- Japan Kwangju, South Korea
- South Korea Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
- Spain Monterrey, Mexico
- Mexico Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain

Education and scientific research

Colleges and Universities

Spain San Antonio hosts several institutions of higher education offering associate's degrees or higher, including:
- Our Lady of the Lake University [http://www.ollusa.edu]
- St. Mary's University School of Law [http://www.stmarytx.edu/law]
- St. Mary's University [http://www.stmarytx.edu]
- Trinity University [http://www.trinity.edu]
- University of the Incarnate Word [http://www.uiw.edu]
- The University of Texas at San Antonio [http://www.utsa.edu]
- The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
- Alamo Community College District. [http://www.accd.edu]
- Palo Alto College [http://www.accd.edu/pac/htm/]
- San Antonio College [http://www.accd.edu/sac]
- Northwest Vista College [http://www.accd.edu/nvc/]
- St. Philip's College [http://www.accd.edu/spc]
- ITT Technical Institute. [http://www.itt-tech.edu]
- Hallmark Institute Of Technology [http://www.hallmarkinstitute.com]
- Southwest Research Institute [http://www.swri.org/]
- Baptist University of the Americas [http://www.bua.edu]

Schools

San Antonio and Bexar County are served by 15 separate independent school districts, largest among these are Northside Independent School District with an estimated total enrollment of 78,104 (6th largest in Texas), San Antonio Independent School District with an estimated enrollment of 57,500 and North East Independent School District with an enrollment of 59,101. Other districts that serve portions of the city of San Antonio include Alamo Heights, East Central, Edgewood, Fort Sam Houston, Harlandale, Judson, Lackland, Randolph Field Independent School District--Randolph, known as the Ro-Hawks (short for Rocket Hawks), South San Antonio, and Southwest.

Private Schools

San Antonio has many private schools, notably Central Catholic Marianist High School, Saint Mary's Hall, San Antonio Christian Schools, Keystone and T.M.I.: The Episcopal School of Texas

Other educational facilities

- San Antonio Public Library [http://www.sanantonio.gov/library/?res=1024&ver=true]

Media and entertainment

Newspaper

San Antonio has one major newspaper, the San Antonio Express-News [http://www.mysanantonio.com/], which has been in service since 1865. The Express-News currently circulates as the largest newspaper service in South Texas. A second newspaper, the San Antonio Light, purchased the original Express-News, abandoned the Light name, and became the "new" Express-News. The San Antonio Current is the "alternative" paper with weekly listings of events and nightlife around town.

Television

While the city may be one of the largest in the country, San Antonio is only the 37th largest television market in the United States, according to Nielsen. The following list are the major affiliate television stations in the city.

Radio

About 40 radio stations can be heard in the San Antonio area; 30 of them are actually located in San Antonio. The first radio station to broadcast in South Texas was KTSA AM-550 in 1922; that station continues today as the San Antonio's only all-local 24-hour news-talk station. Another significant station is WOAI AM-1200 (affiliated with the WOAI TV station and the flagship of Clear Channel Worldwide), which is the radio home of the San Antonio Spurs. Two significant changes in the Latin radio market (as of June 27, 2005): Univision Radio's Amor 95.1 (KCOR) FM flipped formats from Spanish Contemporary to Reggaeton, now named "La Kalle 95.1". (http://www.univision.com) "La Kalle 95.1 FM," is a new youth-targeted Spanish-language radio station that will cater to San Antonio Hispanics in the highly sought-after 18-34 demographic, reflecting changes also seen in similar stations in New York and San Francisco. La Kalle’s high-energy format will primarily feature Reggaeton and Latin Hip-Hop music. Reggaeton, a relatively new genre of dance music that originated in Puerto Rico and derives from a blend of Latin tropical sounds, Jamaican reggae music and urban hip-hop, has taken the US Hispanic market by storm. This format change adds some needed diversity to the radio landscape, with a playlist that is more inclusive of the tastes of all Latinos in the San Antonio area, including those of non-Tejano descent. Most Latin stations in the area play Regional Mexican, Tejano or Contemporary Pop. Another station, which just started broadcasting in 2004 is Digital 104.1 (SKRIO) FM, which bills itself as Pop en Español, but mostly mimics the format of the former Amor.

Nightlife

San Antonio has a robust nightlife that centers on several key areas:
- The Riverwalk is home to several night clubs, all with a 2am or later closing time, depending on what night it is. Notable clubs in this area include the Hard Rock Cafe, the DANCEPLEX (formerly Polly Esther's), Club RIVE/TABU and Dick's Last Resort.
- Downtown San Antonio, away from the river, has several clubs, including the popular Coyote Ugly franchise bar, gay nightspot The Bonham Exchange ("the" place on Fridays), and the Rivercenter Comedy Club. Other popular bars include the upscale Zinc Wine and Champagne Bar, Swig Martini Bar, Zen Ultralounge, Suede Lounge, and Davenport.
- Away from downtown, a strip of Main Street near San Antonio College includes gay-oriented clubs such as The Electric Company (younger crowds), The Saint (disco, drag shows, strippers), The Silver Dollar Saloon (country-western), and the Heat.
- Also in the area is the North Saint Mary's Strip, located to the east of main street. On this strip, several bars can be found, such as Paparay's, Joey's, the Mix, Tycoon Flats, small coffee shops such as The Candlelight Cafe (mixed gay-straight crowd), and the latino-themed video bar, Arriba.

Professional sports teams

San Antonio College.]]The city's only top-level professional sports team, and consequently the team most San Antonians follow, is the San Antonio Spurs of the NBA. The Spurs have been playing in San Antonio since 1973 and have won three NBA Championships (1999, 2003, 2005). Previously, the Spurs played at the Alamodome, which was built for football, but the Spurs built and moved into the SBC Center in 2002. One of the immediate consequences for the SBC Center is the creation of two new teams, The San Antonio Rampage of the American Hockey League and the San Antonio Silver Stars of the WNBA. San Antonio is also home to the Double-A Minor League affiliate of the Seattle Mariners, the San Antonio Missions who play at Nelson Wolff Stadium on the west side of the city. The city is also a temporary home for the New Orleans Saints for the 2005 NFL season due to the effects of Hurricane Katrina. The Saints have set up practice facilities in San Antonio for the season, and will play a split home schedule in the Alamodome and Baton Rouge, Louisiana's Tiger Stadium. City officials are said to be attempting to lure the NFL permanently to San Antonio, and have said that a strong showing at the Alamodome for the three local Saints games is vital to showing that San Antonio can support an NFL franchise. San Antonio hosts the NCAA football Alamo Bowl each December.
- Alamo Bowl San Antonio Missions, Texas League Minor league baseball
- Minor league baseball San Antonio Rampage, American Hockey League
- American Hockey League San Antonio Silver Stars, Women's National Basketball Association
- Women's National Basketball Association San Antonio Spurs, National Basketball Association

Sources

- [http://www.census.gov/popest/cities/tables/SUB-EST2004-01.xls http://www.census.gov/popest/cities/tables/SUB-EST2004-01.xls]

External links

- [http://www.ci.sat.tx.us/ San Antonio official website]
- [http://www.sanantoniocvb.com/ San Antonio Convention & Visitors Bureau]
- [http://www.wildtexas.com/parks/results.php?nearby_cities=San+Antonio San Antonio Area Parks]
- [http://www.bunkershot.com/sanantonio/ San Antonio Golf by Bunkershot.com Golf Magazine]
- [http://www.sanantonio.gov/airport/ San Antonio International Airport]
- [http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/SS/hds2.html The Handbook of Texas Online: San Antonio, Texas]
- [http://www.thealamofilm.com/alamo-visitors-guide.shtml The Alamo at San Antonio] - Information on visiting the historic Alamo
- [http://www.fiesta-sa.org/ Fiesta, San Antonio]
- [http://www.bradmesser.com Brad Messer's site] - San Antonio talk radio host
- [http://www.sanantoniolightning.com San Antonio Lightning] - San Antonio muckraking website
- [http://www.woai.com WOAI web site] - TV and radio local San Antonio news site
- [http://www.mysa.com San Antonio Express News wesite] - local San Antonio newspaper's site Category:All-America City Category:Bexar County, Texas Category:Cities in Texas Category:San Antonio, Texas ja:サンアントニオ

Bexar County, Texas

Bexar County is a county located in the state of Texas. As of 2000, the population is 1,392,931. Its county seat is San Antonio ⁶. In Spanish, "Béxar" is pronounced "be-har" in referring to Bexar County, however, in English it is commonly pronounced "bay-er" (or simply "bear").

History

Bexar County was created on December 20, 1836, and encompassed almost the entire western portion of the Republic of Texas, including the disputed areas of western New Mexico northward to Wyoming. After statehood, 128 counties were carved out of its area. The county gets its name from San Antonio de Béxar, one the twenty-three municipalities (administrative divisions) of Texas at the time of its independence. San Antonio de Béxar—originally Villa of San Fernando de Béxar—was the first civil government established in the Spanish province of Texas. Specifically, the municipality was created in 1731 when fifty-five Canary Islanders settled near the system of missions that had been established around the source of the San Antonio River. The new settlement was named after the Presidio San Antonio de Béxar, the Spanish military outpost that protected the missions. The presidio, located at the San Pedro Springs, was founded in 1718 and named for Viceroy Balthasar Manuel de Zúñiga y Guzmán Sotomayor y Sarmiento, second son of the Duke of Béxar (a city in Spain).

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 3,255 km² (1,257 mi²). 3,229 km² (1,247 mi²) of it is land and 25 km² (10 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.78% water.

Adjacent counties

- Kendall County and Comal County (north)
- Guadalupe County (northeast)
- Wilson County (southeast)
- Atascosa County (south)
- Medina County (west)
- Bandera County (northwest)

Demographics

As of the census ² of 2000, there are 1,392,931 people, 488,942 households, and 345,681 families residing in the county. The population density is 431/km² (1,117/mi²). There are 521,359 housing units at an average density of 161/km² (418/mi²). The racial makeup of the county is 68.86% White, 7.18% Black or African American, 0.80% Native American, 1.61% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 17.80% from other races, and 3.64% from two or more races. 54.35% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. There are 488,942 households out of which 36.60% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.50% are married couples living together, 15.50% have a female householder with no husband present, and 29.30% are non-families. 24.00% of all households are made up of individuals and 7.40% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.78 and the average family size is 3.33. In the county, the population is spread out with 28.50% under the age of 18, 10.70% from 18 to 24, 30.60% from 25 to 44, 19.90% from 45 to 64, and 10.40% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 32 years. For every 100 females there are 94.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 91.20 males. The median income for a household in the county is $38,328, and the median income for a family is $43,724. Males have a median income of $30,756 versus $24,920 for females. The per capita income for the county is $18,363. 15.90% of the population and 12.70% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 22.40% of those under the age of 18 and 12.20% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Famous People from Bexar County

Michelle Rodriguez of ABC's "Lost"

Cities and towns

- Alamo Heights
- Balcones Heights
- Castle Hills
- Cibolo
-
- China Grove
- Converse
- Elmendorf
- Fair Oaks Ranch
-
- Grey Forest

- Helotes
- Hill Country Village
- Hollywood Park
- Kirby
- Leon Valley
- Live Oak
- Olmos Park
- San Antonio
- Schertz
-

- Selma
-
- Shavano Park
- Somerset
- St. Hedwig
- Terrell Hills
- Universal City
- Windcrest

- Only a very small portion of Cibolo is located in Bexar County.

- Fair Oaks Ranch has territory in both Bexar County and Kendall County.

- Selma and Schertz each have territory in both Bexar County and Guadalupe County.

References

- Stephens, A. Ray, and William M. Holmes, Historical Atlas of Texas. University of Oklahoma Press, 1989. ISBN 0806123079

External links

- [http://www.co.bexar.tx.us/ Bexar County government's website]
- [http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/view/BB/hcb7.html Bexar County in the Handbook of Texas Online] at the University of Texas
- [http://www.texas-counties.com/bexar-county-tx Bexar County TX] - News and Information. ---- Category:Texas counties

Anthony of Padua

Saint Anthony of Padua, also venerated as Anthony of Lisbon, particularly in Portugal (August 15, 1195 – June 13, 1231) is a Catholic saint who was born in Lisbon as Fernando de Bulhões, to a wealthy family.

Life

He received in baptism the name of Fernando. St. Anthony's feast is on June 13. His family arranged a sound education for him at the local cathedral school. Against the wishes of his family, Fernando entered the Augustinian Abbey of St Vincent on the outskirts of Lisbon. The Canons Regular of St Augustine, of which he was now a member were famous for their dedication to scholarly pursuits. Fernando studied Sacred Scripture, St Jerome, St Augustine, St Gregory the Great and St Bernard. He also studied Latin masters Ovid, Seneca and Cato. Fernando was constantly visited by friends and relatives, bringing embarrassing gifts and news from their social world which disturbed him. His studies were suffering and he found no peace there. He persuaded his superiors to transfer him to the Augustinian Abbey of the Holy Cross in Coimbra, then the capital of Portugal, and continued his studies. After his ordination, Fernando was placed in charge of hospitality in his abbey. In this role, in 1219, he came in contact with five Franciscans who were on their way to Morocco to preach to the Mohammedans there. Fernando was strongly attracted to the simple Gospel lifestyle of the Franciscan friars. In February 1220, news arrived that the five Franciscans had been martyred in Morocco. They were considered to have acquired the crown of martyrdoom. Fernando meditated on the heroism of these Franciscans. He longed to embrace the simple lifestyle of the Franciscans. He wanted the freedom of a charismatic and joy-filled response to God's call to leave everything and follow Him. Fernando obtained permission from his superiors to join the Franciscans. In the summer of 1220 he was invested with the Franciscan habit and began to learn the teachings of their founder, Francis of Assisi. He took the new name of Anthony when he joined the Order of Friars Minor in honor of Saint Anthony the Great (251-356), to whom the Franciscan hermitage where he was living was dedicated. Shortly afterwards, Anthony set off to Morocco with another friar. He intended to die preaching the Gospel there. He contracted a severe fever, possibly malaria. He set sail for Portugal but was blown off course in a terrible storm and the ship was forced ashore in Sicily. He joined up with some of his fellow friars in Sicily who were in the process of travelling to Assisi for a gathering of all Franciscan friars. On the feast of Pentecost in 1221 thousands of Friars gathered in Assisi for what has come to be known as the Chapter of Mats, as the great number of friars meant many had to sleep on mats. After the chapter, the provincial of Bologna, Friar Graziano sent him to a small hermitage in the mountains in the town of Montepaolo to serve a priest for the hermits there. This was one of the happiest periods in his life as he finally got to live in total simplicity. However, Anthony was obliged to preach at an ordination when the preacher failed to arrive, and all were astounded at his marvellous preaching. From then on, he travelled throughout Northern Italy and Southern France preaching especially in areas where heresy was seen as strong. He is said to have been an eloquent preacher with a loud and clear voice, a winning smile, a wonderful memory, and profound learning. With the zeal of an apostle he undertook to reform the morality of his time by specifically combating the vices of luxury, avarice, and tyranny. He taught theology at Bologna, Toulouse, Montpellier and Padua, and won a great reputation as a preacher throughout Italy. He was the leader of the rigorous party in the Franciscan order against the mitigations introduced by the general Elias. His death took place at the convent of Ara Coeli, near Padua, on the 13th of June 1231.

Recognition

heresy He holds the record for the fastest canonization in history: he was declared a saint 352 days after his death (Pentecost, May 30, 1232) by Gregory IX. His feast day is on June 13th, the day of his death, a day of popular and sumptuous celebrations in Lisbon. Saint Anthony is the patron saint of Lisbon and the patron of Padua, where his relics remained after his death. The numerous miracles attributed to him made the name of Anthony celebrated throughout the world. The inhabitants of Padua erected to his memory a magnificent basilica, where his relics were transferred in 1263. When the vault in which, for thirty years, his sacred body had reposed was opened, the flesh was found reduced to dust but the preacher's tongue was seen to be uninjured, fresh, and of a lively red colour, it was reported at the time. St Bonaventure, beholding this wonder, took the tongue affectionately in his hands and kissed it, exclaiming: "O Blessed Tongue that always praised the Lord, and made others bless Him, now it is evident what great merit thou hast before God." The fame of St Anthony's miracles has never diminished, and even at the present day he is acknowledged as the greatest miracle worker of the times. A gifted speaker, he attracted crowds everywhere he went, speaking in multiple tongues; the legend being that even the fishes in the Brenta loved to listen. One of the most beloved of saints, his images and statues are ubiquitous. Proclaimed a Doctor of the Church on January 16, 1946, and is sometimes called the "Evangelical Doctor." He is especially invoked for the recovery of things lost. Also, against starvation, barrenness; patron of amputees, animals, boatmen, Brazil, diocese of Beaumont, domestic animals, the elderly, expectant mothers, faith in the Blessed Sacrament, Ferrazzano, fishermen, harvests, horses, Lisbon, lower animals, mail, mariners, oppressed people, Padua, paupers, Portugal, sailors, sterility, swineherds, Tigua Indians, travel hostesses, travellers, and watermen. In Portugal, Brazil, and some parts of Latin America he is recognized as the marriage saint, and on his day (June 13) single women may buy a small statue of Saint Anthony and place (or bury) it upside down for a week, blackmailing him to only put him in his normal position after they found a good husband. The meagre accounts of his life which we possess have been supplemented by numerous popular legends, which represent him as a continuous worker of miracles, and describe his marvellous eloquence by pictures of fishes leaping out of the water to hear him. There are many confraternities established in his honour throughout Christendom, and the number of "pious" biographies devoted to him would fill many volumes.

References

The most trustworthy modern works are by A. Lepître, St Antoine de Padoue (Paris, 1902, in Les Saints series: good bibliography; Eng. trans. by Edith Guest, London, 1902), and by Léopold de Chérancé, St Antoine de Padoue (Paris, 1895; Eng. trans., London, 1896). His works, consisting of sermons and a mystical commentary on the Bible, were published in an appendix to those of St Francis, in the Annales Minorum of Luke Wadding (Antwerp, 1623), and are also reproduced by Horoy, Medii aevi bibliotheca patristica (1880, vi. pp. 555 et sqq.); see art. "Antonius von Padua" in Herzog-Hauck, Realencyklopadie.
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External links

- [http://www.fisheaters.com/customstimeafterpentecoststa.html The Feast of St. Anthony]
- [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01556a.htm Catholic Encyclopedia:] Saint Anthony of Padua
- [http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/Anthony/ St. Anthony of Padua - Catholic Patron Saint of Lost Things, the Poor and Travelers]
- [http://www.ewtn.com/library/MARY/ANTHLIFE.HTM St. Anthony]
- [http://www.puliyampatti.com Church of St. Anthony of Padua in India] Category:1195 births Category:1231 deaths Anthony of Padua Category:Doctors of the Church Category:Franciscans Category:Roman Catholic priests Category:Portuguese people

Calendar of saints

The calendar of saints is a traditional Christian method of organising a liturgical year on the level of days by associating each day with one or more saints, and referring to the day as the saint's day of that saint. The system arose from the very early Christian custom of annual commemoration of martyrs on the date of their death. As the number of recognized saints increased during Late Antiquity and roughly the first half of the Middle Ages, eventually every day of the year had at least one saint who was commemorated on that date. Eventually, some saints were moved to another day in some traditions, or completely removed; thus, some saints do have more than one day. Initially, there were two types of saints: martyrs and confessors. Martyrs were people who died in the service of the Lord and confessors were people who died natural deaths. Confessors were not initially considered for saint's days. This calendar system, when combined with major church festivals and movable and immovable feasts, constructs a very human and personalised yet often localised way of organising the year and identifying dates. It may be compared with the Roman Missal. Medievalists continue the old tradition of dating by saints' days: their works may appear "dated" as "The Feast of Saint Martin" or "Lammastide". Poets such as John Keats commemorate the importance of The Eve of Saint Agnes. Many children acquire baptismal or confirmational names from the saint associated with their date of birth, baptism or confirmation, and believing Eastern Orthodox Christians (and in some countries, Roman Catholics) mark the "name day" (namesday) of the saint whose name they bear with special attention, often instead of birthday celebrations. Various feast days will be "ranked" with various levels of importance. In the Roman Catholic Church, from most to least importance, these are solemnities, feasts, memorials, and optional memorials. The rankings listed below are those for the universal church, various countries or dioceses may have additional saints or blesseds in their calendars. If no ranking is given, the feast day belongs to some particular calendar and not the universal calendar. Some traditional dates (Roman Catholic unless otherwise indicated) include:

January

February

March

April

- April 1: Saint Venantius - Memorial
- April 2: Saint Francis of Paola - Optional Memorial
- April 3: Saint Pancrasse - Memorial
- April 4: Benedict "the Black" of Palermo and Saint Isidore - Optional Memorial
- April 5: Saint Vincent Ferrer - Optional Memorial
- April 6: Saint Prudence - Memorial
- April 7: Saint John Baptist de la Salle - Memorial
- April 8: Saint Dionisus - Memorial
- April 9: Saint Casilde - Memorial
- April 10: Saint Ezekiel - Memorial
- April 11: Saint Stanislaus - Memorial
- April 12: Saint Zenon - Memorial
- April 13: Saint Martin I and Saint Hermenegild - Optional Memorial
- April 14: Saint Raoul - Memorial
- April 15: Saint Elmo - Memorial
- April 16: Saint Bernardette - Memorial
- April 17: Saint Elijah - Memorial
- April 18: Saint Perfect - Memorial
- April 19: Saint Hermogen - Memorial
- April 20: Saint Theodore - Memorial
- April 21: Saint Anselm of Canterbury - Optional Memorial
- April 22: Saint Daniel - Memorial
- April 23: Saint George or Saint Adalbert - Optional Memorial
- April 24: Saint Fidelis of Sigmaringen - Optional Memorial
- April 25: Saint Mark the Evangelist - Feast
- April 26: Saint Hope - Memorial
- April 27: Our Lady of Montserrat - Memorial
- April 28: Saint Peter Chanel or Saint Prudentius or Saint Louis Marie de Montfort - Optional Memorial
- April 29: Saint Robert and Saint Catherine of Siena - Memorial
- April 30: Saint Pius V - Optional Memorial

May

June

- June 1: Saint Justin Martyr - Memorial
- June 2: Saints Marcellinus and Peter - Optional Memorial; also Saint Kevin - Feast
- June 3: Saints Charles Lwanga and Companions - Memorial
- June 4: Saint Francisco Caracciolo - Memorial
- June 5: Saint Boniface - Memorial
- June 6: Saint Norbert - Optional Memorial
- June 7: Saint Candido - Memorial
- June 8: Saint Maximinus - Memorial
- June 9: Saint Ephrem - Optional Memorial
- June 10: Saint Maximus - Memorial
- June 11: Saint Barnabas the Apostle - Memorial
- June 12: Saint John of Sahagun - Memorial
- June 13: Saint Anthony of Padua - Memorial
- June 14: Saint Eliseus - Memorial
- June 15: Saint Mary Michaela - Memorial
- June 16: Saint Armand - Memorial
- June 17: Saint Ishmael - Memorial
- June 18: Saint Herman - Memorial
- June 19: Saint Romuald - Optional Memorial
- June 20: Saint Silverius - Memorial
- June 21: Saint Aloysius Gonzaga - Memorial
- June 22: Saints John Fisher and Thomas More or Saint Paulinus of Nola - Optional Memorial
- June 23: Saint Atanasiu - Memorial
- June 24: Birth of Saint John the Baptist - Solemnity
- June 25: Saint William - Memorial
- June 26: Saint Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer or Saint Pelagius - Optional Memorial
- June 27: Saint Cyril of Alexandria - Optional Memorial
- June 28: Saint Irenaus - Memorial
- June 29: Saint Peter and Saint Paul - Solemnity
- June 30: First martyrs of the Church of Rome - Optional Memorial

July

August

September

October

November

- November 1: All Saints - Solemnity
- November 2: All Souls - (classification unique)
- November 3: Saint Martin de Porres - Optional Memorial
- November 4: bishop Saint Charles Borromeo - Memorial
- November 5:
- November 6:
- November 7: Saint Willibrord - national memorial in England and The Netherlands
- November 8:
- November 9: Dedication of the Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano - Feast
- November 10: pope Saint Leo the Great - Memorial
- November 11: bishop Saint Martin of Tours - Memorial
- November 12: bishop Saint Josaphat Kuncevyc - Memorial
- November 13: Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini - beatification, national memorial in the USA?
- November 14:
- November 15: Saint Albert the Great - Optional Memorial
- November 16: Saint Margaret of Scotland or virgin Saint Gertrude the Great - Optional Memorial
- November 17: Saint Elisabeth of Hungary - Optional Memorial
- November 18: Dedication of the Basilicas of Saints Peter and Paul - Optional Memorial ; or Saint Rose Philippine Duchesne - local Optional Memorial
- November 19:
- November 20: Edmund the Martyr - national optional memorial in England
- November 21: Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary - Memorial
- November 22: virgin martyr Saint Cecilia - Memorial
- November 23: Pope Saint Clement I or abbot and missionary Saint Columban - Optional Memorial
- November 24: priest Andrew Dung-Lac and his Companions, martyrs - Memorial
- November 25: Saint Catherine of Alexandria - Optional Memorial
- November 26: (not universal) Pope Siricius ; local optional memorial of the excellence of Saint Genevieve in Paris
- November 27:
- November 28: (not universal) Pope Gregory III
- November 29: (not universal) Saint Saturnin
- November 30: Saint Andrew the Apostle - Feast

December

United States

:For alternative meanings, see the disambiguation page for US, USA, United States, or American. The United States of America is a federal democratic republic situated primarily in central North America. It comprises 50 states and one federal district, and has several territories. It is also referred to, with varying formality, as the United States, the U.S., the U.S.A., the States, or simply and most commonly, America. The official founding date of the United States is July 4, 1776, when the Second Continental Congress—representing thirteen British colonies—adopted the Declaration of Independence. However, the structure of the government was profoundly changed in 1788, when the states replaced the Articles of Confederation with the United States Constitution. The date on which each of the fifty states adopted the Constitution is typically regarded as the date that state "entered the Union" (became part of the United States). Since the mid-20th century, following World War II, the United States has emerged as a dominant global influence in economic, political, military, scientific, technological, and cultural affairs.

Geography and climate

The United States shares land borders with Canada (to the north) and Mexico (to the south), and territorial water boundaries with Canada, Russia, the Bahamas, and numerous smaller nations. It is otherwise bounded by the Pacific Ocean and the Bering Sea, in the west; the Arctic Ocean, in the northernmost areas; and the Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean Sea, in the eastern and southeastern areas. Forty-eight of the states are in the single region between Canada and Mexico; this group is referred to, with varying precision and formality, as the continental or contiguous United States, sometimes abbreviated CONUS, and as the Lower 48. Alaska, which is not included in the term contiguous United States, is at the northwestern end of North America, separated from the Lower 48 by Canada. The archipelago of Hawaii is in the Pacific Ocean. The capital city, Washington, District of Columbia is a federal district located on land donated by the state of Maryland. (Virginia also donated land, but it was returned in 1847.) The United States also has overseas territories with varying levels of independence and organization. When inland water is included in the total area, only Russia and Canada are larger than the United States; if inland water is excluded, China ranks third and the U.S. ranks fourth. The United States' total area is 3,718,711 square miles (9,631,418 km²), of which land makes up 3,537,438 square miles (9,161,923 km²) and water makes up 181,273 square miles (469,495 km²). The United States' landscape is one of the most varied among those of the world's nations: among its many features are temperate forestland and rolling hills, on the east coast; mangrove, in Florida; the Great Plains, in the center of the country; the Mississippi–Missouri river system; the Great Lakes, four of the five of which are shared with Canada; the Rocky Mountains, west of the Great Plains; deserts and temperate coastal zones, west of the Rocky Mountains; and temperate rain forests, in the Pacific northwest. Alaska's tundra, and the volcanic, tropical islands of Hawaii add to the geographic diversity. Hawaii The climate varies along with the landscape, from tropical in Hawaii and southern Florida to tundra in Alaska and atop some of the highest mountains. Most of the North and East experience a temperate continental climate, with warm summers and cold winters. Most of the South experiences a subtropical humid climate with mild winters and long, hot, humid summers. Rainfall decreases markedly from the humid forests of the Eastern Great Plains to the semi-arid shortgrass prairies on the high plains abutting the Rocky Mountains. Arid deserts, including the Mojave, extend through the lowlands and valleys of the southwest, from westernmost Texas to California and northward throughout much of Nevada. Some parts of California have a Mediterranean climate. Rainforests line the windward mountains of the Pacific Northwest from Oregon to Alaska.

History

American history started with the migration of people from Asia across the Bering land bridge approximately 12,000 years ago following large animals that they hunted into the Americas. These Native Americans left evidence of their presence in petroglyphs, burial mounds, and other artifacts. It is estimated that 2-9 million people lived in the territory now occupied by the U.S. before European contact, and the subsequent introduction of foreign diseases such as small pox that greatly diminished the native populations. Some advanced societies were the Anasazi of the southwest, who inhabited Chaco Canyon, and the Woodland Indians, who built Cahokia, located near present-day St Louis, a city with a population of 40,000 at its peak in AD 1200. Vikings first visited North America around 1000, but did not settle permanently. Following the discovery voyages of Christopher Columbus around 1492, other Europeans began to explore and settle there. During the 1500s and 1600s, the Spanish settled parts of the present-day Southwest and Florida, founding St. Augustine, Florida in 1565 and Santa Fe (in what is now New Mexico) in 1607. The first successful English settlement was at Jamestown, Virginia, also in 1607. Within the next two decades, several Dutch settlements, including New Amsterdam (the predecessor to New York City), were established in what are now the states of New York and New Jersey. In 1637, Sweden established a colony at Fort Christina (in what is now Delaware), but lost the settlement to the Dutch in 1655. This was followed by extensive British settlement of the east coast. The British colonists remained relatively undisturbed by their home country until after the French and Indian War, when France ceded Canada and the Great Lakes region to Britain. Britain then imposed taxes on the 13 colonies, widely regarded by the colonists as unfair because they were denied representation in the British Parliament. Tensions between Britain and the colonists increased, and the thirteen colonies eventually rebelled against British rule. British Parliament, George Washington (1789-1797).]] In 1776, the 13 colonies split from Great Britain and formed the United States, the world's first constitutional and democratic federal republic, after their Declaration of Independence of that year, and the Revolutionary War (1775 to 1783). The original political structure was a confederation in 1777, ratified in 1781 as the Articles of Confederation. After long debate, this was supplanted by the Constitution in 1789, forming a more centralized federal government. Prior to all these was the Albany Congress in 1754, in which a union was first seriously proposed. From early colonial times, there was a shortage of labor, which encouraged unfree labor, particularly indentured servitude and slavery. In the mid-19th century, a major division occurred in the United States over the issue of states' rights and the expansion of slavery. The northern states had become opposed to slavery, while the southern states saw it as necessary for the continued success of southern agriculture and wanted it expanded to the territories. Several federal laws were passed in an attempt to settle the dispute, including the Missouri Compromise and the Compromise of 1850. The dispute reached a crisis in 1861, when seven southern states seceded¹ from the Union and formed the Confederate States of America, leading to the Civil War. Soon after the war began, four more southern states seceded. During the war, Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, mandating the freedom of all slaves in states in rebellion, though full emancipation did not take place until after the end of the war in 1865, the dissolution of the Confederacy, and the Thirteenth Amendment took effect. The Civil War effectively ended the question of a state's right to secede, and is widely accepted as a major turning point after which the federal government became more powerful than state governments. Thirteenth Amendment). The title of the painting, from a 1726 poem by Bishop Berkeley, was a phrase often quoted in the era of Manifest Destiny, expressing a widely held belief that civilization had steadily moved westward throughout history. [http://americanart.si.edu/t2go/1lw/1931.6.1.html (more)] ]] During the 19th century, many new states were added to the original 13 as the nation expanded across the continent. Manifest Destiny was a philosophy that encouraged westward expansion in the United States. As the population of the Eastern states grew and as a steady increase of immigrants entered the country, settlers moved steadily westward across North America. In the process, the U.S. displaced most American Indian nations. This displacement of American Indians continues to be a matter of contention in the U.S. with many tribes attempting to assert their original claims to various lands. In some areas American Indian populations were reduced by foreign diseases contracted through contact with European settlers, and US settlers acquired those emptied lands. In other instances American Indians were removed from their traditional lands by force. Though some would say the U.S. was not a colonial power until the Spanish-American War when it acquired Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippines, the dominion exercised over land in North America the United States claimed is essentially colonial. The Philippines became independent in 1946. During this period, the nation also became an industrial power. This continued into the 20th century, which has been termed "the American Century" because of the nation's overriding influence on the world. The US became a center for innovation and technological development; major technologies that America either developed or was greatly involved in improving include the telephone, television, computer, the Internet, nuclear weapons, nuclear power, aviation, and aeronautics. In addition to the Civil War, another major traumatic experience for the nation was the Great Depression (1929 to 1939). The nation has also taken part in several major foreign wars, including World War I and World War II (in both of which the US later joined the Allies). During the Cold War, the US was a major player in the Korean War and Vietnam War, and, along with the Soviet Union, was considered one of the world's two "superpowers". With the collapse of the Soviet Union, the US emerged as the world's leading economic and military power. Beginning in the 1990s, the United States became very involved in police actions and peacekeeping, including actions in Kosovo, Haiti, Somalia and Liberia, and the first Persian Gulf War driving Iraq out of Kuwait. After attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, the United States and other allied nations found themselves involved in what has come to be called the "War on Terrorism," which has primarily encompassed military actions in both Afghanistan and Iraq.

Government

Iraq of the United States.]]

Republic and suffrage

The United States is an example of a constitutional republic, with a government composed of and operating through a set of limited powers imposed by its design and enumerated in the United States Constitution. Specifically, the nation operates as a presidential democracy. There are three levels of government: federal, state, and local. Officials of each of these levels are either elected by eligible voters via secret ballot or appointed by other elected officials. Americans enjoy almost universal suffrage from the age of 18 regardless of race, sex, or wealth. There are some limits, however: felons are disenfranchised and in some states former felons are likewise. Furthermore, the national representation of territories and the federal district of Washington, DC in Congress is limited: residents of the District of Columbia are subject to federal laws and federal taxes but their only Congressional representative is a non-voting delegate.

Federal government

The federal government is the national government, comprising the Legislative Branch (led by Congress), the Executive Branch (led by the President), and the Judicial Branch (led by the Supreme Court). These three branches were designed to apply checks and balances on each other. The Constitution limits the powers of the federal government to defense, foreign affairs, the issuing and management of currency, the management of trade and relations between the states, and the protection of human rights. In addition to these explicitly stated powers, the federal government—with the assistance of the Supreme Court—has gradually extended these powers into such areas as welfare and education, on the basis of the "necessary and proper" clause of the Constitution.

The Congress

necessary and proper The Congress of the United States is the legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, comprising the House of Representatives and the Senate. The House of Representatives consists of 435 members, each of whom represents a congressional district and serves for a two-year term. House seats are apportioned among the states by population; in contrast, each state has two Senators, regardless of population. There are a total of 100 senators, who serve six-year terms. The powers of Congress are limited to those enumerated in the Constitution; all other powers are reserved to the states and the people. The Constitution also includes the necessary-and-proper clause, which grants Congress the power to "make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers."

The President

necessary-and-proper clause At the top level of the executive branch is the President of the United States. The President and Vice-President are elected as 'running mates' for four-year terms by the Electoral College, for which each state, as well as the District of Columbia, is allocated a number of seats based on its representation (or ostensible representation, in the case of D. C.) in both houses of Congress (see U.S. Electoral College). The relationship between the President and the Congress reflects that between the English monarchy and parliament at the time of the framing of the United States Constitution. Congress can legislate to constrain the President's executive power, even with respect to his or her command of the armed forces; however, this power is used only very rarely—a notable example was the constraint placed on President Richard Nixon's strategy of bombing Cambodia during the Vietnam War. The President cannot directly propose legislation, and must rely on supporters in Congress to promote his or her legislative agenda. The President's signature is required to turn congressional bills into law; in this respect, the President has the power—only occasionally used—to veto congressional legislation. Congress can override a presidential veto with a two-thirds majority vote in both houses. The ultimate power of Congress over the President is that of impeachment or removal of the elected President through a House vote, a Senate trial, and a Senate vote. The threat of using this power has had major political ramifications in the cases of Presidents Andrew Johnson, Richard Nixon, and Bill Clinton. The President makes around 2,000 executive appointments, including members of the Cabinet and ambassadors, which must be approved by the Senate; the President can also issue executive orders and pardons, and has other Constitutional duties, among them the requirement to give a State of the Union address to Congress once a year. Although the President's constitutional role may appear to be constrained, in practice, the office carries enormous prestige that typically eclipses the power of Congress: the Presidency has justifiably been referred to as 'the most powerful office in the world'. The Vice President is first in the line of succession, and is the President of the Senate ex officio, with the ability to cast a tie-breaking vote. The members of the President's Cabinet are responsible for administering the various departments of state, including the Department of Defense, the Justice Department, and the State Department. These departments and department heads have considerable regulatory and political power, and it is they who are responsible for executing federal laws and regulations. George W. Bush is the 43rd President, currently serving his second term.

The Courts

George W. Bush The highest court is the Supreme Court, which consists of nine justices. The court deals with federal and constitutional matters, and can declare legislation made at any level of the government as unconstitutional, nullifying the law and creating precedent for future law and decisions. Below the Supreme Court are the courts of appeals, and below them in turn are the district courts, which are the general trial courts for federal law. Separate from, but not entirely independent of, this federal court system are the individual court systems of each state, each dealing with its own laws and having its own judicial rules and procedures. A case may be appealed from a state court to a federal court only if there is a federal question; the supreme court of each state is the final authority on the interpretation of that state's laws and constitution.

State and local governments

supreme court of each state. Note that Alaska and Hawaii are shown at different scales, and that the Aleutian Islands and the uninhabited Northwestern Hawaiian Islands are omitted from this map.]] The state governments have the greatest influence over people's daily lives. Each state has its own written constitution and has different laws. There are sometimes great differences in law and procedure between the different states, concerning issues such as property, crime, health, and education. The highest elected official of each state is the Governor. Each state also has an elected legislature (bicameral in every state except Nebraska), whose members represent the different parts of the state. Of note is the New Hampshire legislature, which is the third-largest legislative body in the English-speaking world, and has one representative for every 3,000 people. Each state maintains its own judiciary, with the lowest level typically being county courts, and culminating in each state supreme court, though sometimes named differently. In some states, supreme and lower court justices are elected by the people; in others, they are appointed, as they are in the federal system. The institutions that are responsible for local government are typically town, city, or county boards, making laws that affect their particular area. These laws concern issues such as traffic, the sale of alcohol, and keeping animals. The highest elected official of a town or city is usually the mayor. In New England, towns operate directly democratically, and in some states, such as Rhode Island and Connecticut, counties have little or no power, existing only as geographic distinctions. In other areas, county governments have more power, such as to collect taxes and maintain law enforcement agencies.

Political divisions

With the Declaration of Independence, the thirteen colonies proclaimed themselves to be nation states modeled after the European states of the time. Although considered as sovereigns initially, under the Articles of Confederation of 1781 they entered into a "Perpetual Union" and created a fully sovereign federal state, delegating certain powers to the national Congress, including the right to engage in diplomatic relations and to levy war, while each retaining their individual sovereignty, freedom and independence. But the national government proved too ineffective, so the administrative structure of the government was vastly reorganized with the United States Constitution of 1789. Under this new union, the continued status of the individual states as sovereign nation states fell into dispute in 1861, as several states attempted to secede from the union; in response, then-President Abraham Lincoln claimed that such secession was illegal, and the result was the American Civil War. Since the Union victory in 1865, the independent status of the individual states has not been broached again by any state, and the status of each state within the union has been deemed by mainstream officials and academics to be settled as being subordinate to the union as a whole. In subsequent years, the number of states grew steadily due to western expansion, the purchase of lands by the national government from other nation states, and the subdivision of existing states, resulting in the current total of 50. The states are generally divided into smaller administrative regions, including counties, cities and townships. The United States–Canadian border is the longest undefended political boundary in the world. The U.S. is divided into three distinct sections:
- the "continental United States," also known as "the Lower 48" and more accurately termed the conterminous, coterminous or contiguous United States
- Alaska, which is physically connected only to Canada
- the archipelago of Hawaii, in the central Pacific Ocean. The United States also holds several other territories, districts, and possessions, notably the federal district of the District of Columbia, which is the nation's capital, and several overseas insular areas, the most significant of which are American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the United States Virgin Islands. The Palmyra Atoll is the United States' only incorporated territory; it is unorganized and uninhabited. The United States Navy has held a base at a portion of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, since 1898. The United States government possesses a lease to this land, which only mutual agreement or United States abandonment of the area can terminate. The present Cuban government of Fidel Castro disputes this arrangement, claiming Cuba was not truly sovereign at the time of the signing. The United States argues this point moot because Cuba apparently ratified the lease post-revolution, and with full sovereignty, when it cashed one rent check in accordance with the disputed treaty.

Foreign relations and military

sovereign] The immense military and economic dominance of the United States has made foreign relations an especially important topic in its politics, with considerable concern about the image of the United States throughout the world. Reactions towards the United States by other nationalities are often strong, ranging from uninhibited admiration and mimicking of all things American to anti-Americanism. US foreign policy has swung about several times over the course of its history between the poles of strict isolationism and imperialism and everywhere in between. Three of the nation's four military branches are administered by the Department of Defense: the Army, the Navy (including the Marine Corps), and the Air Force. The Coast Guard falls under the jurisdiction of the Department of Homeland Security in peacetime, but is placed under the Department of the Navy in time of war. The combined United States armed forces consist of 1.4 million active duty personnel, along with several hundred thousand each in the Reserves and the National Guard. Military conscription ended in 1973. The United States Armed forces are considered to be the most powerful military (of any sort) on Earth and their force projection capabilities are unrivaled by any other nation. The 2005 defense budget amounted to $401.7 billion, which is an increase of 4% over 2004 and of 35% since 2001. Over 50% of that number is spent in research & development. (For comparison, in 2004 the European Union (considered as the second-largest military force) had a combined total of 1.6 million troops, and a defense budget of €160 billion, with less than 10% of that being spent on R&D.)

Largest cities

The United States has dozens of major cities, including 11 of the 55 global cities of all types — with three "alpha" global cities: New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago. The figures expressed below are for populations within city limits. A different ranking is evident when considering U.S. metro area populations, although the top three would be unchanged. Note that some cities not listed (such as Atlanta, Boston, Las Vegas, Miami, Nashville, New Orleans, Seattle, and Washington, D.C.) are still considered important on the basis of other factors and issues, including culture, economics, heritage, and politics. The twenty largest cities, based on the United States Census Bureau's 2004 estimates, are as follows:

Economy

The United States has the largest single-country economy in the world, with a per-capita gross domestic product of $40,100. In this market-oriented economy, private individuals and business firms make most of the decisions, and the federal and state governments buy needed goods and services predominantly in the private marketplace. gross domestic product The largest industry of the U.S. is now service, which employs roughly three quarters of the U.S. work force. The United States has many natural resources, including oil and gas, metals, and such minerals as gold, soda ash, and zinc. In agriculture, the U.S. is a top producer of, among other crops, corn, soy beans, and wheat; the United States is a net exporter of food. The U.S. manufacturing sector produces goods such as, cars, airplanes, steel, and electronics, among many others. Economic activity varies greatly from one part of the country to another, with many industries being largely dependent on a certain city or region; New York City is the center of the American financial, publishing, broadcasting, and advertising industries; Silicon Valley is the country’s primary location for high-technology companies, while Los Angeles is the most important center for film production. The Midwest is known for its reliance on manufacturing and heavy industry, with Detroit, Michigan, serving as the center of the American automotive industry; the Great Plains are known as the "breadbasket" of America for their tremendous agricultural output; the intermountain region serves as a mining hub and natural gas resource; the Pacific Northwest for fish and timber, while Texas is largely associated with the oil industry; the Southeast is a major hub for both medical research and the textiles industry. Several countries continue to link their currency to the dollar or even use it as a currency (such as Ecuador), although this practice has subsided since the collapse of the Bretton Woods system. Many markets are also quoted in dollars, such as those of oil and gold. The dollar is also the predominant reserve currency in the world, and more than half of global reserves are in dollars. The largest trading partner of the United States is Canada (19%), followed by China (12%), Mexico (11%), and Japan (8%). More than 50% of total trade is with these four countries. In 2003, the United States was ranked as the third most visited tourist destination in the world; its 40,400,000 visitors ranked behind France's 75,000,000 and Spain's 52,500,000. Labor unions have existed since the 19th century, and grew large and powerful from the 1930s to the 1950s. See Labor history of the United States. Since 1970 they have shrunk in the private sector and now cover fewer than 8% of the workers. However union membership has grown rapidly in the public sector, especially among teachers, nurses, police, postal workers, and municipal clerks. There have been few strikes in recent years. The United States' imports exceed exports by 80%, leading to an annual trade deficit of $700,000,000,000, or 6% of gross domestic product. It is the largest debtor nation in the world, with total gross foreign debt of over $13,000,000,000,000 (2005 estimate); and it absorbs more than 50% of global savings annually. Since the 1980s, the U.S. has increased the use of neoliberal economic policies that reduce government intervention and reduce the size of the welfare state, backing away from the more interventionist Keynsian economic policies that had been in favor since the Great Depression. As a result, the United States provides fewer government-delivered social welfare services than most industrialized nations, choosing instead to keep its tax burden lower and relying more heavily on the free market and private charities. Sixteen states and the District of Columbia have minimum wages higher than the national level ($5.15 per-hour), including the highest, Washington State at $7.35. Twenty-six states are the same as the federal level; two--Ohio and Kansas--are below; and six do not have state laws. America's wealth is relatively highly concentrated. The average C.E.O. earns 500 times the typical amount a worker grosses, this is up from 25 times in the late 1970s. In terms of wealth the top 1% of Americans own 40% of all assets and 50.1% of the country's income goes to the top twenty percent of households. Average wages for the majority of employees have been largely stagnating since the 1970s. America's poverty line defined as a family of four earning less than $19,157 is at 12.7% of the general population. Approximately one out of every five children in the United States grows up below the official poverty line. Among racial groups; African Americans have the lowest median income while Asians had the highest. Regionally, the southern states had the lowest median incomes while the West Coast and New England had the highest. The current Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan remarked that the U.S.’s growing income inequality since the 1970s is, "not the type of thing which a democratic society - a capitalist democratic society - can really accept without addressing."[http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0614/p01s03-usec.html?s=itm] However, Greenspan also noted, "...you can look at the system and say it's got a lot of problems to it, and sure it does. It always has. But you can't get around the fact that this is the most extraordinarily successful economy in history."

Transportation

Alan Greenspan ]] Because the United States is a relatively young nation, most of the development of U.S. cities has taken place since the invention of the automobile. To link its vast territory, the United States built a network of high-capacity, high-speed highways, of which the most important element is the Interstate Highway system, commissioned in the 1950s by President Dwight D. Eisenhower and modeled after the German Autobahn. The United States also has a transcontinental rail system, which is used for moving freight across the lower forty-eight states. Passenger rail service is provided by Amtrak, which serves forty-six of the lower forty-eight states. Many cities in the United States have extensive mass-transit systems. New York City operates one of the world's largest and most heavily used subway systems. The regional rail and bus networks that extend into Long Island, New Jersey, Upstate New York, and Connecticut are among the most heavily used in the world. Air travel is often preferred for destinations over 300 miles (500 kilometers) away. In terms of passengers, seventeen of the world's thirty busiest airports in 2004 were in the U.S., including the world's busiest, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport; in terms of cargo, in the same year, twelve of the world's thirty busiest airports were in the U.S., including the world's busiest, Memphis International Airport. There are several major seaports in the United States; the three busiest are the Port of Los Angeles, California; the Port of Long Beach, California; and the Port of New York and New Jersey. Others include Houston, Texas; Charleston, South Carolina; Savannah, Georgia; Miami, Florida; Portland, Oregon; San Francisco, California; Boston, Massachusetts; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Seattle, Washington; plus, outside the contiguous forty-eight states, Anchorage, Alaska, and Honolulu, Hawaii.

Society

Demographics

Hawaii The mean center of the U.S. population continues to drift farther west and south. The fastest growing region is the western United States followed by the southern portion. According to Census 2000, the states that saw the greatest increases from 1990 were: Nevada (66.3%), Arizona (40%), Colorado (30.6%), Utah (29.6%), Idaho (28.5%), Georgia (26.4%), Florida (23.5%), Texas (22.8%), North Carolina (21.4%), and Washington (21.1%). [http://www.census.gov/population/cen2000/phc-t2/tab03.pdf]

Ethnicity and race

:Main article: Racial demographics of the United States The United States is a very racially diverse country. According to the 2000 census, it has 31 ethnic groups with at least one million members each, and numerous others represented in smaller amounts. The majority of Americans descend from white European immigrants who arrived at the establishment of the first colonies (most after Reconstruction). This majority--69.1% in 2000--decreases each year, and is expected to become a plurality within a few decades. The most frequently stated European ancestries are German (15.2%), Irish (10.8%), English (8.7%), Italian (5.6%) and Scandinavian (3.7%). Many immigrants also hail from Slavic countries such as Poland and Russia. Other significant immigrant populations came from eastern and southern Europe and French Canada. Russia Hispanics from Mexico and South and Central America are the largest minority group in the country, comprising 12.5% of the population (2000 census). People of Mexican descent made up 7.3% of the population in the 2000 census, and this proportion is expected to increase significantly in the coming decades. About 12.3% (2000 census) of the American people are African Americans (Blacks). African Americans are spread throughout the country, but their presence is largest in the South. Asian Americans--including Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders--are a third significant minority (3.7% of the population in 2000). Most Asian Americans are concentrated on the West Coast and Hawaii. The largest groups are immigrants or descendants of emigrants from the Philippines, China, India, Vietnam, South Korea, and Japan. Indigenous peoples in the United States, such as American Indians and Inuit, make up 0.9% of the population (2000 census). About 35% live on Indian reservations.

Religion

Polls estimate that just under 80 percent of Americans are Christians of various denominations. The other 20 percent comprises other religions such as Hinduism, Judaism, Islam, and Buddhism, other various faiths, and those without a specific religion. The United States is noteworthy among developed nations for its relatively high level of religiosity. According to a 2004 Gallup poll, about 44% of Americans attend a religious service at least once a week. However, this rate is not uniform across the country; attendance is more common in the Bible Belt—composed largely of Southern and Midwestern states—than in the Northeast and West Coast. In the Southern states, Baptists are the largest group, followed by Methodists; Roman Catholics are dominant in the Northeast and in large parts of the Midwest due to their being settled by descendants of Catholic immigrants from Europe (such as Germany, Ireland, Italy, and Poland) or other parts of North America (mainly Quebec and Puerto Rico). The rest of the country for the most part has a complex mixture of various Christian groups.

Education

West Coast's home at Monticello and the University of Virginia (library building shown above, and designed by Jefferson), the only collegiate campus on the list. Both sites are located in Charlottesville, Virginia.]] In the United States, education is a state, not federal, responsibility, and the laws and standards vary considerably. However, the federal government, through the Department of Education, is involved with funding of some programs and exerts some influence through its ability to control funding. In most states, all students must attend mandatory schooling starting with kindergarten, which children normally enter at age 5, and following through 12th grade, which is normally completed at age 18

2000

This article is about the year 2000. For other uses of 2000, see 2000 (number) or 2000 (breakdancing move). 2000 (MM) is a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. Popular culture also holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium. By strict interpretation of the Gregorian Calendar, however, this distinction falls to the year 2001. This is due to the fact that the first century began with the year 1, and there does not exist a year zero. The first century (or first 100 years AD) was from January 1, in the year one (1 AD) through December 31, in the year one-hundred (100 AD). The second century began on January 1, in the year one-hundred and one (101 AD). The year 2000 is also marked as:
- The International Year for a Culture of Peace.
- The World Mathematical Year. See also Wikipedia's almanac of events for this year.

Events

January

- January 1 - Millennium celebrations take place throughout the world. Y2K passes without the serious, widespread computer failures and malfunctions that had been predicted.
- January 5-January 8 - The 2000 al-Qaida Summit
- January 6 - The last remaining Pyrenean Ibex is found dead.
- January 10 - America On-line announces an agreement to buy Time Warner for $162 billion. This is the largest-ever corporate merger.
- January 11 - the armed wing of Islamic Salvation Front concludes its negotiations with the government for an amnesty and disbands in Algeria.
- January 11 - The trawler Solway Harvester sinks off the Isle of Man.
- January 14 - A United Nations tribunal sentences five Bosnian Croats up to 25 years for the 1993 killing of over 100 Bosnian Muslims in a Bosnian village.
- January 16 - In Sacramento, California a commercial truck carrying evaporated milk is driven into the state capitol building killing the driver.
- January 24 - God's Army, Karen militia group led by twins Johnny and Luther Htoo, take 700 hostages at a Thai hospital near the Burmese border.
- January 30 - St. Louis Rams 23 defeat the Tennessee Titans 16 to win the Super_Bowl_XXXIV
- January 30 - Off the coast of Côte d'Ivoire, Kenya Airways Flight 431 crashes into the Atlantic Ocean, killing 169. Within a day, Alaska Airlines Flight 261 crashes off the California coast into the Pacific Ocean, killing 88.
- January 31 - Dr. Harold Shipman in sentenced to life in prison for murder of at least 15 of his patients out of 365 suspected victims.

February

- February 4 - German extortionist Klaus-Peter Sabotta is jailed for life for attempted murder and extortion in connection with sabotage of German railway lines.
- February 6 - Tarja Halonen is elected the first Finnish female president.
- February 13 - Final original Peanuts comic strip is published.
- February 14 - The spacecraft NEAR Shoemaker entered orbit around asteroid 433 Eros, the first spacecraft to orbit an asteroid.

March

- March 1 - The Constitution of Finland is rewritten.
- March 2 - Hans Blix assumes the position of Executive Chairman of UNMOVIC.
- March 8 - Tokyo train disaster.
- March 9 - FBI arrests suspected purveyor of art forgeries, Ely Sakhai, in New York City.
- March 10 - The NASDAQ Composite Index reaches an all-time high of 5048. ([http://dynamic.nasdaq.com/dynamic/IndexChart.asp?symbol=IXIC&desc=NASDAQ+Composite&sec=nasdaq&site=nasdaq&months=84])
- March 18 - 2000 Taiwanese presidential election: Chen Shui-bian is elected President of the Republic of China (Taiwan).
- March 20 - Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin, a former Black Panther, is captured after gun battle that left a sheriff's deputy dead.
- March 21 - Pope John Paul II began the first office visit by a Roman Catholic pontiff to Israel.
- March 21 - US Supreme Court ruled the goverment lacked authority to regulate tobacco as an addictive drug, throwing out the Clinton administration's main anti-smoking initiative.
- March 26 - Presidential elections in Russia: Vladimir Putin elected President.
- March 30 - America's Cup 2000 retained by Team New Zealand near Auckland. Prada Challenge 2000 lost 0-5 in a "best-of-9".

April

April.]]
- April 1 - Japanese prime minister Keizo Obuchi suffers a stroke and falls into a coma.
- April 3 - United States v. Microsoft: Microsoft is ruled to have violated United States antitrust laws by keeping "an oppressive thumb" on its competitors.
- April 5 - Yoshiro Mori replaces Obuchi as prime minister of Japan.
- April 7 - Attack submarine ex-Trepang completes being recycled.
- April 16 - Tuanku Syed Putra ibni Almarhum Syed Hassan Jamalullail, Raja of Perlis dies after a reign of 55 years. He was the longest reigning monarch in the world since the death of Prince Franz Joseph II of Liechtenstein.
- April 17 - Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin becomes Raja of Perlis.
- April 22 - In a predawn raid, federal agents seize six-year old Elián González from his relatives' home in Miami, Florida and fly him to his Cuban father in Washington, DC ending one of the most publicized custody battles in US history.
- April 25 - The State of Vermont passes HB847, legalizing Civil Unions for same-sex couples.

May

- May 3 - A rare conjunction occurs on the New Moon including all seven of the traditional celestial bodies known from ancient times up until 1781 with the discovery of Uranus. The May 2000 conjunction consisted of: the Sun and Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn.
- May 3 - Computer pioneer Datapoint Corporation files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
- May 12 - The Tate Modern opens in London.
- May 13 - In Enschede a heavy fireworks explosion kills 20 and leaves an entire neighborhood in ruins.
- May 18 - Boo.com collapses due to lack of funds after six months.
- May 25 - Israel withdraws IDF troops from southern Lebanon after 22 years.
- May 28 - The volcano Mount Cameroon erupts.

June

- June 1 - Mark Mendlan, professional wrestler known by his ring name "Kid Gorgeous," is killed while wrestling at a show in New Hampshire.
- June 7 - U.S. District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson of the 4th circuit ordered the breakup of Microsoft Corp.
- June 10 - The New Jersey Devils defeat the Dallas Stars 4 games to 2 to win the 2000 Stanley Cup Finals.
- June 10 - The 2000 European Football Championship begins, hosted jointly by Belgium and the Netherlands.
- June 21 - Section 28, a law preventing the promotion of homosexuality is repealed by the Scottish Parliament.
- June 23 - Palace Backpackers Hostel fire in Childers, Queensland, Australia, kills 15 people.
- June 30 - During a set of the band Pearl Jam at the Roskilde Festival near Copenhagen, 9 die and 26 are injured in the crowd.

July

July
- July 2 - France beat Italy 2-1 to win the 2000 European Football Championship with a golden goal.
- July 2 - Presidential election of Mexico. Vicente Fox wins the Presidency as candidate of the rightist PAN (National Action Party).
- July 10 - In southern Nigeria, a leaking petroleum pipeline explodes killing about 250 villagers who were scavenging gasoline
- July 10 - Death of Denis O Conor Donn, died 10th July 2000, aged 88; succeded by his son, Desmond as The O Connor Donn
- July 18 - Alex Salmond resigns as the leader of the Scottish National Party
- July 25 - A Concorde carrying Air France Flight 4590 crashes just after takeoff from Paris killing all 109 aboard and 5 on the ground.

August

- August 1 - The Santa Cruz Operation announced that it will sell its Server Software and Services Divisions, as well as UnixWare and OpenServer technologies, to Caldera Systems,Inc.
- August 8 - Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley is raised to the surface after 136 years on the ocean floor.
- August 12 - The Russian submarine Kursk sinks in the Barents Sea, resulting in the deaths of all 118 men on board.
- August 14 - The first comic of Megatokyo goes online. This webcomic will later become one of the most popular comics on the web (in terms of page views) and spawn numerous imitators.
- August 25 - the Emulex hoax - wire services publish fraudulent bad news about Emulex
- August 27 - The Ostankino Tower in Moscow catches fire, three people are killed.

September

- September 5 - Tuvalu joins the United Nations.
- September 6 - In New York City, the United Nations Millennium Summit begins with more than 180 world leaders present.
- September 6 - The last wholly Swedish-owned arms manufacturer, Bofors, is sold to American arms manufacturer United Defense
- September 7–14 - The UK fuel protests take place, with refineries blockaded, and supply to the country's network of petrol stations halted.
- September 8 - Albania officially joins the World Trade Organization.
- September 15 - The 2000 Summer Olympics are opened in Sydney, Australia.
- September 16 - Ukrainian journalist Georgiy Gongadze is last seen alive; this day is taken as the commemoration date of his death.
- September 24 - The American Family Association begins lobbying the U.S. Congress to eradicate the National Endowment for the Arts for funding the controversial book One of the Guys by Robert Clark Young
- September 26 - Anti-globalization protests in Prague (some 15,000 protesters) turned violent during the IMF and World Bank summits.
- September 28 - Ariel Sharon leads several hundred armed Israelis in a visit to the Temple Mount. Palestinian civil disorder increases into the Al-Aqsa Intifada.
- September 29 - The Long Kesh prison in Northern Ireland is closed.

October

- October 2 NBC Today Show expanded it to three hours (7:00–10:00 A.M. Eastern Time/Pacific Time; 6:00–9:00 A.M. Central Time/Mountain Time)
- October 5 - President Slobodan Milošević leaves office after widespread demonstrations throughout Serbia and the withdrawal of Russian support.
- October 11 - 250 million gallons of coal sludge spill in Martin County, Kentucky. Considered a greater environmental disaster than the Exxon Valdez oil spill.
- October 12 - In Aden, Yemen, the USS Cole is badly damaged by two suicide bombers who placed a small boat laden with explosives along-side the United States Navy destroyer, killing 17 crew members and wounding at least 39.
- October 21 15 Arab leaders convened in Cairo, Egypt, for their first summit in four years; the Libyan delegation walked out, angry over signs the summit would stop short of calling for breaking ties with Israel.
- October 22 – Mainichi Shinbun exposes Japanese archeologist Shinichi Fujimura as a fraud; Japanese archaeologists had based their treatises of his findings.
- October 26 - Pakistani authorities announce that their police have found an apparently ancient mummy of a persian princess in the province of Baluchistan. Iran, Pakistan and the Taliban all claim the mummy until Pakistan announces it is a forgery in April 17 2001
- October 31 - Singapore Airlines Flight 006 collides with construction equipment in the Chiang Kai Shek International Airport - 83 dead.
- October 31 - The last Jeremy clone has shut down.

November

November
- November - Iraq disarmament crisis: Iraq rejects new U.N. Security Council weapons inspections proposals
- November 1 - Yugoslavia's new democratic government joined the United Nations after eight years of U.N. ostracism under former strongman Slobodan Milosevic.
- November 3 - Widespread flooding throughout England and Wales after days of heavy rain
- November 4 - President Clinton vetoed a bill that would have criminalized the leaking of government secrets.
- November 7 - U.S. presidential election, 2000: Republican challenger George W. Bush defeats Democrat Vice President Al Gore, but the final outcome is not known for over a month because of disputed votes in Florida.
- November 7 - Criminal gang raids the Millennium Dome to steal The Millennium Star diamond but police surveillance catches them in the act
- November 7 - Hillary Rodham Clinton is elected to the United States Senate, becoming the first First Lady of the United States to win public office
- November 11 - Kaprun disaster, Austria, where 155 skiers and snowboarders die when a cable car catches fire in an alpine tunnel.
- November 13 - Richard C. Duncan presents his paper, "The Peak Of World Oil Production And The Road To The Olduvai Gorge", on the Olduvai theory (about the collapse of the industrial civilization), at the Summit 2000 Pardee Keynote Symposia of the Geological Society of America)
- November 14 - Netscape version 6.0 is launched following two years of open source development creating a stable Mozilla web browser upon which it is based
- November 16 - Bill Clinton becomes the first sitting US President to visit Vietnam
- November 17 - Catastrophical landslide in Log pod Mangartom,Slovenia, kills 7, and causes millions of SIT of damage. It is one of the worst catastrophies in Slovenia in the past 100 years.
- November 17 - Alberto Fujimori is removed from office as president of Peru
- November 27 - Canada - Parliamentary elections - Jean Chrétien re-elected as Prime Minister as Liberal Party increases majority in House of Commons
- November 28 - Ukrainian politician Oleksander Moroz touches off the Cassette Scandal by publicly accusing President Leonid Kuchma of involvement in the murder of journalist Georgiy Gongadze.

December

- December 1 - Mexico - Vicente Fox becomes the first opposition President to take office since Francisco I. Madero in 1911. He wins the Presidency as candidate of the rightist PAN (National Action Party).
- December 28 - U.S. retail giant Montgomery Ward announces it is going out of business after 128 years.
- December 30 - Rizal Day Bombings: A series of bombs explode in various places in Metro Manila, Philippines, within a span of a few hours killing 22 and injuring about a hundred.

Unknown Date

- Limited reintroduction of routinely armed police in the UK for the first time since 1936.
- Scientists at University of Szeged's laboratory were first in the world to produce artificial heredity material.
- Millie I. Webb elected president of Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

Births

- February 23 - Max & Sam Christy, American actors
- March 15- Amy and Emily Walton, English actresses
- April 25 - Jacob & Joshua Rips, American actors
- October 6 - Amanda Pace, American actress
- October 20 - Cooper and Oliver Guynes, American actors
- November 8 - Madison and Marissa Poer, actresses

Deaths

January

- January 2 - Patrick O'Brian, English writer (b. 1914)
- January 15 - Fran Ryan, American actress (b. 1916)
- January 19 - Bettino Craxi, Prime Minister of Italy (b. 1934)
- January 19 - Hedy Lamarr, Austrian actress (b. 1913)

February

- February 9 - Beau Jack, American boxer (b. 1921)
- February 11 - Roger Vadim, French film director (b. 1928)
- February 12 - Jalacy "Screamin' Jay" Hawkins, American musician (b. 1929)
- February 12 - Tom Landry, American football coach (b. 1924)
- February 12 - Charles M. Schulz, American comic strip artist (b. 1921)
- February 23 - Sir Stanley Matthews, English footballer (b. 1915)

April

- April 6 - Habib Bourguiba, President of Tunisia (b. 1903)
- April 16 - Tuanku Syed Putra ibni Almarhum Syed Hassan Jamalullail, King of Malaysia (b. 1920)
- April 25 - David Merrick, American stage producer (b. 1911)
- April 29 - Phạm Văn Ðồng, Prime Minister of Vietnam (b. 1906)

May

- May 11 - Paula Wessely, Austrian actress (b. 1907)
- May 12 - Adam Petty, American race car driver (b. 1980)
- May 14 - Keizo Obuchi, Prime Minister of Japan (b. 1937)
- May 17 - Donald Coggan, Archbishop of Canterbury (b. 1909)
- May 19 - Yevgeny Khrunov, cosmonaut

2004

2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. It was designated the:
- International Year of Rice (by the United Nations)
- International Year to Commemorate the Struggle against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO)
- 2004 World Health Day topic was Road Safety (by World Health Organization)
- Year of the Monkey (by the Chinese calendar) See the world in 2004 for a description of the state of the world in this year. See also Wikipedia's almanac of events for this year.
Events

January

- January 1 - Pervez Musharraf gets a vote of confidence from an electoral college consisting of Parliament and the provincial assemblies, confirming him as President of Pakistan until 2007.
- January 3 - Flash Airlines Flight 604 crashes into the Red Sea off the coast of Egypt, killing all 148 aboard.
- January 4 - Mikhail Saakashvili wins the presidential elections in Georgia.
- January 4 -NASA's MER-A (Spirit) lands on Mars.
- January 8 - Queen Elizabeth II christens the RMS Queen Mary 2 cruise liner, currently the largest ocean liner in the world.
- January 13 - An Uzbekistan Airways plane crashes in Uzbekistan's capital of Tashkent, killing 37.
- January 22 - The European Union bans the import of poultry from Thailand, as bird flu spreads throughout Southeast Asia.
- January 24 - NASA's MER-B (Opportunity) lands on Mars.
- January 27 - The British government narrowly wins a House of Commons vote on the proposed introduction of tuition top-up fees in British universities.
- January 28 - The findings of the Hutton Inquiry are published in London. The British Government is found not to have falsified information in the "sexed up dossier". The report criticises the BBC's role in the death of David Kelly, a weapons expert on Iraq.
- January 28 - At a hearing of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, it is revealed that the September 11, 2001, terrorists used Mace (a brand of tear gas) or pepper spray in overpowering the flight crew of American Airlines Flight 11.
February

- February 1 - A hajj stampede in Mina, Saudi Arabia, kills 251 pilgrims.
- February 3 - The CIA admits that there was no imminent threat from weapons of mass destruction before the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
- February 6 - A suicide bomber kills 41 people on a metro car in Moscow.
- February 7 - Several leaders of Abnaa el-Balad arrested in Israel.
- February 10 - At least 50 people killed in a car bomb attack on a police recruitment centre south of Baghdad.
- February 10 - The French National Assembly votes to pass a law banning religious items and clothing from schools.
- February 12 - Same sex marriage in the United States: The City and County of San Francisco begins issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples as an act of civil disobedience.
- February 13 - Scientists in South Korea announce the cloning of 30 human embryos.
- February 14 - Riots break out between New South Wales Police and Aboriginal residents of Redfern, a suburb of Sydney, Australia.
- February 18 - A train carrying a convoy of petrol, fertiliser, and sulfur derails and explodes in Iran, killing 320 people.
- February 20 - Conservatives win a majority in the Iranian parliament election.
- February 24 - 6.5 Richter scale earthquake in Northern Morocco hits in the Rif mountains near the city of Al Hoceima - over 400 dead. Ait Kamara is destroyed. 517 dead.
- February 25- Ash Wednesday. Also, the religious docudrama, The Passion of the Christ was released.
- February 26 - The United States lifts a ban on travel to Libya, ending travel restrictions to the nation that had lasted for 23 years.
- February 26 - Macedonian President Boris Trajkovski is killed in a plane crash near Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
- February 29 - 2004 Haiti rebellion: Jean-Bertrand Aristide resigns as president of Haiti. The chief justice of the Haitian Supreme Court, Boniface Alexandre, is sworn in as interim president.
- February 29 - The film The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King directed by Peter Jackson wins 11 Academy Awards in every category it was nominated.
March

- March 2 - John Kerry effectively clinches the 2004 U.S. Democratic Party presidential nomination by winning nine out of 10 "Super Tuesday" primaries and caucuses.
- March 2 - NASA announces that the Mars rover MER-B (Opportunity), has confirmed that the area of Mars they landed in was once drenched in water.
- March 10 - Five British men released from detention at Camp Delta, Guantanamo Bay land at RAF Brize Norton. Four are immediately arrested for questioning.
- March 11 - Simultaneous explosions on rush hour trains in Madrid kill 190 people.
- March 12 - Following the terrorist attacks in Madrid on March 11, millions of protesters take to the streets of Spanish cities against terrorism.
- March 14 - Two suicide bombers kill eleven Israeli civilians in Ashdod, Israel.
- March 14 - The Spanish parliamentary elections of 2004 take place. The incumbent government led by José María Aznar is defeated by the Socialist José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero.
- March 14 - Presidential elections in Russia are held. Vladimir Putin easily wins a second term.
- March 15 - A trio of astronomers announce they have discovered a large trans-Neptunian object, the largest object found in the solar system since Pluto was discovered in 1930. Initially designated 2003 VB₁₂, it was named 90377 Sedna in late September.
- March 15 - The new Spanish government announces that it will withdraw Spain's 1,300 troops in Iraq.
- March 17 - Organized violence breaks out over two days in Kosovo. Nineteen people are killed, 139 Serbian homes are burned, schools and businesses are vandalized, and over 30 orthodox monasteries and churches are burned and destroyed.
- March 19 - The UN launches a corruption investigation due to the scandal over its Iraqi Oil for Food program.
- March 20 - President Chen Shui-bian wins the Taiwanese presidential election by 0.2% of the vote. The day before, he and Vice President Annette Lu were 'shot'. Lien Chan refuses to concede and demands a recount. A controversial 'peace referendum' opposed by the People's Republic of China is invalidated.
- March 21 - The 2004 Malaysian general election takes place. The incumbent Barisan Nasional party wins 198 out of 219 seats in the Malaysian Parliament.
- March 21 - Tony Saca is elected President of El Salvador (inauguration June 1).
- March 22 - Palestinians protest in the streets after an Israeli helicopter gunship fires a missile at the entourage of Ahmed Yassin in Gaza City, killing Yassin and 7 others.
- March 25 - British Prime Minister Tony Blair visits Libyan leader Colonel Muammar al-Qaddafi, in return for the dismantling of Libya's WMD programme in December 2003 - the first time a major western leader has visited the nation in several decades.
- March 28 - In France, the government of Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin suffers a stunning and unprecedented defeat in regional elections. The first ever South Atlantic Hurricane makes landfall in South Brazil on the state of Santa Catarina, the Hurricane is dubbed Hurricane Catarina.
- March 29 - The Republic of Ireland bans smoking in all enclosed work places including: restaurants, pubs and bars.
- March 29 - Largest expansion of NATO to date, allowing Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia into the organization.
- March 31 - Four American private military contractors working for Blackwater USA, are killed and their bodies mutilated after being ambushed in Fallujah, Iraq.
April

- April 1 - Faroese Prime Minister's Office announces that from then on the Prime Minister and the Prime Minister's Office would use a new version of the Faroese Coat of Arms. The colours were inspired from the Merkið (flag) and yellow/gold was added. The new Coat of Arms depicts a Ram on a blue shield ready to defend. It can be used by the Government Ministries and by Faroese embassies, but some still use older versions of the Coat of Arms. Coat of Arms
- April 3 - A bomb explosion in a Madrid flat kills a Spanish policeman and five terrorists suspected of responsibility for the Madrid train bombings on March 11.
- April 4 - Serious fighting breaks out in Najaf, Sadr City, and Basra in Iraq as Shia insurgents supporting Muqtada al-Sadr rise against coalition forces.
- April 5 - Queen Elizabeth II begins a state visit to France to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Entente Cordiale.
- April 8 - Darfur conflict: The Humanitarian Ceasefire Agreement is signed by the Sudanese government and two rebel groups.
- April 8 - Three Japanese citizens are taken hostage in Iraq.
- April 8 - Former Japanese famous economist, professor at Waseda University graduate school Kazuhide Uekusa was arrested on the escalator of JR Shinagawa Station because of trying to peep under high school girl's skirt with his hand mirror.
- April 16 - India defeats Pakistan in their first cricket tour in 14 years.
- April 17 - Israeli helicopters fire missiles at a convoy of vehicles in the Gaza Strip, killing the Gaza leader of Hamas, Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi.
- April 20 - In Iraq, 12 mortars were fired on Abu Ghraib Prison by insurgents. Twenty two detainees were killed and 92 wounded. [http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2004-04-20-iraq_x.htm]
- April 21 - Mordechai Vanunu, who revealed an Israeli nuclear weapons programme in the 1980s, is released from prison in Israel after an 18 year term for treason.
- April 22 - Two trains carrying explosives and fuel collide in the North Korean town of Ryongchon, killing 161 people, injuring 1,300 and destroying thousands of homes.
- April 22 - The last coal mine in France closes, ending nearly 300 years of coal mining.
- April 25 - Referenda on a United Nations plan, which proposes to re-unite the island of Cyprus, take place in both the Greek and Turkish parts. Although the Turks vote in favour, the Greeks reject the proposal.
- April 28 - Abuse of prisoners at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq is revealed on the television show 60 Minutes II.
May

- May 1 - the largest expansion to date of the European Union takes place, extending the Union by 10 member-states: Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary, Malta and Cyprus.
- May 6 - The final episode of Friends airs on NBC, drawing an estimated 52 million viewers in North America.
- May 8 - Would-be "Saudi Princess" "Antoinette Millard" surfaces in New York City and claims that muggers had stolen jewels worth of $262.000 from her (she later proves to be an impostor).
- May 9 - Chechen president Akhmad Kadyrov is killed by landmine placed under a VIP stage during a World War II memorial parade in Grozny.
- May 9 - Team of Canada won the World Ice Hockey Championship in Prague.
- May 10 - The 2004 Philippine presidential and legislative elections take place. Incumbent president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo wins the presidency.
- May 11 - An explosion destroys a plastics factory in Glasgow, UK, killing nine people and injuring over a hundred.
- May 12 - An American civilian contractor in Iraq, Nick Berg, is shown being decapitated by a group allegedly linked to al-Qaida on a web-distributed video.
- May 13 - In India, the Congress Party wins a surprise victory in the elections to the Lok Sabha.
- May 14 - Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark, marries Australian Mary Donaldson in Copenhagen.
- May 17 - Ezzedine Salim, holder of the rotating leadership of the Iraqi Governing Council, is killed in a bomb blast in Baghdad.
- May 17 - Massachusetts legalizes same-sex marriage in compliance with a ruling from the state's Supreme Judicial Court (Goodridge v. Department of Public Health).
- May 19 - Tony Blair is hit with a purple flour bomb in the chamber of the House of Commons during a session of Prime Minister's Questions.
- May 19 - Jeremy Sivits pleads guilty in a court-martial in connection with alleged abuse of Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad.
- May 23 - A section of the ceiling in Terminal 2E at Paris's Charles de Gaulle International Airport collapses, claiming at least six lives.
- May 23 - Japanese prime minister Junichiro Koizumi visits North Korea to secure the release of the families of the nine abducted Japanese citizens returned earlier.
- May 26 - Terry Nichols is convicted by an Oklahoma state court on murder charges stemming from the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.
- May 29 - Dedication of the National World War II Memorial takes place in Washington, DC.
- May 30 - Thousands of people in Hong Kong take to the streets to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre.
June

- June 1 - Twelve-year-old Satomi Mitarai, a Japanese schoolgirl attending Okubo Elementary School in Sasebo, Japan is murdered. Her killer, an 11-year-old classmate identified by Japanese authorities as "Girl A", becomes the basis for the Nevada-tan Internet meme.
- June 4 - Marvin Heemeyer destroys many local buildings with a home-made tank in Grancby, Colorado
- June 5 - Former President of the United States, Ronald Reagan, dies at age 93.
- June 6 - The 60th anniversary of D-Day is remembered by world leaders.
- June 7 - Tampa Bay Lightning defeat Calgary Flames in 2004 Stanley Cup Finals.
- June 8 - The first transit of Venus since 1882 occurs; the next one will occur in 2012.
- June 8 - The G8 Summit takes place over the next 2 days on Sea Island, in Georgia, USA.
- June 8 - The pickled heart of Louis XVII of France is buried in the royal crypt at Saint-Denis.
- June 11 - Terry Nichols is spared the death penalty by an Oklahoma state court on murder charges stemming from the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. The decision came on the third anniversary of the execution of his co-defendant, Timothy James McVeigh, in Terre Haute, Indiana.
- June 11 - After the first presidential state funeral since 1973, President Ronald Wilson Reagan is laid to rest at Simi Valley, California, at the site of the Reagan Presidential Library.
- June 12 - A 1.3 kg chondrite type meteorite struck a house in Ellerslie, New Zealand causing serious damage but no injuries.Ellerslie, New Zealand
- June 15 - The Detroit Pistons upset the heavily favored Los Angeles Lakers to win the 2004 NBA Finals, four games to one.
- June 16 - The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (or "9/11 Commission") issues an initial report of its findings.
- June 21 - SpaceShipOne becomes the first privately-funded spaceplane to achieve spaceflight.
- June 28 - Union Pacific and Burlington Northern Santa Fe trains collided in a rural area outside of San Antonio, Texas. Forty cars were derailed, including one chlorine car, and three people died, another 50 people were hospitalized because of exposure to the gas.
- June 28 - The U.S.-led coalition occupying Iraq transfers sovereignty to an interim Iraqi government.
- June 28 - Canadian election: The Liberal Party, led by Paul Martin, is reduced to a minority government, after holding a majority since November 1993.
- June 30 - The preliminary hearings begin in Iraq in the trial of former president Saddam Hussein, for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
July

- July 1 - The Cassini-Huygens spacecraft arrives at Saturn.
- July 4 - Groundbreaking of Freedom Tower at Ground Zero in New York City.
- July 4 - The Euro 2004 final between Portugal and Greece takes place in Lisbon, Portugal. Greece wins the match 1:0.
- July 22 - The Old Bridge of Mostar in Bosnia-Herzegovina is reconstructed and reopened after being destroyed by Bosnian Croat forces on November 9, 1993.
- July 25 - Over 100,000 opponents to Israel's unilateral disengagement plan of 2004 participate in a human chain from Gush Katif, to the Western Wall, Jerusalem (90 kilometers).
- July 25 - Lance Armstrong of Austin, Texas wins an unprecedented 6th consecutive Tour de France cycling title.
August

- August 1 - Supermarket fire in Asunción, Paraguay, kills about 400 people and leaves over 100 missing.
- August 3 - Statue of Liberty reopens after security improvements.
- August 6 - A United Nations report that blames the government of Sudan for crimes against humanity in Darfur is released.
- August 12 - Singapore's prime minister Goh Chok Tong hands over his position to Lee Hsien Loong.
- August 13 - The 2004 Summer Olympics begin in Athens. They end on August 29.
- August 13 - Hurricane Charley kills 27 people in Florida after killing four in Cuba and one in Jamaica. Charley made landfall near Cayo Costa, FL as a Category 4 hurricane. Charley was the most intense hurricane to strike the United States since Hurricane Andrew in 1992.
- August 16 - Severe flooding in the village of Boscastle in Cornwall.
- August 18 - In Dublin, Ireland the Dublin Port Tunnel excavation works were completed and the final tunnel boring machine breakthrough ceremony took place.
- August 21 - A series of blasts rocks a rally of an opposition party in Dhaka, Bangladesh, killing at least 13 people.
- August 22 - Armed robbers steal Edvard Munch's The Scream, Madonna and other paintings from the Munch Museum in Oslo, Norway.
- August 24 - Two airliners in Russia, carrying a total of 89 passengers, crash within minutes of each other after flying out of Domodedovo International Airport, leaving no survivors. Authorities suspect suicide attacks by rebels from Chechnya to be the cause of the crashes.
- August 29 - Around 200,000 protesters demonstrate in New York City against President George W. Bush and his government, ahead of the 2004 Republican National Convention.
- August 31 - Two suicide attacks on buses in Beer Sheva, Israel, kill at least 16 people and injure at least 60. Hamas claims responsibility for the attacks.
- August 31 - A woman commits a suicide attack near a subway station in northern Moscow, Russia, killing at least 10 people and injuring at least 50. Authorities hold Chechen rebels responsible.
September

- September 1 - Chechen rebels take between 1,000 and 1,500 people hostage, mostly children, in a school in Beslan, Northern Ossetia. The hostage-takers demand the release of Chechen rebels imprisoned in neighbouring Ingushetia and the independence of Chechnya from Russia.
- September 2 - The United Nations Security Council adopts Resolution 1559 calling for the removal of all foreign troops from Lebanon. This measure is largely aimed at Syrian troops.
- September 3 - Russian forces end the siege at a school in Beslan, Northern Ossetia. At least 335 people (among which at least 32 of the approximately 40 hostage-takers) have been killed and at least 700 people have been injured.
- September 3 - Hurricane Frances makes landfall in Florida. After killing two people in the Bahamas, Hurricane Frances killed ten people in Florida, two in Georgia and one in South Carolina.
- September 7 - The Scottish Parliament meets in the new Scottish Parliament Building for the first time.
- September 7 - Hurricane Ivan passes directly over Grenada, killing 37 people. It passes over other Caribbean islands over the next two days, killing 5 people in Venezuela, 4 in the Dominican Republic, 1 in Tobago and 20 in Jamaica.
- September 8 - In the "Rathergate" affair, the first Internet posts appear pointing out that documents claimed by CBS News to be typewritten memos from the early 1970s appear instead to have been produced using modern word processing systems.
- September 9 - A bomb blast outside the Australian embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia, kills eleven people and injures up to 100 people.
- September 13 - The Assault Weapons Ban expires.
- September 15 - Davíð Oddsson prime minister of Iceland steps down after serving as prime minister since April 30 1991. Oddson becomes foreign minister as his foreign minister Halldór Ásgrímsson becomes prime minister.
- September 15 - Security at the Palace of Westminster is compromised when the House of Commons is stormed by a small group of protestors during a debate about fox hunting.
- September 15 - "Girl A" is sentenced to be institutionalized due to the murder of classmate Satomi Mitarai.
- September 16 - Hurricane Ivan strikes Gulf Shores, Alabama, as a Category 3 storm, killing 25 in Alabama and Florida.
- September 17 - 2004 Summer Paralympics commences in Athens, Greece.
- September 17 - Mexico and Japan finish the two year long negotiations and sign a Free Trade Agreement in Mexico City.
- September 23 - Mount St. Helens becomes active again.
- September 23 - Tropical Storm Ivan, having come around and reformed in the Gulf of Mexico, makes its final landfall near Cameron, Louisiana, to little effect. In total, the storm killed 92 people.
- September 25 - Hurricane Jeanne makes landfall near Hutchinson Island, FL. In all, Jeanne killed over 3,000, most in Haiti.
- September 29 - First Ansari X-Prize flight of SpaceShipOne.
October

- October 4 - Two car bombs kill at least 16 people and injure dozens more in Baghdad.
- October 5 - A fire breaks out on the Canadian submarine HMCS Chicoutimi leaving it stranded without power in the North Atlantic ocean, off the north coast of Ireland. One crewmember is killed.
- October 8 - Kenneth Bigley, the British hostage held by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, an Iraqi insurgent, is killed after a failed escape attempt.
- October 8 - Suicide bombers detonate two bombs at the Red Sea resort of Taba, Egypt, killing 34 people, mainly Israeli tourists and Egyptian workers.
- October 9 - Queen Elizabeth II opens the new Scottish Parliament Building in a ceremony in Edinburgh
- October 9 - Incumbent Prime Minister of Australia John Howard leads the Liberal-National coalition to victory over the Labor Party led by Mark Latham in federal elections.
- October 9 - Direct elections for president held for the first time in Afghanistan. Interim president Hamid Karzai is eventually declared the winner.
- October 10 - Abdullahi Yusuf is chosen as the new transitional president of Somalia.
- October 14 - Prince Norodom Sihamoni is chosen as the new king of Cambodia.
- October 16 - The New York Yankees defeat the Boston Red Sox, 19-8 in Game 3 of Major League Baseball's American League Championship Series. The game, which pushed the Yankees to a 3 games to none series lead, sets a record for longest nine inning baseball game.
- October 17 - A referendum in Belarus approves the lifting of constitutional term limits for the presidency.
- October 18 - Three men attack Greek journalist Philippos Syrigos in Athens and seriously wound him
- October 19 - General Khin Nyunt is replaced by Lieutenant-General Soe Win as Prime Minister of Myanmar.
- October 20 - The Boston Red Sox defeat the New York Yankees in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series, completing an unprecedented comeback from three games to none down.
- October 20 - Corporate Airlines Flight 5966 crashes in Missouri, killing 13 people, and injuring 2.
- October 20 - Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono becomes the first directly-elected President of Indonesia.
- October 21 - The Ministry of Defence approves the deployment of the Black Watch regiment of the British Army to Baghdad, Iraq after a request for assistance by the U.S. government.
- October 24 - The bodies of 49 Iraqi soldiers discovered after being ambushed by insurgents.
- October 24 - Brazil successfully launches its first rocket into space.
- October 25 - Reverand Dr Martin Luther King, Jr and Coretta Scott King receive Congressional Gold Medal.
- October 26 - October 26The Cassini probe passes within 1,200km of Titan
- October 27 - Details of the discovery of a new, recent, species of fossil hominid, Homo floresiensis, from the island of Flores, Indonesia are published.
- October 27 - The Boston Red Sox sweep the St. Louis Cardinals to win the World Series championship for the first time since 1918.
- October 29 - A videotape of Osama Bin Laden speaking airs on Arabic TV, in which he threatens terrorist attacks on the United States, and taunts the president, George W. Bush, over the September 11 Terrorist attacks.
- October 29 - European heads of state signed in Rome the Treaty and Final Act establishing the first European Constitution.
- October 30 - A 163 metre high radio mast in Peterborough, UK collapsed at a fire
- October 31 - Leftist candidate Tabaré Vázquez is elected President of Uruguay.
November

- November 1 - a 16 year old Palestinian, a muslim, blew himself up in an outdoor market in Tel Aviv, killing three Israelis.
- November 2 - U.S. presidential election: President George W. Bush defeats Senator John Kerry. Republicans make gains in the The United States Census Bureau (officially Bureau of the Census) is a part of the United States Department of Commerce. Its mission is defined in the Constitution of the United States, which directs that the population be enumerated at least once every ten years (through the U.S. Census), and each state's number of Representatives in Congress determined accordingly. It also is in charge of collecting statistics about the nation, its people, and economy. The Census Bureau's establishment is codified in Title 13 of the United States Code. United States CodeSince 1903, the official census-taking organ of the United States government has been the Bureau of the Census. The Bureau is headed by a Director, assisted by a Deputy Director and an Executive Staff composed of the associate directors. The Bureau has 12 regional offices (Atlanta, Dallas, Los Angeles, Boston, Denver, New York, Charlotte, Detroit, Philadelphia, Chicago, Kansas City, and Seattle) with additional processing centers set up temporarily for the decennial censuses. The sole purpose of the censuses and surveys is to secure general statistical information. Replies are obtained from individuals and establishments only to enable the compilation of such general statistics. The confidentiality of these replies is very important. By law, no one — neither the census takers nor any other Census Bureau employee — is permitted to reveal identifiable information about any person, household, or business. The bureau recognizes four census regions within the United States, and further organizes them into nine divisions. These regions are groupings of states that subdivide the United States for the presentation of data. They should not be construed as bound together by any geographical, historical, or cultural concerns. The regions are as follows:region
- Region 1 (Northeast) :
- Division 1 (New England) :
- Division 2 (Middle Atlantic)
- Region 2 (Midwest) :
- Division 3 (East North Central) :
- Division 4 (West North Central)
- Region 3 (South) :
- Division 5 (South Atlantic) :
- Division 6 (East South Central) :
- Division 7 (West South Central)
- Region 4 (West) :
- Division 8 (Mountain) :
- Division 9 (Pacific) The Census Bureau headquarters is located at 4700 Silver Hill Road, Suitland Maryland.
Reference and external links

- The original version of this article was adapted from [http://www.census.gov/acsd/www/history.html U.S. Census Bureau] text.
- [http://www.census.gov/ United States Census Bureau website]
- [http://www.census.gov/geo/www/garm.html Geographic Areas Reference Manual] from the U.S. Census Bureau contains detailed explanations of geographic terms used in the census. Census Bureau Category:National statistical services Census Bureau Census Bureau ja:アメリカ合衆国統計局

Dallas, Texas

Dallas is the third-largest city within the State of Texas, ninth in the United States, and together with Fort Worth and the Mid-Cities form the largest metropolitan economic area in the south-central United States. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, Dallas had a total population of 1.1 million (est. as of July 1, 2005 at 1,314,893). Dallas is also the county seat of Dallas County. A small portion of the city also extends into the neighboring counties of Collin County, Denton County, Kaufman County, and Rockwall County. Dallas is within the Dallas–Plano–Irving metropolitan division and is the main cultural and economic center of the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan area, a title designated by the U.S. Census, and is colloquially referred to as the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex or simply as "DFW". As of the 2000 census, the Metroplex had a population of about 5.1 million making it the fifth largest United States metropolitan area and one of the 50 largest metropolitan areas in the world. The (NCTCOG)The North Central Texas Council of Governments estimate, puts the metropolitan area population at about 6,013,650 million for January 2005. Dallas was named a "Gamma World City" by the Globalization and World Cities Study Group & Network (GaWC). The metro area is the largest concentration of corporate headquarters in the United States. The area is also served by the world's third busiest airport.

History

See also: Historical events of Dallas, Texas

Early settlers

The first European to visit the Dallas area was probably Athanase de Mezieres, in 1778. De Mezieres, a Frenchman then in the service of the King of Spain, probably crossed the West Fork of the Trinity River near present-day Fort Worth, having followed the western edge of the Eastern Cross Timbers from the Tawakoni Village on the Brazos River near present Waco. He then proceeded north to the Red River. De Mezieres wrote; "It is worthy to note that from the Brazos River on which the Tuacanas are established, and until one reaches the river which bathes the village of the Taovayzes (Red River), one sees on the right a forest that the natives appropriately call the Grand Forest. ...it is very dense, but not very wide. It seems to be there as a guide to even the most inexperienced, and to give refuge in this dangerous region to those who, few in number and lacking in courage, wish to go from one village to another." His biographer, Bolton, was convinced de Mezieres was describing the Eastern Cross Timbers and the route would have him crossing the West Fork of the Trinity River between the present Fort Worth and Arlington.

A city emerges

The city of Dallas was founded by John Neely Bryan in 1841 after first surveying the area in 1839. Bryan, who shared Sam Houston's insight into the wisdom of Indian customs, must also have realized that these Caddo indian trails intersected at one of the few natural fords for hundreds of miles along the wide Trinity floodplain. At what became known as "Bryan's Bluff" the river, which was an impassable barrier of mud and water between late fall and early spring, narrowed like an hourglass where it crossed a ridge of Austin chalk, providing a hard rock ford that became the natural N-S route between Republic of Texas settlements to the south and those of the expanding USA to the north. The N-S route and the ford at Bryan's Bluff became more important when the US annexed Texas in 1845. Dallas County was established in 1846 and was named after George Mifflin Dallas, who was the eleventh United States Vice President at the time. However, the origin of the city's name is debatable; Bryan stated only that it was named "after my friend Dallas". Dallas was so called by its residents at least as early as 1843 and there are at least five theories as to the origin of the city's name:
- Named after George Mifflin Dallas;
- Named after George Mifflin Dallas' brother Alexander James Dallas, a U.S. Navy commodore who was stationed in the Gulf of Mexico
- Named after George and sailor Alexander's father, Alexander James Dallas, who was the United States Secretary of the Treasury around the end of the War of 1812;
- Named in a town-naming contest in 1842;
- Named after the friend of founder John Neely Bryan's son, who later stated that his father had said he had named the town "after my friend Dallas" (a person whose identity is not certain). Dallas was formally incorporated as a town in 1856, and in 1871 became a city. In 1855, a group of European artists and musicians set up a utopian community west of Dallas called La Reunion. When that venture collapsed in 1857, many of the artists moved to Dallas where they established the base of the artist culture that exists today in the Deep Ellum neighborhood near downtown. In the 1970s, Reunion Arena and Reunion Tower (a trademark of the skyline) were named in honor of the La Reunion colony. Dallas was a fairly insignificant place until after the American Civil War. In 1871, railroads were beginning to approach the area and Dallas city leaders did not intend to be left out. They paid the Houston and Central Texas Railroad $5,000 to shift its route 20 miles (32 km) to the west and build its north-south tracks through Dallas, rather than through Corsicana as planned. A year later, Dallas leaders could not pay off the Texas and Pacific Railroad and so tricked it into running its east-west line though Dallas by having a rider attached to a state law which required the railroad to build its tracks through Browder Springs—which turned out to be just south of Main Street. The major north-south and east-west Texas railroad routes intersected in Dallas in 1873, thus ensuring its future as a commercial center.

The 20th century

Dallas quickly became the center of trade in cotton, grain, and even buffalo. As it entered the 20th century, Dallas transformed from an agricultural center to a center of banking, insurance, and other businesses. In 1930, oil was discovered 100 miles (160 km) east of Dallas and the city quickly became the financial center for the oil industry in Texas and Oklahoma. Then in 1958 the integrated-circuit computer chip was invented in Dallas by Jack Kilby of Texas Instruments.During the 1950s and 1960s, Dallas became the nation's third-largest technology center, with the growth of such companies as Ling-Tempco-Vought (LTV Corporationqv) and Texas Instruments.In 1957 two developers, Trammell Crow and John M. Stemmons, opened a Home Furnishings Mart that grew into the Dallas Market Center, the largest wholesale trade complex in the world. In the 70s and 80s, Dallas underwent the building boom which was produced a distinctive contemporary profile for the downtown area and a prominent skyline, influenced by nationally acclaimed architects. By the 1980s, when the oil industry mostly relocated to Houston, Dallas was beginning to benefit from a burgeoning technology boom (driven by the growing computer and telecom industries), while continuing to be a center of banking and business. In the 1990s, Dallas became known as Texas' Silicon Valley, or the "Silicon Prairie." 1990s 1990s A Downtown Renaissance is taking place with the Uptown portion of Dallas just north of Downtown being one of the hottest real estate markets in the country. With a population of 10,000 people expected to live in Downtown by 2010, a once desolate area is coming to life. Leading the way is the 500+ millon dollar Victory project. With phase one under way and phase two just starting, the area is bustling with construction. The Arts District in Downtown is expected to become another major point for growth, as the Dallas Performing Arts construction projects get underway.

Geography and climate

1990s of light on the right (east), Fort Worth the smaller on the left (west). Blurriness over parts of the image is caused by clouds. Courtesy NASA.]] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 997.1 km² (385.0 mi²). 887.2 km² (342.5 mi²) of it is land and 110.0 km² (42.5 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 11.03% water. These statistics are only for the city of Dallas proper. In fact, Dallas is a small part of the much larger urbanized area called the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. About one in every four Texans lives in the DFW metroplex. Dallas, and its surrounding area, is mostly flat and lies at an elevation ranging from 450 to 550 feet (140 to 170 m). The western edge of the "Austin Chalk" formation, a limestone escarpment, rises 200 feet (60 m) and runs roughly north-south through Dallas County. The uplift is particularly noticeable in the neighborhood of Oak Cliff and the cities of Cockrell Hill and Cedar Hill. The Trinity River is a major Texas waterway that passes from the northwest right by the southern portion of downtown Dallas as it heads southeast to Houston. The river is flanked on both sides with a 50 foot (15 m) earthen levee to keep that part of the city from flooding. Several bridges traverse the river connecting southern Dallas to downtown Dallas. Businesses and businessmen, like Ross Perot, Jr., have pushed in recent years to build a multi-million-dollar, landmark bridge over the river and convert that section of the river into a park area with nearby commercial and retail services somewhat similar to the River Walk in San Antonio or Townlake in Austin. Some proponents claim this development would bring more life, commerce, revenue and lower crime to downtown Dallas and poorer, southern Dallas. Some critics charge the project is a façade to serve special financial interests of businessmen. Residents barely approved a bond proposal in 1998 to fund the Trinity River Project and work has progressed slowly towards implementing it. Ron Kirk, Dallas' first African American mayor, championed the project during his term as mayor as he did the new American Airlines Center in downtown. His successor, mayor Laura Miller—sometimes referred to as Dallas' first reform mayor—won the vacancy left by Kirk when he ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate. Miller won in part based on her platform she would focus on the city's basic needs like roads and other infrastructure and city employees' pay; services some claimed were neglected at the cost of special projects like the American Airlines Center. White Rock Lake is Dallas's other significant water feature. The lake and surrounding park is a popular destination in the Lakewood/Casa Linda neighborhoods for boaters, joggers, bikers, skaters and for related activities. The lake also boasts the 66 acre (270,000 m²) Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden on its shore. Bachman Lake, just northwest of Love Field, is a smaller lake and surrounding park that is also used for recreation. Dallas lies near the southern end of the Tornado Alley that runs through the prairie lands of the midwest. In the spring, cool fronts moving from Canada collide with warm, humid air streaming in from the Gulf Coast. When these fronts meet over Dallas, severe storms are generated with spectacular lightning shows, torrents of rain, large hail and, at times, tornadoes.

Geology

Gulf Coast North Texas sits near the edge of the North American craton of Precambrian age. The oldest rocks in Texas date from the Mesoproterozoic, about 1600 million years old. The greater Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex sits on gently tilted sediments. The region west of Weatherford, Texas consists of Pennsylvanian sediments that tilt a few degrees west. These sediments were deformed when Gondwana collided with Laurasia to form Pangea about 300 million years ago (Ma). A great mountain range formed, the Marathon-Ouachita-Appalachian-Variscan cordillera. This collapsed during the Triassic and Jurassic to form the Atlantic Ocean-Gulf of Mexico basin. Sea level rose as the supercontinent Pangea broke up. The Pennsylvanian mountains of DFW were eroded for about 190 million years until the mountains were worn down. The DFW metroplex sprawls across a 100km wide N-S trending belt of Cretaceous sediments. Fort Worth in the west is neatly built on Early Cretaceous (Comanche Series) and Dallas in the east is built on Late Cretaceous (Gulf Series) sediments. DFW lay on the beach about 110 Ma, during early Cretaceous time. The water kept rising for another 30-50 million years, so that by the time the coccolithophorid Austin chalk was deposited, the "Octopus Garden" that became DFW lay 100m or more below the sea surface. The inexorable rise in sealevel was only interrupted by tectonic rumblings in southern Arkansas and Oklahoma, shedding copious amounts of Woodbine Sandstone to the south. These sandstones underlie the cities of Denton, Grapevine, and Arlington, Texas. The Cretaceous sediments dip a degree or so the east, so the Cretaceous sediments get younger towards the east. Sediments deposited during the Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction event, when the dinosaurs were killed, lie near the town of Terrell, at the eastern edge of the DFW metroplex. People enjoy searching for fossils in the rocks around Dallas. Remnants of dinosaurs and Late Cretaceous marine reptiles such as Mosasaur are found.Evidently,one species of Mosasaur was named after the city:Dallasaurus Dallasaurus The Trinity River has been important in shaping the DFW metroplex. Dallas was situated at the best ford, downstream from where the Elm Fork joins the main stream, where the river flows SE over the chalk. This provided a place where travellers need only cross the river once, at a place with relatively firm landings and bottoms. This was the best place to cross the Trinity from the earliest days, best for fordings, ferries, and bridges. During the days of the Republic of Texas, the DFW metroplex was mostly uninhabited by Europeans, but settlers began to find their way N in the 1840's. The route north naturally followed the low hills and gentle ridges of Austin chalk hills to the river ford that soon became Dallas. The future site of Dallas was selected by Bryan as the place for his trading post to overlook the ferry that he operated at the crossing. Dallas was also affected subtly by much younger geologic formations related to an older, more vigorous Trinity River. Changing Pleistocene-Holocene climate had two effects on the Trinity River: It caused downcutting (few people know that there is a 100m-deep buried canyon beneath the Trinity in Dallas) and a wetter climate caused much more water to flow in the river. The greater river flow generated great sedimentary terraces. From time to time these terrace deposits reveal bones of extinct giant mammals, such as Mastodons and Mammoths. The Pleistocene terraces affected the development of Dallas, providing a rich alluvial soil and a perched aquifer, very useful indeed during the early years. Downtown Dallas is built on a series of these terraces, rising subtly eastward from the Trinity river. The DFW meroplex had an additional, if subtle, geologic advantage. The Trinity is not good for navigation by boats but is great for drinking. Trinity River water is better than either of the larger rivers to the north and south, the Red River and the Brazos River. The larger rivers are longer and flow over salt-bearing Permian sediments, well west of the Trinity headwaters. The Trinity is consequently sweeter water than either the larger Brazos or Red rivers. Life was better near sweet water, and this simple fact helped DFW prosper relative to settlements on the larger rivers to the north and south. Because the Trinity is not suitable for navigation, Dallas could not have grown to be a large city until the railroad arrived, which happened early in Dallas' history, in the early 1870's. Dallas is thus truly a modern city, because it could not have grown so large until mechanical transportation systems made the Trinity disadvantage in river navigation insignificant.

Climate

Dallas gets about 30 inches (760 mm) of rain per year, much of which is delivered in the spring time. The climate of Dallas is classified a humid subtropical climate, yet this part of Texas also tends to get hot, dry winds from the north and west in the summer. In the winter, the winds are cool, which can cause the region to fall below freezing occasionally. A few inches of snow for a day or two falls about once each winter, and about every other winter the cool air from the north and the humid air from the south lead to freezing rain, which usually causes the city to come to a screeching halt for a day or two if the roads and highways become dangerously slick. Regardless, winters are relatively mild compared to the Texas Panhandle and other states to the north. Dallas winters are occasionally interspersed with Indian summers. Spring and fall and the pleasant, moderate temperatures accompanying those seasons are somewhat short-lived in Dallas. However short the season is, residents and visitors appreciate the beauty of the vibrant wildflowers (such as the bluebonnet, Indian paintbrush and other flora) which bloom in spring and are planted around the highways throughout Texas. In the spring the weather can also be quite volatile and change quickly in a matter of minutes. The cliché about volatile climates popular in various parts of the US—"if you don't like the weather, wait a little while and it'll change"—applies well to Dallas' spring weather. Many consider autumn, around late September and October, to be the best time to visit the Metroplex. Yet many events are also scheduled for the more volatile season of spring. The USDA rates the city of Dallas as being part of Zone 8. Ongoing comparisons are made between Dallas' summer weather and Houston's. Texans generally agree Houston is significantly more humid and Dallas is slightly hotter, although given Houston's humidity it may have a higher heat index than Dallas.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there are 1,188,580 people, 451,833 households, and 266,581 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,339.7/km² (3,469.9/mi²). There are 484,117 housing units at an average density of 545.7/km² (1,413.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 50.83% White, 25.91% Black or African American, 0.54% Native American, 2.70% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 17.24% from other races, and 2.72% from two or more races. 35.55% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. Hispanics outnumbered African-Americans for the first time in the 2000 census as the largest minority group in Dallas. Many newly-arrived Hispanics have settled in poorer neighborhoods like Oak Cliff that were once predominately African American. While Hispanics have moved in, many African Americans have migrated further south to cities like Cedar Hill or DeSoto that were predominately White communities until recently. DeSoto There are 451,833 households out of which 30.3% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.8% are married couples living together, 14.9% have a female householder with no husband present, and 41.0% are non-families. 32.9% of all households are made up of individuals and 6.5% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.58 and the average family size is 3.37. In the city the population is spread out with 26.6% under the age of 18, 11.8% from 18 to 24, 35.3% from 25 to 44, 17.7% from 45 to 64, and 8.6% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 30 years. For every 100 females there are 101.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 100.5 males. The median income for a household in the city is $37,628, and the median income for a family is $40,921. Males have a median income of $31,149 versus $28,235 for females. The per capita income for the city is $22,183. 17.8% of the population and 14.9% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 25.1% of those under the age of 18 and 13.1% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Economy

See also: List of major companies in Dallas/Ft.Worth List of major companies in Dallas/Ft.Worth List of major companies in Dallas/Ft.Worth Since the Dallas/Fort Worth area is home to over 400 corporate headquarters today, the area is the largest corporate headquarters in the United States compared to any other metro. The area is sometimes called "Texas's Silicon Valley". Also, there are more than 40,000 telecommunication employees in the "Telecom Corridor" housing such companies as Southwestern Bell, AT&T, Alcatel, Ericsson, Fujitsu, MCI, Nokia, Nortel Networks, Rockwell, and Sprint. Central Dallas is supported by more than 100 miles (160 km) of fiber optic cable. According to the Dallas Women's Covenant, there are more than 81,000 women-owned firms in metropolitan Dallas. Although the Telecom industry was hit hard in the latest recession, most businesses in Dallas performed better on average than other regional economies. A number of companies are based in the Dallas city limits, including: AMR Corporation (parent company of American Airlines), Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation, Radio Shack, and Pier 1 Imports are based in Fort Worth. id Software is based in Mesquite. ExxonMobil, Michael's Stores, and Zale Corporation are headquartered in Irving. Electronic Data Systems, Frito Lay, Dr Pepper and JCPenney are headquartered in Plano. FUNimation is headquartered in North Richland Hills. Educational Products, Inc. is headquartered in Carrollton. Sabre Holdings, the owner of the Sabre System, is headquartered in Southlake. Halliburton Energy Services was once based in Dallas, but moved to Houston in 2003.

People and culture

See also: People of Dallas, Texas, Facts on Dallas, Texas Facts on Dallas, Texas] Dallasites are said to consider themselves more sophisticated than those in other parts of Texas, especailly those from Fort Worth. Because of the economic prowess of the region, many who live there had come from other U.S. states or countries worldwide. Dallasites eat out about four times every week, which is the third highest rate in the country. Dallas has two times the number of restaurants per person than New York City. Dallasites are very fond of their local sports teams especially "America's Team," the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys-- five time Super Bowl champions-- are well loved by locals, even during losing seasons, and even if another local team is a leader in its sport. Sports calendars and other memorabilia are very common, and on Sundays people tend to watch sports games on television. Major U.S Networks (i.e CBS, ABC, NBC, and FOX) have flagship transmitters in the city which helps the network broadcast well, especially if there is something wrong with electricity in the New York Area it can still be broadcast because of these transmitters. This was especially used during the 2003 North America blackout. One drawback is that the city of Dallas has the highest crime rate among cities of 1,000,000 people or more (as of 2005, only nine cities in the United States have such a population. Detroit, Michigan has a higher crime rate, but it, after losing population, dropped out of the 1,000,000+ ranking and Dallas was pushed to the top.) Police Chief Terrell Bolton was fired by then—city manager Ted Benavides, and was replaced by David Kunkle, who was tasked with helping the city lose this designation. Because Dallas and Houston are the two major economic centers of Texas, they enjoy a friendly rivalry. Selected characteristics of them are often compared. One major comparison is the populations of the two cities. Even though on a world-scale, they are about equal, Houston tends to boast because of a higher, if less dense, municipal population (the city encompasses most of its metropolitan area), and Dallas tends to boast because of a higher metropolitan population (the city of Dallas is bounded by suburbs, so much of the new growth occurs outside of Dallas proper.)

Crime

The overall crime rate in Dallas has been ranked as being 1st in the country for large cities^† from 1998 to 2003. Despite the fact that most of the city's neighborhoods are relatively immune to most violent crime, areas surrounding the city's expressways and some run-down apartment complexes have very high rates of violent crime. The violent crime rate in Dallas has been rated as the highest in the nation^† since 1998. In 1995, there were 276 murders. The usual murder total for Dallas ranges from 240-245, with a record 407 murders back in 1992. In 2004, there were 248 murders in Dallas, for a murder rate of 20.2 per 100,000. †These numbers reflect only United States cities with populations over 1 million. To see a list of these cities, go [http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0763098.html here]. Before Detroit's drop below 1 million inhabitants, its crime rate was higher than Dallas'. Many cities, including Baltimore, Denver, Atlanta, San Francisco, etc are below 1 million in population (while their metropolitan population is massive), and certainly, there are higher crime rates in some sub-1 million-population cities. The numbers in this article then, may or may not reflect the actual relative "safety" of the city compared to other major cities.

Religion

Dallas is located in the "Bible Belt", and there is a large Protestant influence on the community. Methodist and Baptist churches are prominent in many neighborhoods and anchor the city's two major private universities. The Cathedral Guadalupe Catholic Church oversees the second largest membership in the country. There is a vibrant Mormon community, and many members of the Jewish faith have long contributed to the city. Dallas also has a large Muslim community. Dallas is also home to the Cathedral of Hope, the largest GLBT congregation in the world.

Shopping

Dallas has more shopping centers per capita than any United States city and metro. There are several malls scattered around the Dallas/Ft.Worth Metroplex. Shopping malls in the area include Galleria Dallas (Dallas), Grapevine Mills (Grapevine), NorthPark Center (Dallas), Stonebriar Centre (Frisco), The Shops At Willow Bend (Plano), and Vista Ridge Mall (Lewisville).

Architectural Structures^{[http://dallasmetropolis.com]}

Districts and communities

See also: Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex

Old East Dallas-Lakewood-MStreets

The collection of old-fashioned neighborhoods lying between Downtown and White Rock Lake. Most homes were built in the early 1900s to 1950s. There are a large number of Historic and Conservation Districts reflecting some prodigious numbers of Craftsman, Prairie-Four Squares, Tudors, Spanish and Mediterranean Eclectic and Early Ranch homes, many of native Austin Stone. The homes range from two-bedroom bungalows to massive estates on acerage. There are also a fair number of duplexes, four-plexes and very small apartment complexes. Some of the older homes are being torn-down in favor of much larger, more expensive homes. Real Estate appreciation in the East Dallas area has almost equaled parts of California and formerly run-down areas are now more expensive than most Dallas suburbs. There are many unique shopping areas with funky shops, bars cafes and restaurants -- most are orginal and not chains nor franchises. There are two exemplary and three recognized schools in the area. Woodrow Wilson High (circa 1928) is probably Dallas' best known school and one of its most beautiful. Affluent East Dallasites still support the public schools in this part of DISD.

Lower Greenville

The area stretching along Greenville Avenue south of Mockingbird Lane is referred to as "Lower Greenville" by Dallas locals. This section of the city is characterized by numerous bars, restaurants, concert venues, and tattoo parlors. Like Deep Ellum, the city's primary nightlife district, Lower Greenville is an extremely popular nighttime destination for singles and couples. The Lower Greenville "entertainment district" is located in the middle of a number of unique residential area that includes many older and even historic homes. These neighborhoods include Lower Greenville, [http://www.vpna.org/ Vickery Place], Belmont Addition, [http://www.belmontna.org/ Belmont], Greenland Hills and Hudson Heights. The residential streets have a variety of legal and enforced parking restrictions, and the businesses do not have enough parking for all their patrons. The best way to get around is by taxi from the major hotels or public transit - the [http://www.dart.org/ Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART)] Light Rail's Mockingbird Station is just minutes away.

Oak Lawn

Oak Lawn is the neighborhood bordering Uptown and Turtle Creek which runs adjacent to Oak Lawn avenue from Lemmon to Maple avenues and encompasses the Cedar Springs area as well as many residential neighborhoods. Oak lawn is one of the wealthier parts of Dallas, with many professionals and urban types living there in upscale condos, apartments and duplexes. Oak Lawn is known for its good restaurants, as well as its many bars and clubs. The heart of Oak Lawn is Cedar Springs Road, which is the primary gay area of Dallas (but not the only one). Cedar Springs has a number of gay bars, clubs, and a large percentage of gay residents.

Koreatown

A sizeable Koreatown can be found in Dallas, though this mostly commercial area of the city has not been officially designated as such. The Koreatown is located near Interstate Highway 35, centering on the intersection of Royal Lane and Harry Hines Blvd. This area in the northwest part of the city is characterized by a large number of Korean-owned businesses serving the city's sizeable Korean American community. Very few Korean Americans actually reside in the Dallas Koreatown, despite the concentration of Korean American commercial enterprises there, but rather live elsewhere in the two cities or in their many suburbs. As a result of this, there are relatively few Korean churches, often considered the social centers of Korean American communities, in the Koreatown area. Instead, one can find a large number of Korean restaurants, cafes, Korean-style karaoke bars (noraebang) featuring song selections in Korean and English, bars serving soju and fried chicken, Korean grocery stores (including the large Komart grocery store on Royal Lane), gift shops featuring popular Asian cartoon paraphernalia (including an outlet store for the Korean chain Morning Glory), and discount retail stores. The influx of these Korean-owned businesses into the area within the past two decades has been credited with revitalizing a once-deteriorating Dallas neighborhood, previously characterized by adult entertainment centers and prostitution. Some remnants of this past can still be seen in the area today. In addition to Koreatown, smaller concentrations of Korean business can be found in the Dallas suburbs of Garland (most notably at the intersection of Walnut Hill Road and Plano Road) and Richardson (more notable for its large Chinese and Vietnamese American shopping centers along Greenville Avenue between Arapaho and Belt Line), Irving , and the Ft. Worth suburb of Arlington, among others.

Deep Ellum

Deep Ellum is an area just east of downtown between Interstate 45 and Abrams Street which has been historically occupied with counter-culture venues including a variety of bars and clubs featuring regular music acts and resturants. Deep Ellum is widely regarded as the center of local music in Dallas, venues such as Trees, The Curtain Club, and The Gypsy Tearoom showcase live local music almost every day of the week. Despite its reputation as a dangerous, unpredictable area Deep Ellum is actually a close knit neighborhood with many of the locals claiming residence for tens of years. Only during the weekend when thousands of people pour into Deep Ellum for the nightlife does the neighborhood become the wild west. Although a recent rise in crime has hindered businesses in the area, Deep Ellum continues to be a popular gathering place for the city's young bar-hopping and clubbing crowd.

Exposition

Exposition Avenue is located East of downtown between Deep Ellum and Fair park. Similar to Deep Ellum, Exposition consists of various bars, venues, and resturants and is a popular nighttime destination. However, Exposition is widely regarded as more laid back and mature then Deep Ellum with many of the Exposition locals prefering their neighborhood stay free of the crowds and commotion in nearby Deep Ellum.

Oak Cliff

Oak Cliff is an old part of the city that was originally considered a "suburb" from 1887 until 1911. For most of its history, Oak Cliff had a middle to upper-middle class white population, but changed drastically in the 1960s due to changes in the city's ethnic and racial fabric (integration). In the 1970s, Oak Cliff became predominantly black due to white flight. In the 1980s, Mexican immigrants began to pour into Oak Cliff, and now it is a unique mixture of Black and Mexican homes and businesses. In the early 2000s, Mayor Laura Miller sought to "clean up" Oak Cliff and force residents to give up their goats, chickens, and pigs (among other farm animals), but ultimately this initiative failed. The community is colloquially known as The Cliff in contemporary jargon. On November 22, 1963, after assassinating John F. Kennedy, Lee Harvey Oswald took a bus to Oak Cliff. There he murdered Officer J.D. Tippet, and then hid in the Texas Theater on Jefferson Boulevard, and was captured there.

Education

Colleges and universities

The Dallas area is home to several institutions of higher learning including:
- Art Institute of Dallas
- Dallas Baptist University
- Dallas Christian College
- Dallas Theological Seminary
- DeVry University, Dallas
- El Centro College
- Mountain View College
- Paul Quinn College
- Richland College
- Southern Methodist University
- University of Dallas
- University of Texas at Dallas
- University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas
- University of North Texas at Dallas
- University of North Texas (Denton)

Public schools

Most of Dallas is a part of the Dallas Independent School District. Other parts of Dallas extend into other districts, including Carrollton-Farmers Branch, Duncanville, Garland, Highland Park, Mesquite, Plano, Richardson, and Wilmer-Hutchins (which has closed for the 2005-2006 year; WHISD students are in Dallas ISD for that year). A governmental agency called Dallas County Schools provides transportations services and other services to the ISDs in Dallas County.

Sports

See also: U.S. cities with teams from four major sports U.S. cities with teams from four major sports Dallas is home to the Dallas Desperados (Arena Football League), Dallas Mavericks (National Basketball Association), and Dallas Stars (National Hockey League). All three teams play at the American Airlines Center. The Major League Soccer team F.C. Dallas, formerly the Dallas Burn, used to play in the Cotton Bowl but moved to the recently constructed Pizza Hut Park in Frisco in 2005. The Dallas Sidekicks, a team of the Major Indoor Soccer League, plays in Reunion Arena. Nearby Irving is home to the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League while Arlington is home to the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball. Other teams in the Dallas area include the Frisco RoughRiders of Minor League Baseball in Frisco. The Dallas Diamonds, a Women's Professional Football League Women's American football team, plays in North Richland Hills. McKinney is home to the Dallas Revolution, an Independent Women's Football League Women's American football team while the Dallas Fury of the National Women's Basketball League plays at Hebron High School in Carrollton.

Transportation

Carrollton. It is the primary hub of American Airlines which is headquartered just outside the airport in Fort Worth.]]

Airports

Dallas is served by two commercial airports: Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (known as DFW International) and Dallas Love Field. In addition, Dallas Executive Airport (formerly Redbird Airport), is a general aviation airport located within the city limits, and Addison Airport is another general aviation airport located just outside the city limits in the suburb of Addison. Two more general aviation airports are located in the outer suburb of McKinney, and on the west side of the Metroplex, two general aviation airports are located in Fort Worth. McKinney DFW International Airport is located in the suburbs north of and equidistant to downtown Fort Worth and downtown Dallas. In terms of size, DFW is the largest airport in the state, the second largest in the United States, and third largest in the world. In terms of traffic, DFW is the busiest in the state, fourth busiest in the United States, and sixth busiest in the world. DFW is also home base to American Airlines, the world's largest airline. Love Field is located within the city limits of Dallas, 6 miles (10 km) northwest of downtown, and is headquarters to Southwest Airlines. Under the Federal "Wright Amendment" and "Shelby Amendment" laws, no large jet air service is allowed from Dallas Love Field to any point beyond Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Kansas, Mississippi, and Alabama. As such, Southwest and Continental Express are the only major airlines flying out of that airport. Ongoing efforts to relax or abandon these restrictions, such as Southwest Airlines campaign to "[http://www.setlovefree.com/ Set Love Free]"; however, almost no efforts have succeeded thus far, although Missouri was added to the list of states direct flights are allowed to as of December 2005. Southwest Airlines announced service to Kansas City and St. Louis. American Airlines is also adding service from Love Field to Missouri. (see Love Field Airport for a history of the Wright Amendment).

Trains and buses

Love Field Airport Love Field Airport Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) is the Dallas area public transportation authority, providing buses, rail, and HOV lanes. DART began operating the first light rail system in the Southwest United States in 1996 and continues to expand its coverage. Currently, two light rail lines are in service. The red line goes through Oak Cliff, Downtown, Uptown, North Dallas, Richardson, and Plano. The blue line goes through South Dallas, Downtown, Uptown, North Dallas, and Garland. The red and blue lines are conjoined in between 8th & Corinth Station in Oak Cliff and Mockingbird Station in North Dallas. The two lines service Cityplace Station, the only subway station in the Southwest. Two more lines will be in service by the end of the decade bringing the light rail transit mileage to at least 93, the orange and purple. This will connect southeast Dallas to far north Carrollton and LBJ Freeway to DFW International Airport; both via Dallas Love Field. The yellow line will meet Denton County's future commuter rail system. Further ambitions include expanding the commuter rail network in the region to over 250 miles; expanding the DART light rail network to over 150 miles with a downtown subway included; expanding the M-Line streetcar; starting a modern streetcar line in Fort Worth; utilizing the elevated Las Colinas Automated Personal Transit system with DART rail connections. The DART light rail system remained the only light rail system in Texas until Houston opened its starter light rail system (one line running less than 10 miles) in 2004. Fort Worth's smaller public transit system connects with Dallas' via a commuter rail line, the Trinity Railway Express, connecting downtown Dallas's Union Station with downtown Fort Worth's T&P Station and several points in between. The system of light rail transit, especially through downtown, has skyrocketed land values and has sparked a residential living boom in Downtown. Although the system is increasingly popular, most people in the Metroplex still choose to drive their vehicles rather than take public transportation.

Freeways and tollways

See also: List of Dallas freeways List of Dallas freeways

Sister cities

Dallas has six sister cities, as designated by [http://www.sister-cities.org/ Sister Cities International, Inc. (SCI)]: Brno (Czech Republic), Dijon (France), Monterrey (Mexico), Riga (Latvia), Kirkuk (Iraq), Saratov (Russia), and Taipei (Taiwan). Dallas also maintains a friendship city relationship with Sendai (Japan), although it is not recognized by Sister Cities International.

External links

- [http://www.dallascityhall.com/ Official City Website]
- [http://www.dallascvb.com/visitors/ Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau]
- [http://www.dallastexas.biz DallasTexas.biz] Dallas Hotel & Flight Travel Portal
- [http://www.wildtexas.com/parks/results.php?nearby_cities=Dallas Dallas Area Parks]
- [http://www.dallashistory.org/ Dallas Historical Society (including message board)]
- [http://texashistory.unt.edu/browse/contributor/DHS/ Dallas Historical Society photographs hosted by the Portal to Texas History]
- [http://www.dallasnews.com/s/dws/spe/2004/dallas/ Dallas at the Tipping Point] A highly critical, independent analysis of Dallas, and a roadmap to working its way out of its problems.
- [http://dallasmetropolis.com/ Dallas Fort Worth Metropolis]
- [http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/ Dallas Fort Worth Urban Forum]
- [http://dallaslibrary.org/ Dallas Public Library]
- [http://dallasisd.org/ Dallas Independent School District]
- [http://www.dart.org/ Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART)]
- [http://www.ntta.org/ North Texas Tollway Authority]
- [http://www.dallaschildrens.org/ Dallas Children's Museum]
- [http://www.meyersonsymphonycenter.com/ Meyerson Symphony Center]
- [http://www.dm-art.org/ Dallas Museum of Art]
- [http://www.thecontemporary.net/ The Dallas Center for Contemporary Art]
- [http://www.xvisionx.com/index.html?sub=dallas&ref=wiki Dallas Picture Gallery
- (Rights Protected)]
- [http://www.dallaspolice.net/ Dallas Police]
- [http://www.dallasfarmersmarket.org/ Dallas Farmers Market]
- [http://www.dgs.org/Geology%20of%20Dallas%20County.html Geology of Dallas]
- [http://www.dallaspaleo.org/ Dallas Paleontological Society]
- [http://www.turtlecreek.org/ The Turtle Creek Chorale]
- [http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/DD/hdd1.html The Handbook of Texas Online: Dallas, Texas] Category:Cities in Texas Category:Collin County, Texas

County seat

A county seat is an administrative center for a county. In the U.S. New England states and the Canadian Maritime Provinces, the term "shire town" is also used, but officially so only in Vermont. In England, Wales and Ireland, the term county town is used. This term is probably still used colloquially in Scotland and Northern Ireland, but today neither are divided into counties - instead being divided, respectively, into regions and districts. Counties are called "parishes" in Louisiana and Alaska is divided into "boroughs" (here, meaning a very large district or region of the state). Their seats of county government are called "parish seat" and "borough seat," respectively. The Canadian province of Ontario, in addition to counties, also has territorial districts, regional muncipalities, and at least one metropolitan municipality, which are effectively different types of counties in that they perform county government functions. In America as in England and Canada, a county is an administrative division of a state which has no sovereign jurisdiction of its own, so it would not be correct to say that a county seat is equivalent to a capital city since it's just an administrative centre. (See also the article, Counties of the United States.) Counties administer state or provincial law at the local level as part of the decentralisation of state/provincial authority. In many U.S. states, state government is further decentralised by dividing counties into townships, to provide local government services to residents of the county who do not live in incorporated cities or towns. A county seat is often, but not always, an incorporated municipality. The county courthouse and county administration are usually located in the county seat, but some functions may also be conducted in other parts of the county, especially if it is geographically large. Most counties have only one county seat. However, some counties in Arkansas, Iowa, Kentucky, Massachusetts, and Mississippi have two or more county seats, usually located on opposite sides of the county. An example is Harrison County, Mississippi, which lists both Biloxi and Gulfport as county seats. The practice of multiple county towns dates from the days when travel was difficult. There have been few efforts to eliminate the two-seat arrangement since a county seat is a source of pride (and jobs) for the towns involved. In Virginia, all cities are independent cities, which are legally distinct from the counties that surround them. An independent city interacts with the commonwealth (state) government directly whereas villages and other local government authorities do so through the county government apparatus. However, many of Virginia's independent cities act as the county seat for their neighbouring counties. For example, the City of Fairfax is separate from Fairfax County, but is still the county's seat. Uniquely, because it was formerly part of the District of Columbia, Arlington County, Virginia, which is the smallest county in the United States, has no county seat - because it has no muncipalities within its boundaries. Prior to their retrocession to Virginia during the nineteenth century, Arlington and the neighboring independent city of Arlington were, respectively, Arlington County and Alexandria County - two of the three counties of the District of Columbia. The District as currently drawn was coextensive with the County of Washington, which disappeared in the twentieth century following the amalgamation of Tenley, Anacostia and the other rural and semi-rural towns and villages of Washington County, D.C., to the City of Washington.

References

Category:Capitals Category:U.S. counties ja:郡庁所在地

Bexar County, Texas

History

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 3,255 km² (1,257 mi²). 3,229 km² (1,247 mi²) of it is land and 25 km² (10 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.78% water.

Adjacent counties

- Kendall County and Comal County (north)
- Guadalupe County (northeast)
- Wilson County (southeast)
- Atascosa County (south)
- Medina County (west)
- Bandera County (northwest)

Demographics

Famous People from Bexar County

Michelle Rodriguez of ABC's "Lost"

Cities and towns

- Alamo Heights
- Balcones Heights
- Castle Hills
- Cibolo
-
- China Grove
- Converse
- Elmendorf
- Fair Oaks Ranch
-
- Grey Forest

- Helotes
- Hill Country Village
- Hollywood Park
- Kirby
- Leon Valley
- Live Oak
- Olmos Park
- San Antonio
- Schertz
-

- Selma
-
- Shavano Park
- Somerset
- St. Hedwig
- Terrell Hills
- Universal City
- Windcrest

References

- Stephens, A. Ray, and William M. Holmes, Historical Atlas of Texas. University of Oklahoma Press, 1989. ISBN 0806123079

External links

2003

2003 (MMIII) is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. It was designated the:
- International Year of Freshwater
- European Disability Year
- Blog Year See also Wikipedia's almanac of events for this year.

Events

January

- January 1 - Luíz Inácio Lula Da Silva becomes the 37th President of Brazil.
- January 1 - Pascal Couchepin becomes President of the Confederation in Switzerland.
- January 8 - US Airways flight 5481 crashes at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport in Charlotte, North Carolina killing all 21 people aboard.
- January 15 - The United States Supreme Court hands down its decision in Eldred v. Ashcroft allowing the extension of copyright terms in the U.S.
- January 24 - The new United States Department of Homeland Security officially begins operation.
- January 25 - Central Line train crashes into the tunnel wall at Chancery Lane station in London, injuring 34 people.
- January 25 - An international group of volunteers left London and headed for Baghdad to act as voluntary human shields, hoping to avert a U.S. invasion.
- January 30 - Iraq disarmament crisis: The leaders of Britain, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Hungary, Poland, Denmark, and the Czech Republic release a statement, the letter of the eight, demonstrating support for the United States' plans for an invasion of Iraq.

February

February
- February 1 - The Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrates over Texas upon reentry, killing all seven astronauts onboard.
- February 1 - In Northern Ireland, The Protestant UDA Belfast leader John Gregg is killed by a loyalist faction.
- February 3 - The worldwide movie premiere of Shanghai Knights was held at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood.
- February 5 - Iraq disarmament crisis: U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell addresses the UN Security Council on Iraq.
- February 9 - Cricket World Cup begins in South Africa.
- February 15 - Global protests against Iraq war - more than ten million people protest in over 600 cities worldwide, the largest war protest to take place before the war occurred.
- February 17 - Antwerp Diamond Center in Belgium opens its vaults after weekend and discovers that unknown burglars had stolen diamonds worth $100 million - largest diamond theft so far.
- February 26 - An American businessman is admitted to the Vietnam France Hospital in Hanoi, Vietnam. WHO doctor Carlo Urbani reports the unusual highly contagious disease to WHO. Both the businessman and Carlo Urbani die of SARS in March.

March

- March 1 - Iraq disarmament crisis: The United Arab Emirates calls for Iraqi president Saddam Hussein to step down to avoid war. The sentiment is later echoed by Bahrain and Kuwait
- March 1 - The Turkish parliment vetos the access of the U.S troops to airbases in Turkey in order to attack Iraq from the north. The Bush administration starts working on the B Plan, namely attacking Iraq from the south, through the Persian Gulf.
- March 1 - The Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, the United States Customs Service, and the United States Secret Service moves to the United States Department of Homeland Security
- March 1 - Boxer Roy Jones Jr. beats John Ruiz to become WBA champion
- March 1 - War on Terrorism: Authorities in Pakistan capture Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the suspected mastermind of the September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attacks along with money man Mustafa Ahmed al-Hawsawi.
- March 1 - Ohio celebrates its bicentennial statehood.
- March 5 - The Supreme Court of the United States by a 5-4 margin upholds California's "three strikes and you're out" law.
- March 11 - Iraq disarmament crisis: Iraqi fighters threaten two U.S. U-2 surveillance planes, flying missions for U.N. weapons inspectors, forcing them to abort their mission and return to base.
- March 12 - Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Đinđić assassinated in Belgrade
- March 12 - WHO issues a global alert on SARS.
- March 12 - Iraq disarmament crisis: British prime minister Tony Blair proposes an amendment to the possible 18th U.N. resolution, which would call for Iraq to meet certain benchmarks to prove that it was disarming. The amendment is immediately rejected by France, who promises to veto any new resolution.
- March 13 - Human evolution: The journal Nature reports that 350,000-year-old upright-walking human footprints had been found in Italy
- March 15 - Hu Jintao becomes president of the People's Republic of China, replacing Jiang Zemin.
- March 16 - Iraq disarmament crisis: The leaders of the United States, Britain, Portugal, and Spain meet at a summit in the Azores Islands. U.S. President Bush calls Monday, March 17th, the "moment of Truth", meaning that the "coalition of the willing" would make its final effort to extract a resolution from the U.N. Security Council that would give Iraq an ultimatum to disarm immediately or to be disarmed by force.
- March 17 - Iraq disarmament crisis: U.S. President George W. Bush gives an ultimatum: Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein and his sons must either leave Iraq, or face military action at a time of the U.S.'s choosing
- March 19 - First American bombs dropped on Baghdad, Iraq. President Saddam Hussein and his sons do not comply with President Bush's 48 hour mandate demanding their exit from Iraq.
- March 20 - 2003 Iraq war: Land troops from United States, United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invade Iraq.
- March 22 - The United States and the United Kingdom begin their shock and awe campaign with a massive air strike on military targets in Baghdad.
- March 23 - Cricket World Cup ends as Australia wins over India in Centurion, South Africa.
- March 29 - WHO doctor Carlo Urbani, who first identified SARS, dies of the disease.
- March 30 - The Undertaker defeated the Big Show and A-Train in a handicap match, boosting his Wrestlemania record to 11-0.

April

April.]]
- April 3 - Passenger bus hits remote-controlled land mine in the Chechen capital, killing at least 8.
- April 9 - U.S. forces seize control of Baghdad, apparently ending the regime of Saddam Hussein.
- April 14 - Human Genome Project successfully completed with 99% of the human genome sequenced to 99.99% accuracy.
- April 17 - The Stevens Report concludes that members of the RUC and British Army cooperated with the UDA in the killings of Catholics in Northern Ireland
- April 21 - Retired U.S. Army General Jay Garner becomes Interim Civil Administrator of Iraq.
- April 30 - The last American owned vehicle frame manufacturer, [http://web.archive.org/web/20010623093543/www.immsp.com/index.htm Midland Steel Products] goes [http://www.newsnet5.com/news/2166844/detail.html out of business] after almost 110 years in business, laying off almost 250 people.

May

- May 1 - George W. Bush landed on the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, in a Lockheed S-3 Viking, where he gave a speech announcing end of major combat in the Iraq war.
- May 2 - Monkeyman superhero hoax begins in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, UK
- May 3 - Old Man of the Mountain, rock formation in New Hampshire, crumbles after heavy rain
- May 4-10 - A major severe weather outbreak spawned more tornadoes than any week in U.S. history. 393 tornadoes were reported in 19 states.
- May 11 - Benvenuto Cellini's Saliera is stolen from the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.
- May 12 - Suicide truck-bomb attack kills at least 60 at a government compound in northern Chechnya.
- May 12 - In Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 26 people are killed in the Riyadh Compound Bombings.
- May 14 - Female suicide bomber blows up explosives strapped to her waist in crowd of thousands of Muslim pilgrims, killing at least 18 people in Chechnya.
- May 16 - In Casablanca, Morocco, 33 civilians are killed and more than 100 people are injured in the Casablanca terrorist attacks.
- May 19 - Pen Hadow becomes the first man to walk alone, without any outside help, from Canada to the North Pole
- May 23 - The birth of Dewey, the first cloned deer by scientists at Texas A&M University
- May 26 - A draft of the proposed European constitution is unveiled.
- May 28 - The birth of Prometea, the first cloned horse by Italian scientists.
- May 31 - Eric Rudolph, the suspected person to have carried out the Centennial Olympic Park bombing is captured in North Carolina behind a Save-A-Lot store.

June

- June 1 - The People's Republic of China begins filling the reservoir behind the massive Three Gorges Dam, raising the water level near the dam over 100 metres.
- June 4 - Martha Stewart and her broker are indicted for using privileged investment information and then obstructing a federal investigation. Stewart also resigned as chairperson and chief executive officer of Martha Stewart Living.
- June 5 - Female suicide bomber detonates bomb near a bus carrying soldiers and civilians to a military airfield in Mozdok, a major staging point for Russian troops in Chechnya, killing at least 16 people.
- June 15 - 2003 NBA Finals end. The San Antonio Spurs defeat the New Jersey Nets, 4 games to 2.
- June 22 - The largest hailstone ever recorded falls in Aurora, Nebraska, USA.
- June 23 - U.S. Supreme Court upholds affirmative action in university admissions in Grutter v. Bollinger
- June 26 - U.S. Supreme Court rules sodomy laws unconstitutional in Lawrence v. Texas

July

- July 1 - 500,000 Hong Kong people march to protest Hong Kong Basic Law Article 23, which redefined treason controversially.
- July 2 - International Olympic Committee session in Prague. Vancouver ,Canada is declared the Host City for the XXI Olympic Winter Games in 2010.
- July 5 - SARS is declared to be contained by WHO.
- July 5 - Double suicide bombing at a Moscow rock concert kills the female attackers and 15 other people.
- July 6 - Residents of Corsica reject a referendum for increased autonomy for the region from France by a very narrow margin.
- July 7 - Canon Jeffrey John, first would-be gay bishop in the Church of England, withdraws his acceptance of the post of The Bishop of Reading after discussions with the church leaders
- July 10 - Russian security agent dies in Moscow while trying to defuse a bomb a woman had tried to carry into a cafe on central Moscow's main street.
- July 14 - U.S. columnist Robert Novak publishes the name of Valerie Plame, blowing her cover as a CIA operative. CIA leak scandal begins.
- July 18 - Convention on the Future of Europe finishes its work and proposes the first European constitution
- July 18 - The body of Dr. David Kelly, a scientist at the Ministry of Defence, is found a few miles from his home, leading to the Hutton inquiry
- July 23 - Operation Warrior Sweep is the first major military deployment of the Afghan National Army
- July 24 - The Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands, Operation Helpem Fren, led by Australia, begins in the Solomon Islands
- July 30 - The last old-style Volkswagen Beetle rolls off its production line in Puebla, Puebla, Mexico.

August

- August 1 - Suicide bomber rams truck filled with explosives into a military hospital near Chechnya, killing 50 people, including Russian troops wounded in Chechnya.
- August 2 - The United Nations authorizes an international peacekeeping force for Liberia.
- August 10 - The highest temperature ever recorded in the UK - 38.1°C (100.6°F) at Gravesend in Kent and Kew Botanic Gardens, London. It is the first time the UK has recorded a temperature over 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
- August 11 - NATO takes over command of the peacekeeping force in Afghanistan, marking its first major operation outside Europe in its 54-year-history.
- August 11 - Jemaah Islamiah leader Riduan Isamuddin, better known as Hambali, is arrested in Bangkok, Thailand.
- August 14 - Widespread power outage affects northeast United States and Canada.
- August 14 - 6.4 Richter scale earthquake near the Greek Ionian island of Lefkada - 24 injured
- August 22 - 21 killed at the Brazilian rocket complex in Alcântara due to a premature ignition of a solid rocket booster.
- August 25 - 52 killed in two bomb blasts in Mumbai, India.
- August 27 - Perigee of Mars

September

- September 5 - Roller coaster accident at Disneyland injures 10 and kills one.
- September 10 - Swedish foreign minister Anna Lindh is stabbed in a Stockholm department store and dies the next day.
- September 14 - Sweden rejects adopting the Euro in a referendum. (Results.)
- September 14 - Estonia approves joining the European Union in a referendum.
- September 15 - ELN kidnaps 8 foreign tourists in the Ciudad Perdida - they demand a human rights investigation and release last of the hostages three months later
- September 16 - Two suicide bombers drive a truck laden with explosives into a government security services building near Chechnya, killing three people and injuring 25.
- September 27 - Smart 1 is launched.
- September 27 - The Uniterran Church was founded in Victor, NY
- September 28 - a power failure affected all of Italy except Sardinia, cutting service to more than 56 million people.
- September 29 - Hurricane Juan makes landfall at Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada as a category 2 storm. Two were killed directly and 5 indirectly.

October

October
- October 7 - 2003 California recall: Voters recall Governor Gray Davis from office and elect Arnold Schwarzenegger to succeed him.
- October 10 - Facing an investigation surrounding allegations of illegal drug use, American Right Wing radio host Rush Limbaugh publically admits that he is addicted to prescription pain killers and will seek treatment.
- October 14 - The Florida Marlins defeat the Chicago Cubs in Game 6 of Major League Baseball's National League Championship Series; the game is remembered for Cubs fan Steve Bartman interfering with a foul ball which could have helped Chicago win the game and the series.
- October 15 - China launches Shenzhou 5, their first manned space mission.
- October 16 - The Boston Red Sox lose to their hated rivals, the New York Yankees in Game 7 of Major League Baseball's American League Championship Series, blowing a three-run, eighth-inning lead.
- October 23 - Luis A. Ferre, the third Democratically Elected Governor of Puerto Rico, dies at age 99.
- October 24 - Concorde makes its last commercial flight, bringing the era of airliner supersonic travel to a close, at least for the time being.
- October 25 - The Florida Marlins defeat the New York Yankees 4 games to 2 to win the 2003 World Series, behind a complete-game shutout by ace pitcher, Josh Beckett.
- October 25 - Cedar Fire begins in San Diego County burning 280,000 acres (1,100 km²), 2,232 homes and killing 14
- October 31 - Mahathir Mohamad resigns as Prime Minister of Malaysia after 22 years in power.

November

- November 5 - Gary Ridgway, The "Green River Killer", confesses murders of 48 women
- November 9 - Lunar eclipse (the Americas, Europe, Africa, Central Asia)
- November 12 - Occupation of Iraq: In Nasiriya, Iraq, at least 23 people, among them the first Italian casualties of the 2003 Iraq war are killed in a suicide bomb attack on an Italian police base.
- November 15 - Two car bombs explode simultaneously in Istanbul, Turkey targeting two synagogues, killing at least 25 people and wounding more than 300; Al-Qaida claims responsibility.
- November 18 - US President George W. Bush makes a state visit to London in the midst of massive protests.
- November 18 - Goodridge v. Department of Public Health rules anti-same-sex marriage laws unconstitutional in Massachusetts
- November 20 - Several bombs explode in Istanbul, Turkey destroying the Turkish head office of HSBC Holdings and the British consulate.
- November 20 - Michael Jackson is arrested by police on charges of child molestation, a charge that can carry an 8 year jail term.
- November 22 - England wins the Rugby Union World Cup defeating Australia 20-17 after extra time.
- November 23 - Georgian Rose Revolution ends with overwhelming victory - president Eduard Shevardnadze resigns following weeks of mass protests over fraudulent elections.
- November 23 - Total solar eclipse (Antarctica)
- November 24 - The High Court in Glasgow imposes a minimum sentence of 27 years for Al Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi, the Libyan convicted of bombing Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland.

December

December
- December 1 - The use of hand-held mobile phones while driving is made illegal in the United Kingdom.
- December 1 - Boeing chairman and CEO Phil Condit resigns unexpectedly. He is replaced by Lewis Platt as non-executive chairman and Harry Stonecipher as president and CEO.
- December 5 - Suicide bombing on commuter train in southern Russia kills 44 people. President Vladimir Putin condemns attack as bid to destabilize the country two days before parliamentary elections.
- December 7 - Parliamentary election in Russia.
- December 9 - Female suicide bomber blows herself up outside Moscow's National Hotel, across from the Kremlin and Red Square, killing five bystanders.
- December 12 - Paul Martin becomes the 21st Prime Minister of Canada
- December 12 - Olympic Airlines, Greece's new flag carrier is launched.
- December 13 - Saddam Hussein, former President of Iraq, is captured in Tikrit by the U.S. 4th Infantry Division.
- December 16 - The United Kingdom announces plans to build a new runway at Stansted Airport in Essex and a short-haul runway at Heathrow Airport sparking anger from environmental groups.
- December 17 - The film The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King released, effectively completing the Lord of the Rings Trilogy directed by Peter Jackson.
- December 18 - The Soham Murder Trial ends at the Old Bailey in London with Ian Huntley found guilty of two counts of murder. His girlfriend, Maxine Carr is found guilty of perverting the course of justice.
- December 20 - Libya admits that it was building a nuclear bomb.
- December 22 - An earthquake shakes up California, killing two people.
- December 22 - Parmalat is first accused of falsifying accounts to the tune of USD $5 billion, later admitted by founder Calisto Tanzi; observers call it "Europe's Enron".
- December 24 - A BSE outbreak in Washington State is announced. Several countries including Brazil, Australia and Taiwan place a ban on the import of beef from the United States of America.
- December 24 - At the request of the US Embassy in Paris, the French Government orders Air France to cancel several flights between France and the US in response to terrorist concerns.
- December 24 - The Spanish police thwarts an attempt by ETA to detonate 50 kg of explosives at 3:55 PM on Christmas Eve inside Madrid's busy Chamartín Station.
- December 25 - Queen Elizabeth II broadcasts a Christmas message to the British Commonwealth paying tribute to British troops in Iraq. Pope John Paul II's Christmas message calls for peace in the Middle East.
- December 25 - Beagle 2 is scheduled to land on Mars, but nothing is heard from the lander.
- December 25 - The President Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan, escapes the second assassination attempt in two weeks.
- December 26 - A massive earthquake devastates southeastern Iran. Over 40,000 people are reported to have been killed in the city of Bam.
- December 31 - The world's largest Hogmanay party in the Scottish capital Edinburgh is cancelled twenty minutes before midnight due to bad weather.

Births

- April 29 - Maud Angelica Behn, daughter of Ari Behn and Princess Märtha Louise of Norway
- August 24 - Alexandre Coste, son of Albert II, Prince of Monaco
- November 8 - Lady Louise Windsor, daughter of Earl and Countess of Wessex
- December 7 - Princess Catharina-Amalia of the Netherlands, daughter of Prince Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands

Deaths

For more deaths, see: Deaths in 2003

January

- January 3 - Sid Gillman, American football coach (b. 1911)
- January 4 - Conrad Hall, Tahitian-born cinematographer (b. 1926)
- January 4 - Yfrah Neaman, Lebanese-born violinist (b. 1923)
- January 8 - Ron Goodwin, English composer and conductor (b. 1925)
- January 11 - Maurice Pialat, French actor and director (b. 1925)
- January 11 - Richard Simmons, American actor (b. 1913)
- January 12 - Leopoldo Galtieri, Argentine dictator (b. 1926)
- January 12 - Maurice Gibb, Australian musician (Bee Gees) (b. 1949)
- January 15 - Doris Fisher, American singer and songwriter (b. 1915)
- January 17 - Richard Crenna, American actor (b. 1926)
- January 20 - Al Hirschfeld, American cartoonist (b. 1903)
- January 23 - Nell Carter, American singer and actress (b. 1948)
- January 24 - Gianni Agnelli, Italian auto executive (b. 1921)
- January 26 - Valeriy Brumel, Russian athlete (b. 1942)
- January 26 - Hugh Trevor-Roper, Baron Dacre of Glanton, English historian (b. 1917)
- January 29 - Frank Moss, U.S. Senator from Utah (b. 1911)

February

- February 1 - Crew of the Space Shuttle Columbia
- Michael P. Anderson (b. 1959)
- David M. Brown (b. 1956)
- Kalpana Chawla (b. 1961)
- Laurel Clark (b. 1961)
- Rick Husband (b. 1957)
- William McCool (b. 1961)
- Ilan Ramon (b. 1954)
- February 2 - Lou Harrison, American composer (b. 1917)
- February 10 - Edgar de Evia, American photographer (b. 1910)
- February 10 - Ron Ziegler, Richard Nixon's White House Press Secretary (b. 1939)
- February 19 - Johnny PayCheck, American singer (b. 1938)
- February 20 - Maurice Blanchot, French philosopher and writer (b. 1907)
- February 20 - Orville Freeman, American politician (b. 1918)
- February 27 - Fred Rogers, American television host (b. 1928)
- February 28 - Fidel Sánchez Hernández, President of El Salvador (heart attack) (b. 1917)

March

- March 2 - Hank Ballard, American musician (b. 1927)
- March 9 - Bernard Dowiyogo, President of Nauru (diabetes) (b. 1946)
- March 12 - Zoran Đinđić, Prime Minister of Serbia (assassinated) (b. 1952)
- March 12 - Lynne Thigpen, American actress (b.1948)
- March 26 - Daniel Patrick Moynihan, U.S. Senator from New York (b. 1926)
- March 29 - Carlo Urbani, Italian physician (SARS) (b. 1956)

April

- April 1 - Leslie Cheung, Hong Kong singer and actor (b.1961)
- April 7 - Cecile de Brunhoff, French storyteller (b. 1903)
- April 11 - Cecil Howard Green, British-born geophysicist and businessman (b. 1900)
- April 17 - Robert Atkins, American nutritionist (b. 1930)
- April 17 - Paul Getty, American-born philanthropist (b. 1932)
- April 17 - Earl King, American musician (b. 1934)
- April 20 - Ruth Hale, American playwright and actress (b. 1908)
- April 20 - Bernard Katz, German-born biophysicist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1911)
- April 21 - Nina Simone, American singer (b. 1933)
- April 23 - Fernand Fonssagrives, French photographer (b. 1910)
- April 26 - Peter Stone, American writer (b. 1930)
- April 30 - Wim van Est, Dutch cyclist (b. 1923)

May

- May 3 - Suzy Parker, American actress (b. 1932)
- May 9 - Russell B. Long, U.S. Senator from Louisiana (b. 1933)
- May 12 - Sadruddhin Aga Khan, French UN High Commissioner for Refugees (b. 1933)
- May 14 - Wendy Hiller, English actress (b. 1912)
- May 14 - Robert Stack, American actor (b. 1919)
- May 15 - June Carter Cash, American singer (b. 1929)
- May 15 - Rik Van Steenbergen, Belgian cyclist (b. 1924)
- May 26 - Kathleen Winsor, American writer (b. 1919)
- May 27 - Luciano Berio, Italian composer (b. 1925)
- May 28 - Ilya Prigogine, Russian-born physicist and chemist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry (b. 1917)
- May 28 - Martha Scott, American actress (b. 1912)

June

- June 2 - Burke Marshall, American lawyer and politician (b. 1922)
- June 10 - Donald Regan, U.S. Treasury Secretary (b. 1918)
- June 10 - Bernard Williams, English philosopher (b. 1929)
- June 11 - David Brinkley, American television reporter (b. 1920)
- June 12 - Gregory Peck, American actor (b. 1916)
- June 15 - Hume Cronyn, Canadian act

San Antonio Riverwalk

The San Antonio Riverwalk (also known as the Paseo del Rio) is a network of walkways around the San Antonio River, linking several major attractions one story beneath downtown San Antonio. Lined by shops and restaurants, the Riverwalk is an important part of the city's urban fabric and a tourist attraction in its own right. The Riverwalk was the idea of architect Robert Hugman in the late 1920s. As an alternative to paving over the troublesome San Antonio river, Hugman drew out a plan he called "The Shops of Aragon and Romula" which allowed for both flood prevention and commercial development. Hugman maintained his office along the shallow river, despite warnings that he would be "drowned like a rat", and despite its early reputation as a dangerous hole. The Riverwalk was declared even off-limits to military personnel at one point. Hugman persisted, and his office can still be found next door to another early presence on the Riverwalk, the landmark Casa Rio restaurant. Crucial funding came in 1939 under the WPA and resulted in the initial construction of a network of some 17,000 linear feet of walkways, about 20 bridges, and extensive plantings including the live oaks whose branches are visible from street level. Through the following decades the network has been improved and extended, without losing its original character. One major extension was dug out to Tower of the Americas to anticipate the HemisFair '68, and that was also the year the Hilton Palacio del Rio was built, the first of many downtown hotels that leverage their slice of urban "riverfront". Today the Riverwalk is an enormously successful special-case pedestrian street, one level down from the automobile street. The Riverwalk winds and loops under bridges as two parallel sidewalks lined with restaurants and shops, connecting the major tourist draws from Alamo Plaza to Rivercenter, to the Arneson River Theatre close to La Villita, to Hemisfair Park, to the Tower Life Building. Many downtown buildings like the Casino Club Building have street entrances and separate river entrances one level below. This separates the unavoidable automotive service grid (for delivery and emergency vehicles) and pedestrian traffic below. It's an extensive system which achieves a nice balance among retail, commercial, office, greenspace and cultural uses. It gives the city an intricate network of bridges, walkways and old staircases, providing haptic and visual complexity. From an urban planning standpoint, the Riverwalk may be the best pedestrian-only realm on the continent, with no motor vehicles or bicycles allowed. Category:San Antonio, Texas

Tejano

:Tejano or Tex-Mex music is also a kind of music originating in Texas. A Tejano is a person of Mexican descent born and living in the U.S. state of Texas. In 1821, at the end of the Mexican War of Independence, there were about 4,000 Tejanos living in Texas. In the 1820s, many Anglo settlers moved to Texas from the United States. By 1830, the 30,000 settlers in Texas outnumbered the Tejanos six to one. The Anglos and Tejanos alike rebeled against the centralized authority of Mexico City and the draconian measures implemented by the Santa Anna regime. Tensions between the central Mexican government and the settlers eventually led to the Texas Revolution. Tejanos may variously consider themselves to be Hispanic, Chicano, Mexican American, mestizo, or Latino in ethnicity. Some Tejanos express hostility towards illegal Mexican immigration. In urban areas as well as some rural communities, Tejanos tend to be well integrated into both Hispanic and Anglo-American cultures. Category:Ethnic groups of the United States

Tower of the Americas

Tower of the Americas is a 228.6 meter (750 feet) high observation tower with a restaurant at San Antonio, Texas. Tower of the Americas, designed by San Antonio architect O'Neil Ford, was built in 1968, as part of the HemisFair '68 exhibition. The tower was the tallest observation tower in the United States from 1968 to 1996, when the Las Vegas Stratosphere Tower was built.

External links

- [http://toweroftheamericas.com/ Tower of the Americas restaurant]
- [http://en.structurae.de/structures/data/index.cfm?ID=s0000341 Structurae: Tower of the Americas] Category:San Antonio, Texas

SeaWorld

right :For the unrelated theme park in Australia, see Sea World. SeaWorld is a chain of theme parks in the United States, with operations in Orlando, Florida, San Diego, California, San Antonio, Texas, and previously Cleveland, Ohio. The parks feature killer whale, sea lion, and dolphin shows and zoological displays featuring various other marine animals. The parks' icon is Shamu the killer whale. Shamu SeaWorld parks also feature a variety of thrill rides, including roller coasters like Kraken at SeaWorld Orlando and The Steel Eel at SeaWorld San Antonio. Journey to Atlantis, a combination roller coaster and splashdown ride, can be found at both SeaWorld Orlando and SeaWorld San Diego. The parks are owned by Busch Entertainment Corp., the family entertainment division of Anheuser-Busch, which is best known for brewing beer but also owns nine theme parks. In July 2005, SeaWorld Orlando announced plans to add a water park to its complex, which already includes SeaWorld and Discovery Cove; the water park is expected to combine water thrill rides with marine life, with attractions such as clear acrylic tube slides through pools containing Commerson's dolphins. The park is scheduled to open in spring 2007. One of the biggest attractions is the Shark Encounter, in which guests are carried through a submerged acrylic tube into the sharks' tank. Another famous ride is Wild Arctic, simulating a helicopter ride to the Arctic. After the ride, the guests arrive at a simulated base station, where they can observe polar bears, Pacific walruses, and beluga whales. Another attraction is the Penguin Encounter, showcasing a variety of penguins. In addition, an attraction features endangered Florida manatees. The park has an extensive playground for children, 'Shamu's Happy Harbor. SeaWorld has made many contributions to wildlife conservation. SeaWorld scientists, zoologists, trainers and rescue teams participate in research and wildlife preservation. Recently, SeaWorld teams have helped saved beached whales, dolphins, seals, and sea lions and helped raise the awareness of endangered manatees. SeaWorld's commitment to conservation, research and animal rescue was recently formalized with the creation of the non-profit SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund. SeaWorld's main attraction is the killer whale, several of which are housed in 7-million-gallon habitats that are each known as Shamu Stadium. SeaWorld's killer whale breeding program is the best in the world, with 23 whales succesfully born and raised since 1985. It is important to note that there is not just one killer whale named Shamu. Shamu was the name of the first killer whale ever to be brought to SeaWorld San Diego in the 1960s. 'Shamu' is now used as a stage name for adult killer whales in performances at SeaWorld parks. The killer whales all have real names. Currently, Sea World houses 25 killer whales in its three parks. Seven whales live in the San Diego park: Corky, Kasatka, Ulises, Orkid, Sumar, Nakai and Kalia. Ten live at SeaWorld Orlando: Katina, Kalina, Tilikum, Taima, Takara, Taku, Kohana, Ikaika, Skyla and Takara's newborn calf, born November 23, 2005. SeaWorld San Antonio holds eight orcas: Kayla, Kyuquot, Keet, Keto, Unna, Tuar, Tekoa and Kayla's calf, born October 9, 2005.

Gallery

Image:WIKI SEA WORLD FL 1.jpg Image:WIKI SEA WORLD FL 2.jpg Image:WIKI SEA WORLD FL 3.jpg Image:Upside Down on Kraken.jpg|Kraken roller coaster in Orlando Image:Shamu Stadium.jpg Image:Dolphin Surfing.jpg

External links

- [http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=32.765694,-117.226267&spn=0.005322,0.005482&t=k&hl=en Google Maps satellite view of SeaWorld San Diego]
- [http://www.seaworld.com/ Official SeaWorld site]
- [http://www.funonthenet.in/content/view/221/31/ SeaWorld Pictures and Information]
- [http://www.seaworldadventurepark.info/ Lots of photos from SeaWorld Orlando]
- [http://www.seaworldohiomemories.us/ SeaWorldOhioMemories] Category:Amusement parks Category:Marine parks Category:San Antonio, Texas Sea World Category:Orlando area attractions Category:Tourist attractions in California Sea World

Fort Sam Houston

Fort Sam Houston is a U.S. Army post in San Antonio, Texas. It is named for the first President of the Republic of Texas, Sam Houston. During its history it has seen a number of famous figures within its boundaries. One was Brigadier General Billy Mitchell, one of the strongest advocates of the airpower in the US Army after World War I. He was posted there after being demoted to Colonel for disobeying orders. It also saw Dwight Eisenhower, who was posted to Fort Sam Houston twice during his career, as First Lieutenant Eisenhower in 1915–17 and again 1939–41. On 2 October 1915, Lieutenant Dwight D. Eisenhower was introduced to Mamie Dowd at the Officers' Mess in Fort Sam Houston. They were married in 1916 and lived there in 1916–17. During his time at Fort Sam Houston, Eisenhower was promoted to Captain. As Colonel Eisenhower, he returned to Fort Sam Houston in 1939 serving as Chief of Staff, 3rd Army. During this period he was promoted to Brigadier General and it was at Fort Sam Houston on a quiet December afternoon in 1941 that he learned of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. This event would not only change the course of American history but his personal history as well. Currently, Fort Sam Houston serves as the home of the United States Army Medical Department (AMEDD), and is the training base for most army medical programs, including Combat Medical Specialist 91W10, most of the 91-series Military Occupation Specialties, and the officer and warrant officer training courses for the Army Medical Corps, Nurse Corps, Medical Services Corps and Medical Specialist Corps. The base also contains Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery.

External links

- [http://www.samhouston.army.mil/banner.aspx?link=/Default.aspx Fort Sam Houston] - Official web site.
- [http://www.cs.amedd.army.mil/rlbc Fort Sam Houston Museum] - warning: page is multimedia-happy Houston, Sam Category:Bexar County, Texas Category:San Antonio, Texas

Lackland Air Force Base

Lackland Air Force Base is a base of the United States Air Force located west of San Antonio, Texas, USA. It is located at 29°23'23" North, 98°36'45" West (29.389767, -98.612513). Lackland AFB is the main entry processing station for Air Force Basic Military Training (BMT). It shared this status temporarily with Amarillo Air Force Base during the Vietnam War, but Amarillo AFB closed in 1968. Lackland gained a flying mission when adjacent Kelly Air Force Base closed in 2001. The 2 mile long runway is now a joint use facility between Lackland AFB and the city of San Antonio. Lackland hosts a collection of vintage military aircraft on static display, including a B-52 Stratofortress bomber, Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, C-121 Constellation, and a B-25 Mitchell bomber. Lackland AFB is home to the Air Force Regional Confinement Facility.

History

Construction on Lackland Air Force Base began in 1941, and it was originally part of Kelly Field. One year later, it became an independent organization--the San Antonio Aviation Cadet Center. In 1948, the facility was named Lackland AFB after Brigadier General Frank Lackland. As a result of the Korean War training populations at Lackland soared. Temporary facilities, to include the "I" dormitories, were hastily erected as a quick fix to house the new recruits. During Vietnam, resourceful leaders split training shifts, increased flight sizes, and compressed training from 30 to 24 days to satisfy the urgency for military readiness. Training requirements also expanded to include teaching English to allied military members from foreign countries. During the 1950s and 1960s, more permanent facilities were constructed, to include the 1,000 person steel and brick Recruit Housing and Training (RH&T) facilities for basic military training. From the Cold War demise, base realignment and closure (BRAC) actions relocated several specialized training programs at Lackland. Air Education and Training Command relocated Officer Training School to Maxwell Air Force Base.

Base Realignment and Closure, 2005

The Department of Defense has proposed a major realignment of the base as part of the Base Realignment and Closure program announced on May 13, 2005.

Census information

The following information is from the 2000 census, which treats the base as a town. As of the census of 2000, there are 7,123 people, 174 households, and 152 families residing on the base. The population density is 642.6/km² (1,662.6/mi²). There are 412 housing units at an average density of 37.2/km² (96.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the town is 65.20% White, 19.01% Black or African American, 0.86% Native American, 3.64% Asian, 0.32% Pacific Islander, 2.20% from other races, and 8.77% from two or more races. 13.77% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. There are 174 households out of which 79.9% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 73.0% are married couples living together, 9.2% have a female householder with no husband present, and 12.6% are non-families. 12.1% of all households are made up of individuals and 0.0% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 3.49 and the average family size is 3.78. On the base the population is spread out with 5.3% under the age of 18, 79.8% from 18 to 24, 14.5% from 25 to 44, 0.4% from 45 to 64, and none who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 20 years. For every 100 females there are 256 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 267.3 males. The median income for a household in the base is $32,250, and the median income for a family is $31,923. Males have a median income of $16,435 versus $15,572 for females. The per capita income for the base is $10,048. 7.3% of the population and 6.9% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 7.3% of those under the age of 18 and 0.0% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

External links

- [http://www.lackland.af.mil/home/ Official website]
- [http://www.lackland.af.mil/info/flightphoto.asp US Air Force Basic Military Training Flight Photo Collection]
- [http://www.defenselink.mil/news/May2005/20050513_1081.html BRAC 2005: Closings, Realignments to Reshape Infrastructure] Category:United States Air Force bases Category:U.S. Air Force bases slated for realignment Category:Bexar County, Texas Category:San Antonio, Texas

Brooks Air Force Base

Brooks Air Force Base was a United States Air Force base located in San Antonio, Texas. In 2002 it was renamed Brooks City-Base.

History

The U.S. Army Signal Corps established Brooks Field on February 16, 1918. It was named after San Antonio aviator, Sidney Johnson Brooks Jr. Instructors at Brooks Field trained cadets in Curtiss JN-4 aircraft. Flight training continued at the field until 1919, at which point balloon and airship training was introduced at Brooks Field. The program at Brooks Field was canceled in 1922 as the U.S. Army reevaluated the usefulness of balloon and airships. Brooks Field became the Primary Flying School for the Army Air Corps. The Primary Flying School continued operation until 1931 when it moved to Randolph Field in San Antonio. After the Primary Flying School's departure, Brooks Field became the new home for the Aerial Observation Center. During World War II, Brooks Field housed the School for Combat Observers and the Advanced Flying School (Observation). The program remained in operation until 1943 when it was disbanded. Training in the school then switched to twin-engine aircraft subsequently training pilots to fly the new B-25 bomber. In 1948, Brooks Field formally became Brooks Air Force Base. Since the early 1950s, Brooks AFB has been the home for the Aerospace Medical Center, which would include the School of Aerospace Medicine (SAM). In 1957, SAM scientists moved into the newly completed center at Brooks AFB. SAM aided the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), with Project Mercury. The air evacuation program at Brooks AFB proved vital to the care of wounded personnel in the Vietnam War. After the Vietnam War the base's mission narrowed to one centered on specific research related to U.S. Air Force fliers and personnel. In 1991, the Air Force was selected to house the Armstrong Laboratory, which included the Air Force Human Resources Laboratory, the Air Force Drug Testing Laboratory, the Harry G. Armstrong Aerospace Medical Research Laboratory, the Air Force Occupational and Environmental Health Laboratory, and the laboratory functions of SAM. In 1995, military planners, as a part of the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC), approved the gradual transition in ownership of Brooks AFB from the Air Force to the City of San Antonio. On July 22, 2002, the City of San Antonio assumed control of the newly named Brooks City-Base.

External links

- [http://www.brooks.af.mil/ Brooks City-Base]
- [http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/brooks.htm Global Security: Brooks City-Base] Category:United States Air Force bases Category:San Antonio, Texas

Modern art

:For the psychedelic rock band, see The Modern Art. For the card game by Reiner Knizia, see Modern Art (game). Modern art is a general term, used for most of the artistic production from the late 19th century until approximately the 1970s. (Recent art production is more often called Contemporary art or Postmodern art). Modern art refers to the then new approach to art where it was no longer important to represent a subject realistically — the invention of photography had made this function of art obsolete. Instead, artists started experimenting with new ways of seeing, with fresh ideas about the nature, materials and functions of art, often moving further toward abstraction. The notion of modern art is closely related to Modernism.

History

Roots in the 19th century

Modern art began as a Western movement, particularly in painting and printmaking, and then expanding to other visual arts, including sculpture and architecture in the mid-19th century. By the late 19th century, several movements which were to be influential in modern art had begun to emerge: Impressionism, centered around Paris, and Expressionism, which first emerged in Germany. The influences were varied: from exposure to Eastern decorative arts, particularly Japanese printmaking, to the colouristic innovations of Turner and Delacroix, to a search for more depiction of common life, as found in the work of painters such as Millet. At the time, the generally held belief about art is that it should be accurate in its depiction of objects, but that it should be aimed at expressing the ideal, or the domestic. Thus the most successful painters of the day worked either through commissions, or through large public exhibitions of their own work. There were official government sponsored painters' unions, and governments regularly held public exhibitions of new fine and decorative arts. Thus, breaking with idealization and depiction were not merely artistic statements, but decisions with social and economic results. These movements did not necessarily identify themselves as being associated with progress, or personal artistic freedom, but instead argued, in the style of the times, that they represented universal values and reality. The Impressionists argued that people do not see objects, but only the light which they reflect, and therefore painters should paint in natural light rather than in studios, and should capture the effects of light in their work. Impressionist artists formed a group to promote their work, which, despite internal tensions, was able to mount exhibitions. The style was adopted by artists in different nations, in preference to a "national" style. These factors established the view that it was a "movement". These traits: establishment of a working method integral to the art, establishment of a movement or visible active core of support, and international adoption, would be repeated by artistic movements in the Modern period in art.

Early 20th Century

Among the movements which flowered in the first decade of the 20th century were Fauvism, Cubism, Expressionism and Futurism. World War I brought an end to this phase, but indicated the beginning of a number of anti-art movements, such as Dada and the work of Marcel Duchamp, and of Surrealism. Also, artist groups like de Stijl and Bauhaus were seminal in the development of new ideas about the interrelation of the arts, architecture, design and art education. Modern art was introduced to the United States with the Armory Show in 1913, and through European artists who moved to the U.S. during World War I. It was only after World War II, though, that the U.S. became the focal point of new artistic movements. The 1950s and 1960s saw the emergence of Abstract Expressionism, Pop art, Op art and Minimal art; in the late 1960s and the 1970s, Land art, Performance art, Conceptual art and Photorealism emerged. Around that period, a number of artists and architects started rejecting the idea of "the modern" and created typically Postmodern works. Starting from the post-World War II period, fewer artists used painting as their primary medium; instead, larger installations and performances became widespread. Since the 1970s, new media art has become a category in itself, with a growing number of artists experimenting with technological means such as video art.

Art movements and artist groups

(Chronological with representative artists listed.)

Important Modern art exhibitions and museums

- Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris
- documenta, five-yearly exhibition of modern and contemporary art, Kassel, Germany
- Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, Berlin, Las Vegas, New York, Venice
- Museum of Modern Art, New York
- San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
- Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam
- Stedelijk Museum voor Actuele Kunst, Gent, Belgium
- Tate Modern, London
- Venice Biennial
- Walker Art Center, Minneapolis
- Whitney Museum of American Art, New York

Valero Energy Corp

Valero Energy Corporation is a Fortune 500 company based in San Antonio, Texas, with approximately 22,000 employees and annual revenue of about $70 billion. The company owns and operates 18 refineries throughout the United States, Canada and the Caribbean with a combined throughput capacity of approximately 3.3 million barrels per day, making it the largest refiner in North America. Valero is also one of the USA's largest retail operators with more than 4,700 retail and branded wholesale outlets in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean under various brand names, including Valero, Diamond Shamrock, Ultramar, Shamrock and Beacon. Valero has long been recognized throughout the industry as a leader in the production of premium, environmentally clean products, such as reformulated gasoline, California Air Resources Board (CARB) Phase II gasoline, low-sulfur diesel and oxygenates.

Retail

California Air Resources Board Valero also retails gasoline branded as Valero, Shamrock, Diamond Shamrock, Ultramar, Beacon, and Total. While this arm of the company is the most visible to the public, it is, according to CEO William Greehey, "a very small part of [Valero's] operations"[http://www.marketwatch.com/news/yhoo/story.asp?source=blq/yhoo&siteid=yhoo&dist=yhoo&guid=%7B2EEF79CA%2D2302%2D4C16%2D8087%2D07A21B521581%7D]. Valero is gradually shifting its focus from being a discount gasoline brand to becoming a premium brand. As part of that shift, Valero has begun to rebrand its Ultramar, Beacon, Total and Diamond Shamrock stations to the Valero brand. The Beacon and Shamrock brands are used by retailers as a low cost alternative to the premium Valero brand. The name Ultramar, while being eliminated in the U.S., will still be used as Valero's brand name in Canada.

History

Valero was created on January 1, 1980, as a spinoff from the Coastal States Gas Corporation. At the time, it was the largest corporate spinoff in U.S. history. Valero took over the natural gas operations of the LoVaca Gathering Company, a defunct subsidiary of Coastal States Gas. The company acquired a small oil refinery in Corpus Christi, Texas in 1981, and began refining operations in 1984. In 1997, Valero spun off its refining and retail divisions into a separate company, which kept the Valero name. At the same time, the remaining divisions, which consisted primarily of natural gas operations, were acquired by PG&E. Later that year, Valero acquired Basis Petroleum, which left it with four refineries in Texas and Louisiana. Valero acquired a Paulsboro, New Jersey refinery in 1998. This was the company's first refinery outside of the Gulf Coast area. In 2000, Valero purchased ExxonMobil's Benicia, California refinery and interests in 350 Exxon-branded service stations in California, mainly in the San Francisco Bay area. The company also began retailing gasoline under the Valero brand. In June 2001, the company acquired the Huntway Refining Company, along with two asphalt plants on the west coast. On December 31, 2001, Valero completed its acquisition of Ultramar Diamond Shamrock. This merger left Valero with over 4,700 retail sites in the U.S., Canada, and the Caribbean. With this acquisition the Valero also received ownership of Shamrock Logistics L.P., which was renamed Valero L.P. This limited partnership owns and operates a 3600 mile (5800 km) pipeline network for Valero's refineries. Starting in 2002, Valero has expanded its marketing to the East Coast (specifically the Northeast and Florida), using the Valero brand. On April 25, 2005 Valero agreed to buy Premcor Inc. for $6.9 billion in cash and stock to become the largest U.S. refiner as record prices for gasoline and other fuels boost profits. On June 30, 2005 Valero announced it was beginning a two-year process of converting Diamond Shamrock stations to the Valero brand.

External link

- [http://www.valero.com/ Valero Web site] Category:Oil companies of the United States Category:Energy companies of the United States Category:Fortune 500 companies Category:Companies based in Texas Category:San Antonio, Texas

USAA

USAA is an unincorporated reciprocal interinsurance exchange and an unincorporated association of 2.2 million partners who act in concert as a holding company. The holding company known as USAA may be the largest private partnership in the world: a partnership being a business entity which exists without corporate liability protection. This means that USAA rivals the behemoths of Wall Street, viz. Goldman Sachs and Lehman Brothers. This holding company is headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, and offers: insurance, including life insurance; banking services through the USAA Federal Savings Bank; financial planning; discount brokerage; and investment services including a line of highly regarded mutual funds. USAA's gold fund is internationally renown; a true world-class achiever. Other valuable opportunities for subscribers include a real estate investment company, a mail-order retail catalog operation, and travel services. As an insurer, USAA operates as an unincorporated reciprocal inter-insurance exchange (URIE) under Chapter 942 of the Texas Insurance Code [http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/cgi-bin/statutes/pdfframe.cmd?filepath=/statutes/docs/IN/content/pdf/in.006.00.000942.00.pdf&title=INSURANCE%20CODE%20-%20CHAPTER%20942]. The privilege to subscribe is extended primarily to current and former U.S. military personnel and their families, and FBI agents. As of 2004, USAA had over $81 billion in assets under management, 2.2 million subscribers, and about 5 million customers. The United Services Automobile Association was founded in 1922 by a group of military officers, and applied for a Certificate of Authority from the Texas Department of Insurance in 1924. USAA's formation resolved the frustrations military personnel encountered in obtaining auto insurance because of their constant re-assignments and suspicions about their focus on safe driving. The mission of USAA is to address the special financial circumstances of its members, associates and their families: which it accomplishes through the provision of a full range of extremely competitive financial products and services. USAA's Federal Savings Bank is the crown jewel of the enterprise: and highly regarded throughout the entire banking industry. The USAA headquarters in San Antonio is the largest privately-owned office building (in terms of square footage) in the world; a real estate dinosaur, about 50% occupied, and slated for demolition when the move the Phoenix is finished.

Court Orders bearing on freedom of information about USAA

All information about state laws bearing on USAA at server [http://67.55.35.135/ http://67.55.35.135/ ] have been suppressed by the October 27, 2005 court order of:

Judge Carol Habermann
Retired Visiting Judge
[http://www.bexar.org/dcourt/dcourts.htm Bexar County District Court ]
Suite 422
100 Dolorosa
San Antonio, TX 78205
(no phone number as she is retired and only comes in occasionally)

The lawyer representing USAA in this matter is:

Jessica Spangler Taylor, Esq.
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP
300 Covenant Street
Suite 1500
San Antonio, TX 78205-3732
Work 210.281.7000
Fax 210.224.2035
jtaylor@akingump.com

As 67.55.35.135 is not a "web site", but rather file server with a numeric address, Judge Habermann's order does not seem to apply.

Nonetheless, the reader will be required to use the following username and password to access any files:

username = jessicaspanglertaylor
password = jessicaspanglertaylor

Please do not use this password without first contacting Ms. Taylor and asking for her to grant Robert G. Davis's permission to access the files.

Critical documents when considering USAA

- [http://67.55.35.135/us_district_court_san_antonio/judge_fergeson_recusal/exhibits/exhibit_b-2.pdf USAA by-laws]
- [http://67.55.35.135/us_district_court_san_antonio/judge_fergeson_recusal/exhibits/exhibit_b-1.pdf subscriber agreement]
- [http://67.55.35.135/koenig_v_mcdermott/certificates_of_authority/c_of_a_2000_March_31st/certified_certificate_31_march_2000.pdf AIF Robert G. Davis' Certificate of Authority]
- [http://67.55.35.135/koenig_v_mcdermott/certificates_of_authority/c_of_a_2003_October_31st_amended/certified_documents_as_to_31_oct_03_amendment.pdf AIF Robert G. Davis' Certificate of Authority as amended in 2003]

Ratings

- A.M. Best Company: A++ (Superior)
- Moody's Investor Service: Aaa (Exceptional)
- Standard and Poor's: AAA (Extemely Strong)

Litigation against USAA

- [http://www.nlrb.gov/nlrb/shared_files/decisions/alj/JD(ATL)-8-03.htm USAA v Loretta Williams]
- [http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/data2/circs/dc/031371a.pdf USAA v National Labor Relations Board]
- [http://www.bbplaw.com/decisions/990610.htm Powers v USAA]

External links

- [http://www.usaa.com/ USAA] home page
- [http://www.usaarealco.com USAA Real Estate Company]
- [http://www.usaaedfoundation.org/ USAA Educational Foundation], a charitable grant-making Category:Fortune 500 companies Category:Financial services companies of the United States Category:San Antonio, Texas Category:Companies based in Texas

Tesoro

Tesoro Petroleum Corporation is a refiner, distributor and marketer of petroleum products in the western United States. They operate six refineries, with over 500,000 barrels per day of capacity, and sell gasoline at approximately 600 retail locations. They also provide Wal-Mart's Mirastar brand of gasoline. See also: List of automotive fuel brands

External link

- [http://www.tsocorp.com/ Tesoro Web site] Category:Oil companies of the United States Category:Energy companies of the United States Category:San Antonio, Texas Category:Companies based in Texas

H-E-B

H.E. Butt Grocery Company (abbreviated H-E-B) is a Texas supermarket chain with over 300 stores and 56,000 employees. The company was founded in 1905 when Florence Butt opened C. C. Butt Staple and Fancy Groceries in Kerrville, Texas. In 1919, Howard E. Butt, her youngest son, took over the store upon his return from World War I. In 1924, he expanded the Butt Grocery Company with a new store in Junction, about 60 miles from Kerrville. Charles, the youngest son of Howard E. Butt, became president of the H.E. Butt Grocery Company in 1971. Today, Charles Butt is chairman and CEO of H-E-B, having grown the business from sales of $250 million in 1971 to $11 billion in 2003. In 2003, the company was #10 on Forbes list of largest privately held companies. Mr. Butt, whose fortune is estimated to be over two billion dollars, is the richest man in San Antonio. In 1994, H-E-B introduced the first Central Market location in Austin, an upscale store featuring a European bakery, a deli with meats and cheeses from around the globe, and a juice and ice cream bar. The chain is now comprised of 8 stores, two in Austin and one each in Dallas, Plano, Southlake, Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio. Among the 300+ stores throughout Texas and Mexico, locations include the one-of-a-kind Woodlands Market store, featuring the best of items found in Central Market and H-E-B stores. In 2004, the company launched three (Waco, San Juan & Austin) "H-E-B Plus!" stores, 109,000 sq. ft. megastores with an expanded focus on non-food categories like entertainment and general merchandise. In 2005, this concept was further expanded with three new locations (Corpus Christi, San Antonio & Round Rock) comprised of 161,000 sq. ft. each. These stores carry 40,000 additional items and include a gift registry and new departments like entertainment, bed & bath and "Texas Backyard," as well as expansions of departments found in typical H-E-B stores. The company operates several manufacturing facilities in Texas where it produces many of its own brand products including milk, bread, ice cream and other snacks. Historically, the company is known for its generosity, with 5% of annual pre-tax earnings given to civic and charitable organizations in the communities they operate in, including education and food banks. H-E-B is also very environmentally driven, focusing on recycling and conservation, and in 1999 began converting their Houston distribution fleet to run on liquified natural gas. The year 2005 marks the company's 100th year in operation.
External links

- [http://www.heb.com/ H-E-B company web site]
- [http://www.heb.com/aboutHEB/history.jsp Additional H-E-B history]
- [http://www.forbes.com/finance/lists/10/2004/LIR.jhtml?passListId=10&passYear=2004&passListType=Person&uniqueId=W4TW&datatype=Person Forbes' List of World's Richest People: Charles Butt] Category:Companies based in Texas Category:Supermarkets in the United States

South Texas Medical Center

The South Texas Medical Center is a conglomerate of numerous major hospitals, clinics, and research and higher educational institutions, located in San Antonio, Texas. The center is the largest such center in South Texas. The center is responsible for the $12 Billion biomedical booming industry thriving in the San Antonio area. According to the San Antonio Medical Foundation, at least $141 million in capital projects are currently in progress in the Medical Center and an additional $169 million worth of new projects are expected to be completed by 2009. Central to the medical center is the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, which is the source of employment for 12,000 people. Other notable centers are The [http://www.ctrc.saci.org/home.cfm Cancer Therapy & Research Center], [http://www.texascancerclinic.com/ Texas Cancer Clinic], the [http://ccri.uthscsa.edu/ Children's Cancer Research Institute], The Santa Rosa, Villa Rosa, St Luke, and 11 Methodist hospitals and research institutes. In 2003, 26,757 persons were employed at the center and the combined budget of all entities at the South Texas Medical Center totaled $2.5 Billion.

1906

1906 (MCMVI) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar).

Events

- January 8 - Landslide in Haverstraw, New York kills 20
- January 31 - Earthquake in Ecuador (8.6 in Richter scale)
- February 11 - Pope Pius X publishes the encyclical Vehementer nos.
- February 15 - Representatives of the Labour Representation Committee in the UK parliament take the name Parliamentary Labour Party
- March 10 - Explosion in coalmine in Courrières, France kills 1060
- March 15 - Rolls-Royce Ltd. is registered
- March 18 - Traian Vuia flies first self-propelled heavier than air aircraft
- April 7 - Mount Vesuvius erupts and devastates Naples.
- April 18 - 1906 San Francisco earthquake on the San Andreas Fault destroys much of San Francisco, California, killing at least 3000. The estimated magnitude of the earthquake is 7.8.
- June 9-June 10 - Riots in Stockholm, Ladugårsdgärden - 50 policemen injured
- June 25 - New York playboy Harry K. Thaw shoots architect Stanford White
- June 28-July 6 - Crown Jewels of Ireland stolen during this period
- September 5 - Brandbury Robinson throws the first legal forward pass in an American football game.
- September 18 - Typhoon with tsunami kills an estimated 10.000 persons in Hong Kong
- September 22 - Race riots in Atlanta, Georgia (12 killed)
- October 11 - San Francisco public school board sparks United States diplomatic crisis with Japan by ordering Japanese students to be taught in racially segregated schools.
- October 16 - The Captain of Köpenick fools a city hall in Köpenick by impersonating a Prussian officer
- October 23 - Aeroplane of Alberto Santos-Dumont takes off on Bagatelle in France and flies 60 meters (200 feet)
- October 28 - Creation of the Union Minière du Haut Katanga, a Belgian mining trust in Congo.
- November 3 - SOS becomes an international distress signal
- November 9 - US President Theodore Roosevelt leaves for a trip to Panama to inspect the construction progress of the Panama Canal (this was the first time a sitting President of the United States made an official trip outside of the United States).
- December 4 - Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity established for African Americans, was founded at Cornell University
- December 6 - Politic creation of district of Chimbote.
- December 24 - Reginald Fessenden makes the first radio broadcast: a poetry reading, a violin solo, and a speech.
- 26 December - The world's first feature film, "The Story of the Kelly Gang", is released.

Unknown dates

- Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) immunization for tuberculosis first developed
- Richard Oldham argues that the Earth has a molten interior
- Second Geneva Convention
- Construction begins on the current Great Mosque of Djenné.
- The muffuletta sandwich is invented in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Births

- January 22 - Robert E. Howard, American author (d. 1936)
- February 4 - Clyde Tombaugh, American astronomer (d. 1997)
- February 10 - Erik Rhodes, American actor (d. 1990)
- March 1 - Pham Van Dong, Prime Minister of Vietnam (d. 2000)
- March 16 - Henny Youngman, English born comedian (d. 1998)
- March 19 - Adolf Eichmann, Nazi official (d. 1962)
- March 31 - Sin-Itiro Tomonaga, Japanese physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1979)
- April 9 - Antal Dorati, Hungarian conductor (d. 1988)
- April 13 - Samuel Beckett, Irish writer, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1989)
- April 25 - William J. Brennan, U.S. Supreme Court Justice (d. 1997)
- April 28 - Paul Sacher, Swiss conductor (d. 1999)
- May 6 - André Weil, French mathematician (d. 1998)
- May 28 - Phil Regan, American actor (d. 1996)
- May 29 - T. H. White, British writer (d. 1964)
- June 7 - Glen Gray, American saxophonist (d. 1963)
- June 15 - Léon Degrelle, Belgian fascist (d. 1994)
- June 19 - Ernst Boris Chain, German-born biochemist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (d. 1979)
- June 20 - Catherine Cookson, English author (d. 1998)
- June 20 - Robert Trent Jones, English-born golf course designer (d. 2000)
- June 22 - Anne Morrow Lindbergh American author and aviator (d. 2001)
- June 22 - Billy Wilder screenwriter, film director and producer (d. 2002)
- June 24 - Pierre Fournier, French cellist (d. 1986)
- June 28 - Maria Goeppert-Mayer, German physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1972)
- July 1 - Estée Lauder, American cosmetics entrepreneur (d. 2004)
- July 2 - Hans Bethe, German-born physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2005)
- July 23 - Vladimir Prelog, Croatian chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1998)
- August 5 - Wassily Leontief, Russian economist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1999)
- August 12 - Tedd Pierce, American animator (d. 1972)
- August 28 - John Betjeman, English poet (d. 1984)
- September 1 - Franz Biebl, German composer (d. 2001)
- September 4 - Max Delbrück, German biologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (d. 1981)
- September 6 - Luis Federico Leloir, French-born chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1987)
- September 25 - Dmitri Shostakovich, Russian composer (d. 1975)
- October 10 - Rasipuram Krishnaswamy Narayan Indian novelist (d. 2001)
- October 14 - Imam Hassan al Banna, Egyptian founder of the Muslim Brotherhood (d. 1949)
- October 23 - Gertrude Ederle, American swimmer (d. 2003)
- October 27 - Earle Cabell, American politician (d. 1975)
- November 5 - Fred Lawrence Whipple, American astronomer (d. 2004)
- November 18 - Klaus Mann, German writer (d. 1949)
- November 18 - George Wald, American scientist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (d. 1997)
- December 5 - Otto Preminger, Austrian-born film director (d. 1986)
- December 25 - Ernst Ruska, German physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1988)

Deaths

- January 29 - King Christian IX of Denmark (b. 1818)
- February 9 - Paul Laurence Dunbar, American poet and publisher (b. 1872)
- February 27 - Samuel Pierpont Langley, American astronomer, physicist, and aeronautics pioneer (b. 1834)
- March 13 - Susan B. Anthony, American civil rights and women's suffrage activist (b. 1820)
- March 29 - Slava Raskaj, Croatian painter (b. 1877)
- April 6 - Alexander Kielland, Norwegian author (b. 1849)
- April 11 - Francis Pharcellus Church, American editor and publisher (b. 1839)
- April 19 - Pierre Curie, French physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1859)
- April 24 - Mary Hunt, American temperance movement leader (b. 1830)
- May 14 - Carl Schurz, German revolutionary and American statesman (b. 1829)
- May 23 - Henrik Ibsen, Norwegian playwright (b. 1828)
- September 5 - Ludwig Boltzmann, Austrian physicist (b. 1844)
- October 22 - Paul Cézanne, French painter (b. 1839)
- December 7 - Élie Ducommun, Swiss journalist and activist, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1833)

Nobel Prizes

- Physics - Sir Joseph John Thomson
- Chemistry - Henri Moissan
- Medicine - Camillo Golgi, Santiago Ramón y Cajal
- Literature - Giosuè Carducci
- Peace - Theodore Roosevelt

Buildings

St Mary's Star of the Sea Catholic School Balboa Pavilion in Newport Beach, California Category:1906 ko:1906년 ms:1906 ja:1906年 simple:1906 th:พ.ศ. 2449

Guinness Book of World Records

:Guinness Book of Records

1985

:This article is about the year. For the song by Bowling for Soup, see 1985 (song). For the album by Rufio, see MCMLXXXV. 1985 (MCMLXXXV) is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar.

Events

January-February

- January 1 - The first British mobile phone call is made (by Ernie Wise to Vodafone).
- January 3 - Finnish government announces that a Soviet cruise missile has fallen into Inarinjärvi lake in Finnish Lapland
- January 17 - British Telecom announces it is going to phase out its famous red telephone boxes.
- January 20 - U.S. President Ronald Reagan is sworn in for a second term in office.
- January 23 - A debate in the British House of Lords is televised for the first time.
- February 1 - AM stereo broadcasting starts in Australia.
- February 5 - Australia cancels its involvement in U.S.-led MX missile tests.
- February 7 - "New York, New York" becomes the official city anthem of New York City.
- February 11 - Pakistani bowler Wasim Akram takes ten wickets in his second Test cricket match, but New Zealand still wins.
- February 14 - CNN reporter Jeremy Levin is freed from captivity in Lebanon.
- February 19 - William Schroeder becomes the first artificial heart patient to leave hospital.
- February 26 - US federal grand jury indicts 15 members of New York Mafia for racketeering

March

- March 2 - Government of John Cain reelected in Victoria for second consecutive term.
- March 4 - The Food and Drug Administration approves a blood test for AIDS, used since then for screening all blood donations in the United States.
- March 11 - Mikhail Gorbachev becomes the General Secretary of the Soviet Communist Party and de facto leader of the Soviet Union.
- March 11 - Mohammed Al Fayed buys the London-based department store company, Harrods.
- March 11 - The Prague Appeal by Jiří Dienstbier, Czech dissident.
- March 14 - Five lionesses at the Singapore Zoo are put on birth control because the lion population had increased from two to 16.
- March 15 - José Sarney takes oath as acting president of Brazil, because the president-elect Tancredo Neves becomes severely ill.
- March 15 - The first .com domain name, symbolics.com, is registered by the Symbolics corporation. However, in this early stage of the rollout of domain names, .edu domains, for educational institutions, still predominate over the commercial .com ones.
- March 16 - Associated Press newsman Terry Anderson is taken hostage in Beirut. He would later be released on December 4, 1991.
- March 17 - Serial killer Richard Ramirez (the "Night Stalker") commits his first two murders in Los Angeles, California.
- March 20 - Libby Riddles becomes the first woman to win the 1,135-mile Iditarod dog sled race.
- March 31 - Wrestlemania I occurs at Madison Square Garden, New York. The Main Event features Hulk Hogan and Mr. T with Jimmy Snuka vs. Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff with Bob Orton, Jr.

April

- April 1 - Villanova University's "perfect upset" of Georgetown University and Patrick Ewing for the NCAA Basketball Championship.
- April 1 - Sports Illustrated magazine publishes an article about the non-existent baseball prodigy Sidd Finch.
- April 15 - South Africa ends its ban on interracial marriages.
- April 21 - Tancredo Neves, president-elect of Brazil, dies after 38 days of illness that prevented him to take oath.
- April 23 - Coca-Cola company changed its recipe/formula and packaging to New Coke (not successfully)
- April 24 - Secular Organizations for Sobriety formed.
- April 26 - High Court judge Justice Lionel Murphy is committed to stand trial on charges of trying to pevert the course of justice.
- April 28 - Australian Nuclear Disarmament Party (NDP) splits.

May-June

Nuclear Disarmament Party
- May 8 - New Coke is released on the 99th anniversary of Coca-Cola. It will later become a major flop with consumers.
- May 11 - The FBI brings charges against suspected heads of the five Mafia families in New York City
- May 11 - Fire breaks in Valley Parade stadium in Bradford, England - 56 dead
- May 13 - Philadelphia's mayor orders police to storm the radical group's MOVE headquarters to end a stand-off. The police drop an explosive device into the headquarters killing 11 MOVE members and destroying the homes of 61 city residents in the resulting fire and leaving 250 people homeless.
- May 15 - Unabomber bomb injures John Hauser at UC Berkeley
- May 17- United Airlines Pilots go on strike for 29 days.
- May 20 - Propaganda: Radio Marti begins broadcasting to Cuba.
- May 23 - Thomas Patrick Cavanagh is sentenced to life in prison for attempting to sell stealth bomber secrets to the Soviet Union.
- May 25 - Bangladesh is hit by a tropical cyclone and storm surge which kills approximately 10,000 people.
- May 29 - In the Heysel Stadium disaster at the European Cup final in Brussels, 39 football (soccer) fans die and hundreds are injured.
- May 31 - The US-Canadian Outbreak: 41 tornadoes hit in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York and Ontario. By its end, 76 perish.
- June 6 - The body of Josef Mengele is located and exhumed in Brazil.
- June 9 - Thomas Sutherland is kidnapped in Lebanon (he is not released until 1991).
- June 10 - Claus von Bulow is acquitted on charges of trying to kill his wife.
- June 13 - In Auburn, Washington, police defuses an Unabomber bomb sent to Boeing
- June 14 - TWA Flight 847 is hijacked by Hezbollah.
- June 23 - Air India Flight 182, a Boeing 747, blows up 31,000 feet (9,500 m) above the Atlantic Ocean, south of Ireland, killing all 329 aboard.

July

- July 4 - 13-year-old Ruth Lawrence achieves a first in Mathematics at Oxford University, by becoming the youngest British person ever to earn a first-class degree and the youngest known graduate of Oxford University.
- July 10 - The Greenpeace vessel, the Rainbow Warrior, is bombed and sunk in Auckland harbour by French DGSE agents.
- July 10 - After a storm of controversy surrounding a change in its cola's formula (see New Coke), Coca-Cola re-introduces the old formula as "Coca-Cola Classic".
- July 13 - Live Aid pop concerts in Philadelphia and London raise over £50 million for famine relief in Ethiopia.
- July 19 - U.S. Vice President George H. W. Bush announces that New Hampshire teacher Christa McAuliffe will become the first schoolteacher to ride aboard the Space Shuttle.
- July 20 - The main ship wreck site of the Spanish galleon Nuestra Señora de Atocha (which sank in 1622) is found 40 miles off the coast of Key West, Florida by treasure hunters who soon begin to raise $400 million in coins and silver.

August-September

- August 2 - Delta Air Lines Flight 191 crashes in Dallas, Texas, killing 137 people.
- August 6 - In Hiroshima, tens of thousands mark the 40th anniversary of the atomic bombing of the city.
- August 7 - Takao Doi, Mamoru Mohri and Chiaki Mukai are chosen to be Japan's first astronauts.
- August 12 - Japan Airlines Flight 123, a Boeing 747SR-46 plane en route from Tokyo to Osaka, crashed northwest of Tokyo, killing 520 of the 524 people on board.
- August 22 - 55 people killed at in the Manchester air disaster at Manchester International Airport when a British Airtours Boeing 737 burst into flames after the pilot aborts the takeoff.
- August 31 - Richard Ramirez arrested for the "Night Stalker" murders.
- September 1 - A joint American-French expedition locates the wreck of the RMS Titanic.
- September 5 - John Howard replaces Andrew Peacock as Australian Federal Opposition Leader.
- September 6 - Midwest Express Airlines Flight 105, a Douglas DC-9 crashes just after takeoff from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, killing 31.
- September 15 - U.S. hostage Benjamin Weir released in Lebanon.
- September 19 - 8.1 Richter scale earthquake strikes Mexico City. More than 9,000 people are killed, a further 30,000 injured, and 95,000 lose their homes.

November

- November 6 - In Colombia, leftist guerrillas of the M-19 movement seize control of the Palace of Justice in Bogotá. By the next day, 115 people are dead, including 11 Supreme Court justices.
- November 15 - In separate events, mail bombs kill two people in Salt Lake City, Utah; a third bomb explodes the next day, injuring Mark Hoffman. The ensuing police investigation leads to the arrest of Hoffman for these murders, as well as forgery.
- November 16 - When 1,800 staff of Baragwanath hospital in Soweto, South Africa go on strike for better pay, they are dismissed and troops called in to help run the hospital.
- November 18 - First Calvin and Hobbes comic strip printed in a handful of newspapers; the strip is not carried in the hometown newspaper of its creator, Bill Watterson.
- November 19 - Cold War: In Geneva, U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev meet for the first time.
- November 19 - Pennzoil wins a $10.53 billion verdict from Texaco in the largest civil verdict in U.S. history (Texaco established a signed contract to buy Getty Oil after Pennzoil entered into an unsigned, yet still binding, buyout contract with Getty).
- November 20 - Microsoft Corporation releases the first version of Windows, Windows 1.0.
- November 21 - United States Navy intelligence analyst Jonathan Jay Pollard is arrested for spying (he was caught giving Israel classified information on Arab nations and was eventually sentenced to life in prison).
- November 23 - Gunmen hijack EgyptAir Flight 648 while en route from Athens to Cairo when the plane lands in Malta, Egyptian commandos storm the hijacked jetliner but 60 people die in the raid).
- November 25 - Man wearing a chicken suit walks into the Australian House of Representatives and sits on the government front bench. He is later removed
- November 26 - U.S. President Ronald Reagan signs over rights to his autobiography to Random House for a record US$3 million.
- November 28 - Gerard Hoarau, exile political leader from the Seychelles, assassinated in London

December

- Ford Taurus released. It would become one of Ford's biggest successes ever.
- December 12 - Arrow Air Flight 1285 DC-8 crashes after takeoff in Gander, Newfoundland, killing 256, 248 of whom were U.S. servicemen returning from overseeing a peacekeeping force in Sinai.
- December 16 - In New York City, Mafia bosses Paul Castellano and Thomas Bilotti are shot dead in front of Sparks Steak House, making hit organizer John Gotti the leader of the powerful Gambino organized crime family.
- December 23 - Soviet dissident Andrei Sakharov returns to Moscow after 7 years of internal exile
- December 27 - Rome and Vienna Airport Attacks - Groups of Abu Nidal members open fire in the airports of Rome and Vienna - 18 dead, 120 injured
- December 27 - American naturalist Dian Fossey is found murdered in Rwanda.
- December 31 - Last issue of The Columbus Citizen-Journal is distributed.

Environmental and weather change

- Asian tiger mosquito, an invasive species is first found in Houston, Texas
- November 13 - The volcano Nevado del Ruiz erupts in Colombia, killing an estimated 23,000 people.
- Ethiopian famine continues - Live Aid attempts to raise funds for famine relief.

Unknown date

- Victoria celebrates its 150th anniversary.
- Capital gains tax introduced to Australia.
- Buckyballs discovered by Harold Kroto, Robert Curl and Richard Smalley.
- GNU Manifesto first written by Richard Stallman.
- Western Sahara is admitted to the Organization of African Unity; Morocco, which claims Western Sahara, leaves in protest.
- Solarquest, space age real estate game, first published by Golden.
- Free Software Foundation founded.
- Norma Phillips Thornworth elected president of Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

Births

- February 5 - Cristiano Ronaldo, Portuguese footballer
- February 9 - Rachel Melvin, American actress
- February 10 - Anette Sagen, Norwegian ski jumper
- February 18 - Lee Boyd Malvo, American serial killer
- February 19 - Haylie Duff, American actress and singer
- February 28 - FeFe Dobson, Canadian singer
- March 2 - Robert Iler, American actor
- March 13 - Emile Hirsch, American actor
- March 15 - Antti Autti, Finnish snowboarder
- March 24 - Haruka Ayase, Japanese actress and model
- March 26 - Keira Knightley, English actress
- May 2 - Sarah Hughes, American figure skater
- June 26 - Urgyen Trinley Dorje, Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader
- June 27 - Svetlana Kuznetsova, Russian tennis player
- June 28 - Phillip Bardsley, English footballer
- June 30 - Michael Phelps, American swimmer
- July 2 - Ashley Tisdale, American actress
- July 24 - Teagan Presley, American actress
- July 25 - James Lafferty, American actor and athlete
- September 14 - Aya Ueto, Japanese actress
- October 11 - Michelle Trachtenberg, American actress
- October 22 - Zachary Hanson, American musician
- October 24 - Wayne Rooney, English footballer
- October 25 - Ciara, American singer
- November 8 - Jack Osbourne, English actor
- November 30 - Kaley Cuoco, American actress
- November 18 - Rex Goudie, Canadian singer
- December 3 - Amanda Seyfried, American actress
- December 5 - Frankie Muniz, American actor
- December 10 - Raven Symone, American actress
- December 23 - Harry Judd, English drummer

Deaths

- January 4 - Sir Brian Horrocks, British general (b. 1895)
- March 10 - Konstantin Chernenko, Soviet politician (b. 1911)
- March 12 - Eugene Ormandy, Hungarian conductor (b. 1899)
- March 28 - Marc Chagall, Russian-born painter (b. 1887)
- April 11 - Enver Hoxha, Albanian dictator (b. 1908)
- May 5 - Sir Donald Bailey, British civil engineer (b. 1901)
- May 8 - Theodore Sturgeon, American writer (b. 1918)
- May 9 - Edmond O'Brien, American actor (b. 1915)
- May 10 - Chester Gould, American cartoonist (b. 1900)
- May 12 - Jean Dubuffet, French artist (b. 1901)
- May 16 - Margaret Hamilton, American actress (b. 1902)
- May 17 - Abe Burrows, American songwriter, composer, and writer (b. 1910)
- June 11 - Karen Ann Quinlan, American right-to-die cause célèbre (b. 1954)
- June 15 - Andy Stanfield, American athlete (b. 1927)
- July 2 - David Purley, British race car driver (b. 1945)
- July 9 - Jimmy Kinnon, Scottish founder of Narcotics Anonymous (b. 1911)
- July 16 - Heinrich Böll, German writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1917)
- July 19 - Janusz A. Zajdel, Polish writer (b. 1938)
- August 6 - Forbes Burnham, President of Guyana (b. 1923)
- August 12 - Manfred Winkelhock, German race car driver (b. 1951)
- August 25 - Samantha Smith, American schoolgirl activist (b. 1972)
- August 31 - Frank Macfarlane Burnet, Australian biologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1899)
- September 6 - Isabel Cox-Meighen, First Lady of Canada (b. 1882)
- September 6 - Little Brother Montgomery, American musician
- September 7 - Rodney Robert Porter, English biochemist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1917)
- September 8 - John Franklin Enders, American scientist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1887)
- September 9 - Paul Flory, American chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1910)
- September 11 - William Alwyn, English composer (b. 1905)
- September 19 - Italo Calvino, Italian writer (b. 1923)
- October 2 - Rock Hudson, American actor (b. 1925)
- October 6 - Nelson Riddle, American bandleader (b. 1921)
- October 10 - Yul Brynner, American actor (b. 1915)
- October 11 - Orson Welles, American film director (b. 1915)
- October 12 - Johnny Olson, American game show announcer (b. 1910)
- October 22 - Thomas Townsend Brown, American scientist (b. 1905)
- October 31 - Poul Reichhardt, Danish actor (b. 1913)
- November 5 - Spencer W. Kimball, president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (b. 1895)
- November 24 - Big Joe Turner, American blues singer (b. 1911)
- December 7 - Robert Graves, English writer (b. 1895)
- December 23 - Ferhat Abbas, Algerian nationalist (b. 1899)
- December 24 - Robert Lincoln Beckwith, last direct descendant of President Abraham Lincoln (b. 1904)
- December 27 - Dian Fossey, American biologist (b. 1932)
- December 31 - Ricky Nelson, American singer and actor (b. 1940)

Nobel Prizes

- Physics - Klaus von Klitzing
- Chemistry - Herbert A. Hauptman, Jerome Karle
- Literature - Claude Simon
- Peace - International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War
- Economics - Franco Modigliani

Templeton Prize

- Sir Alister Hardy

Right Livelihood Award

- Theo van Boven, Cary Fowler / Pat Mooney / Rural Advancement Fund International, Lokayan / Rajni Kothari and Duna Kör Category:1985 als:1985 ko:1985년 ja:1985年 simple:1985 th:พ.ศ. 2528

Lisbon

Lisbon (in Portuguese, Lisboa; pron. IPA ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal. It is the seat of the district of Lisbon. Lisbon has a population of 564,657 and its metropolitan area has a population of 2,665,000.

Geography and location

Lisbon is situated at 38°43' north, 9°8' west, making it the westernmost capital in mainland Europe. It is located in the west of the country, on the Atlantic Ocean coast at the point where the river Tagus flows into the Atlantic Ocean. The city occupies an area of 84.6 km². It is important to say that, unlike most major cities, the city boundaries are narrowly defined around the historical city perimeter. This gave rise to the existence of several administratively defined cities around Lisbon, such as Loures, Amadora and Oeiras, which in fact are part of the metropolitan perimeter of Lisbon. The historic centre of Lisbon is built on seven hills, making some of the city's streets too steep for motor vehicles; the city is served by three funicular services and one elevator. The western side of the city is mainly occupied by the Monsanto Natural Park, one of the largest urban parks in Europe with an area close to 10 square kilometers (almost 4 square miles).

Climate

Lisbon is one of the warmest European capitals. Spring and Summer months are usually sunny and maximum temperatures close to or above 30 °C during July and August, with low between 15 and 20 °C. Autumn and Winter are typically rainy and windy, yet sunny days are not rare either, the temperatures rarely fall below 5 °C, usually staying at an average of 10 °C. Average sunny hours per year are 3300 h/y, and 100 days with rain per year.

Demographics

The population of the city is 564 657, and the metropolitan area (Greater Lisbon) is 2 665 000. Lisbon is located in the wider region known as Lisboa e Vale do Tejo, with a population of 3 500 000, constituting about a third of the population of Portugal. The population density of the city itself is 6 606.9 inhabitants per km². It's expected that the population of the Lisbon Metropolitan Area will increase to some 4,5 million by 2015 and more than 5 million by 2020. It's the fastest increasing region in Portugal.

Culture

The heart of the city is the Baixa or downtown, this area of the city is being considered for UNESCO World Heritage Site status. The Baixa is organized in a grid-system and a network of squares built after the 1755 Lisbon earthquake, which scraped a big part of medieval town. The Castle of São Jorge and the Santa Maria Maior Cathedral are located on one of the seven hills of Lisbon, to the east of the Baixa. The oldest district of the city is Alfama, close to the Tagus, which has made it relatively unscathed through the various earthquakes. Other monuments include: The Castle of São Jorge, atop the tallest hill of the central city, Praça do Comércio (Commerce Square), Rossio Square, Restauradores Square, Elevador de Santa Justa, an elevator (lift) in Gothic revival style, built around 1900 to connect the Baixa and Bairro Alto. Jerónimos Monastery, Belém Tower The city of Lisbon is rich in architecture; Romanesque, Gothic, Manueline, Baroque, Traditional Portuguese, Modern and Post-Modern constructions can be found all over the city. The city is also crossed by great boulevards and monuments along these main thoroughfares, particularly in the upper districts; notable among these are the Avenida da Liberdade, Avenida Fontes Pereira de Mello, Avenida Almirante Reis and Avenida da República. Avenida da Liberdade Notable among the city's museums are: The Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga (National Museum of Ancient Art); the Museu dos Azulejos (Museum of Portuguese-style Tile Mosaics); the Museu Calouste Gulbenkian (Calouste Gulbenkian Museum, containing varied collections of ancient and modern art); the Oceanário de Lisboa (Lisbon Aquarium, largest in Europe); the Museu do Design at Centro Cultural de Belém (Design Museum); the Museu Nacional dos Coches (National Coach Museum, containing one of the largest collections of royal coaches in the world) and the Museu da Farmácia (Pharmacy Museum). Lisbon opera house, named Teatro Nacional São Carlos, hosts a relatively active culture agenda, mainly in Autumn and Winter. Other important theatres and musical houses are the Centro Cultural de Belem, the Teatro D Maria and the Gulbenkian Foundation. The monument to Christ the King [http://www.m-almada.pt/website/main.php?id=91 (Cristo Rei)] stands on the left side of the river, in Almada. With open arms, overlooking the whole city, it resembles the Corcovado monument in Rio de Janeiro, and was built after the World War II, as thanksgiving for Portugal being spared the horrors and destruction of the war.

History

Neolithic era to the Roman Empire

During the Neolithic the region was inhabited by the same peoples that lived in other regions of Atlantic Europe, and are known as the Iberians. They built religious monuments called megaliths. Dolmens and Menhirs still survive in the countryside around the city. The Celts invaded after first millennium BC and they intermarried with the Iberians, giving birth to the Celtic-speaking local tribes such as the Conii and Cempsi. Archeological findings prove that a Phoenician trading post existed in the place now occupied by the centre of the city since 1200 B.C.. The magnificent natural harbour provided by the estuary of the river Tagus made it the ideal spot for a settlement to provide foodstuffs to the Phoenician ships travelling to the tin islands (modern Isles of Scilly) and Cornwall. The new city was named Alis Ubbo or "safe harbour" in Phoenician. Besides sailing to the North, the Phoenicians also probably took advantage of the situation of the new colony at the mouth of Iberia's largest river to trade with the inland tribes for valuable metals. Other important local products were salt, salted fish and the then widely famous Lusitanian horses. Recently, Phoenician remains from the eighth century B.C. were found beneath the Middle Age Sé de Lisboa or main Cathedral of the modern city. According to an Ancient Greek myth, the hero Ulysses founded the city after he left Troy and departed to the Atlantic to escape the Greek coalition. However the foundation of the city by the Phoenicians predates any Greek presence in the area. The Greeks knew it as Olissipo, a name they thought was derived from Ulysses (over time, this was corrupted in vulgar Latin to Olissipona).

Roman Empire to the Moorish conquest

During the Punic wars, after the defeat of Hannibal (whose troops included members of the Conii) the Romans decided to deprive Carthage in its most valuable possession, Hispania (or "Spain"" in English but in fact Spain and Portugal). After the defeat of the Carthaginians by Scipio Africanus in Eastern Hispania, the pacification of the West was led by Consul Decimus Junius Brutus. He obtained the alliance of Olissipo which sent men to fight alonside the Legions against the Celtic tribes of the Northwest. In return, Olissipo was integrated in the Empire under the name of Felicitas Julia, a Municipium Cives Romanorum, that is, it was granted self-rule over a territory going as far away as 50 kilometres (30 miles), exempted from taxes and its citizens given the privileges of Roman citizenship. It was integrated in the newly created province of Lusitania, whose capital was Emerita Augusta. The attacks by the Lusitanians during the frequent rebellions over the next couple of centuries weakened the city and a wall was built. The Romans built a great Theatre in the time of Augustus; the Cassian Baths underneath the current Rua da Prata; Temples to Jupiter, Diana, Cybele, Tethys and Idae Phrygiae (an uncommon cult from Asia Minor), besides temples to the Emperor; a large necropolis under Figueira Plaza; a large Forum and other buildings such as insulae (multi-storied apartment buildings) existed in the area between the modern Castle Hill and Downtown. Many of these ruins were first unearthed during the middle Eighteenth century, when the recent discovery of Pompeii made Roman Archeology fashionable among Europe's upper classes. Economically Olissipo was known for its garum, a sort of fish sauce, highly prized by the elites of the Empire, and exported in Amphorae to Rome and other cities. Wine, salt and its famously fast horses were also exported. The city came to be very prosperous through suppression of piracy and technological advances, which allowed a boom in the trade with the newly Roman Provinces of Britannia (particularly Cornwall) and the Rhine; and the introduction of higher civilization to the tribes living by the river Tagus in the interior of Hispania. The city was ruled by an oligarchical council dominated by two families, the Julii and the Cassiae. Petitions are recorded addressed to the Governor of the province in Emerita and to the Empreror Tiberius, such as one requesting help dealing with "sea monsters" alegedly responsible for shipwrecks. Roman Lisbon's most famous son was Sertorius which early in the history of the Roman Period led a large rebellion against Dictator Sulla. Among the majority of Latin speaking peoples lived a surprisingly large minority of Greek traders and slaves. The city was connected by a broad road to Western Hispania's two other large cities, Bracara Augusta (in the province of Tarraconensis, today's Portuguese Braga); and Emerita Augusta, the capital of Lusitania, today Merida in Spain. In matters of religion, the city followed within the mainstream Roman Polytheist cults, but with special attention paid to the god of Medicina, Asclepius and the Moon goddess Cybele and a local lizard and snake divinity. Olissipo, like most great cities in the Western Empire, was a centre for the dissemination of Christianity. Its first Bishop was Saint Gens, and there were several martyrs killed by the pagans during the great persecutions: Maxima, Verissimus and Julia are the most significant names. The city was part of Roman Lusitania (although not the capital), was taken by Moors (it was called al-ʾIšbūnah (Arabic الأشبونة) under the Arabs in the Eighth Century (approximately 711), was reconquered 1147 by Dom Afonso Henriques, first king of Portugal (with the help of crusaders of the Second Crusade (see Siege of Lisbon). One of them, Gilbert of Hastings, was to became the first Bishop of the restored diocese of Lisbon. Lisbon has been the capital of Portugal since 1255. The University of Lisbon was originally founded in 1290, transferred several times to Coimbra and refounded in 1911 after centuries of inactivity, incorporating reformed former colleges and other non-university schools of the city (such as the Escola Politécnica). Today there are 3 public universities in the city (UL, UTL and UNL) and a public university institute (ISCTE) - see list of universities in Portugal.

Fall of the Moors to the Portuguese Empire

Lisbon reached its peak of prosperity during the period of the Portuguese Empire in the 16th century. On 26 January 1531 the city was hit by an earthquake which killed thousands. The XVI century marks the golden age for Lisbon. The city became the European hub of commerce with the Far East, while gold from Brazil also flooded into the city. earthquake On 1 November 1755 Lisbon was destroyed by another earthquake, the 1755 Lisbon earthquake, which killed between 60,000 and 90,000 people and destroyed eighty-five percent of the city [http://nisee.berkeley.edu/lisbon/index.html]. Voltaire wrote a long poem, "Poême sur le désastre de Lisbonne", shortly afterwards, and mentioned the earthquake in his 1759 novel Candide (indeed, many argue that this critique of optimism was inspired by that earthquake). Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. also mentions it in his 1857 poem, The Deacon's Masterpiece, or The Wonderful One-Hoss Shay. After the 1755 earthquake, the city was rebuilt largely according to the plans of the Marquês de Pombal; hence the designation of the lower town as Baixa Pombalina. Instead of rebuilding the medieval town, Marques de Pombal decided to demolish the remains of the earthquake and rebuild the down town in accordance with modern urban rules, in what would now probably be considered at least controversial.

After Napoléon

Lisbon was the centre of a republican coup October 4-5,1910 and the Carnation Revolution of April 25, 1974, which overthrew Antonio Salazar's successor Marcelo Caetano, the last prime-minister of the Portuguese Corporative Regime: the Estado Novo.

Events

In 1994, Lisbon was the European Capital of Culture. Expo '98 was held in Lisbon. The timing was intended to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Vasco da Gama's sea voyage to India. The Lisbon Agenda was an EU agreement on measures to revamp the EU economy signed in Lisbon at an EU summit in 1999, with progress well below original aspirations. Lisbon hosted the Euro 2004 competition. Every March the city hosts the world-famous Lisbon Half Marathon, one of the most attended events of its kind in the world. Every June, there are some 5 days of popular street partying, in memory of saint born in Lisbon — Anthony of Padua (or Santo Antonio), a wealthy Portuguese bohemian who was made a saint after a life dedicated to the lost things, the poor, and travelers. Although, Lisbon’s patron saint is Saint Vincent — whose remains are in the Cathedral (Se Catedral) — there aren't any festivities related to him. It regularly hosts countless other international events including various NATO, EU and other summits.

Economy

EU Lisbon, as the capital city of Portugal, has an economy concentrated on services. Most of the headquarters of multinationals operating in Portugal are concentrated in this city. Greater Lisbon is also heavily industrialized, especially the south bank of the Tagus river (Rio Tejo). The Lisbon region is by far the wealthiest in Portugal: it produces 45% of the Portuguese GDP, and in per capita terms it is well above the rest of Portugal and above the European Union average. The Lisbon region is likely to stop receiving development aid from the EU in the coming years.

Transportation

European Union] European Union] Though the Lisbon public transportation network is extremely far-reaching and reliable, the city still suffers from endemic severe traffic problems. Lisbon's transportation system has the Metro as its main artery. Connecting the city centre with the upper and eastern districts. Ambitious expansion projects will increase the network by almost one third, connecting the airport, and the northern and western districts. Bus, funicular and tram services have been supplied by the Companhia de Carris de Ferro de Lisboa (Carris), for over a century. There are four suburban lines departing from Lisbon: the Cascais, Sintra and Azambuja lines as well as a fourth line to Setúbal crossing the Tagus river over the 25 de Abril bridge. The city is connected to the far side of the Tagus by two important bridges:
- The April 25 Bridge, inaugurated (as the Ponte Salazar) August 6, 1966, and later renamed after the date of the Carnation Revolution. It is the longest suspension bridge in Europe and a replica (made by the same engineers) of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.
- The Vasco da Gama Bridge, inaugurated May 1998, is one of the longest in the world and the longest in Europe. Lisbon is connected to its suburbs and the rest of Portugal by an extensive motorway network. There are three circular motorways around the city; the 2ª Circular, the CRIL and the CREL.

Colleges and universities in Lisbon

There are 4 major state universities in Lisbon, the University of Lisbon, founded in 1911 (it is the oldest institution of higher education in Lisbon, its history backing to 1290), the Technical University of Lisbon, New University of Lisbon and the ISCTE, all of them providing degrees in the sciences, engineering, education and humanities. There is also a polytechnic institute, the Polytechnical Institute of Lisbon. Major private institutions of higher education include the renowned Portuguese Catholic University, as well as the [http://www.umoderna.pt/ Modern University of Lisbon], the Lusiada University, the [http://www.ulusofona.pt/ Lusófona University of Humanities and Technologies] and the [http://www.universidade-autonoma.pt/ Autonomous University of Lisbon].

Miscellaneous

- Two EU agencies are headquartered in Lisbon; the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) and the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA). The CPLP (Community of Portuguese Language Countries [Portuguese Commonwealth]), is also headquartered in Lisbon.
- Lisbon is the original birthplace of fado music.
- The remains of Luís de Camões, author of the epic Os Lusíadas, can be visited at the Jerónimos Monastery. The remains of other great Portuguese men and women can be visited at the National Pantheon.
- Lisbon is served by Portela Airport, the largest in Portugal. Plans for construction of a new airport in Ota (50 km from Lisbon) have been around for years, with systematic postponements.
- The football clubs SL Benfica and Sporting Clube de Portugal, playing in the highest Portuguese division and the European competitions are from Lisbon.

Buildings

- Vasco-da-Gama-Tower
- Gare do Oriente

Prominent people born in Lisbon

- Anthony of Padua (1195-1231)
- Pope John XXI, né Petrus Juliani (1215-1277)
- Antonio Vieira (1608-1697), Jesuit
- Catherine of Braganza (1638-1705), queen consort of King Charles II of England
- Richard William Church (1815-1890)
- Fernando Pessoa (1888-1935)
- Amália Rodrigues (1920-1999), fado singer
- Mário Soares (born 1924), politician
- Paula Rego (born 1935), painter, illustrator and printmaker

Greater Lisbon

Like most big cities, Lisbon is surrounded by smaller towns/cities which depend on Lisbon for their economic and social life. It is estimated that close to one million people enter Lisbon every day from the outskirts. Among the most interesting neighbouring towns are Cascais, Estoril and Sintra, including the westernmost point in Continental Europe, the Cabo da Roca, as well as beautiful palaces, landscapes and cultural life.

External links

- [http://www.lisbon-and-portugal.com/travel/lisbon-portugal.html Lisbon and Portugal], Overview on the city of Lisbon and other Portugal cities.
- [http://www.lisbon-guide.info/ Lisbon Guide] a detailed guide to Lisbon and meeting point for foreigners living in the city.
- [http://www.atl-turismolisboa.pt/sitemap_uk.htm Turismo de Lisboa] offers a comprehensive overview of the city for visitors, including a zoomable map.
- [http://webcam.deili.info/en,1,24,143 Webcam in Lisbon (Lisboa)]
- [http://www.lisbonphotos.net/ Lisbon Photos] a collection of Photos, showing Lisbon as it is to visitors.
- [http://francois.schreuer.org/photos/20050202_lisbonne.html A few pictures of Lisbon] available under Creative Commons
- [http://sabin.ro/gallery/lisbon Lisbon Photo Gallery] 78 pictures of the main sights in Lisbon
- [http://www.hotels-portugal.com/portu_70716.htm Hotels in lisbon]
- [http://www.cm-lisboa.pt/ Official page of the city]
- [http://www.lisbonguide.net/ Travel Guide to Lisbon]
- [http://www.hot-maps.de/europe/portugal/lisbon/homeen.html Interactive map of Lisbon]
- [http://www.forumlisboa.com Forum Lisboa] Category:Cities in Portugal Category:Municipalities of Portugal ko:리스본 ja:リスボン simple:Lisbon

Verdejante

Verdejante é um município brasileiro do estado de Pernambuco. Localiza-se a uma latitude 07º55'32" Sul e a uma longitude 38º58'18" Oeste, estando a uma altitude de 494 metros. Sua população estimada em 2004 era de 9 212 habitantes. Possui uma área de 449,17 km². categoria:Municípios de Pernambuco

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O GRES (Grêmio Recreativo Escola de Samba) Imperatriz Leopoldinense foi fundado em 6 de março de 1959. Oito vezes campeã do Carnaval, a escola conta atualmente com o trabalho da artista Rosa Magalhães como um dos grandes trunfos de seus desfiles. Foi Amaury Jório quem idealizou a fundação da escola de samba de Ramos. Reunido com os dissidentes do Recreio de Ramos, Oswaldo Gomes Pereira (que foi também o primeiro presidente da escola), Elísio Pereira de Mello, Agenor Gomes Pereira, Vicente Venâncio da Conceição, José da Silv

Escola de Samba Beija-flor
O GRES (Grêmio Recreativo Escola de Samba) Beija-flor de Nilópolis, é uma escola de samba fundada em 25 de Dezembro de 1948. Suas cores são o azul e o branco. O bloco Associação Carnavalesca Beija-Flor, de Nilópolis, na Baixada Fluminense, nasceu nas

Escola de Samba Tradição
GRES (Grêmio Recreativo Escola de Samba) Tradição - é uma escola de samba do Rio de Janeiro, com sede em Madureira, fundada em 1984. Suas cores são o azul e o branco. Fundada a partir de uma dissidência da Portela, pelos familiares do

Lista de imperadores da Rússia
Esta é uma Lista de monarcas russos. __NOTOC__

Príncipes de Moscou e Grão-Príncipes da Rússia

Dinastia Riurikovich

- Daniel da Rússia (r. 1283 - 1303)
- Yuri da Rússia (r. 1303 - 1325)
- Ivan I da Rússia (r. 1325 - 1341)
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Lista de Czares da Rússia
Esta é uma Lista de monarcas russos. __NOTOC__

Príncipes de Moscou e Grão-Príncipes da Rússia

Dinastia Riurikovich

- Daniel da Rússia (r. 1283 - 1303)
- Yuri da Rússia (r. 1303 - 1325)
- Ivan I da Rússia (r. 1325 - 1341)
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Listas de Chefes de Estado
Esta é uma Lista de Chefes de Estado.

Condes

Para uma lista de condados integrados em casas reais (não independentes) veja aqui
- Condado de Anjou
- Condado da Flandres
- Condado de Hainaut
- Condado da Holanda
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Taikonauta
Astronauta é a palavra que designa os homens que pilotam uma espaçonave, ou são passageiros nela, desenvolvendo atividades no espaço exterior, ou seja, acima de 100 km de altitude (veja atmosfera). O termo ficou consagrado durante a corrida espacial pela conquista da Lua, na década de 1960, entre EUA e

Lista de campeãs do carnaval do Rio
Lista de campeãs do carnaval do Rio :Classificação - Agremiação - Enredo - Carnavalesco
- 1932
- 1º - GRES Estação Primeira de Mangueira - Sorrindo
- 1933
- 1º - GRES Estação Primeira de Mangueira - (Uma 2a.feira no Bonfim da Bahia) e Recreio de Ramos (extinta)-
- 1934
- 1º - vidro maciço, pedra, ou metal, normalmente escura, manchada ou intensamente colorida, de tamanho variável, usada em jogos de criança. As modalidades são tão variadas quanto os nomes que o berlinde recebe, variando de cidade em cidade, de rua em rua, de acordo com a criatividad

Desvio-padrão
Em probabilidade e Estatística, o desvio padrão é a medida mais comum da dispersão estatística. O desvio-padrão define-se como a raiz quadrada da variância. É definido desta forma de maneira a dar-nos uma medida da dispersão que seja: # um número não negativo; # use as mesmas unidades de medida que os nossos dados. Faz-se uma distinção entre o desvio padrão σ (sigma) d