Denver

The Colorado State Capitol Building, located at 200 East Colfax Avenue in Denver, Colorado, is the home of the Colorado General Assembly and the... offices of the Governor of Colorado and Lieutenant Governor of Colorado. The building is intentionally reminiscent of the United States Capitol. Designed by Elijah E. Myers, it was constructed in the 1890s from Colorado white granite, and opened for use in November 1894. The distinctive gold dome consists of real gold plate, first added in 1908, commemorating the Colorado Gold Rush. The building is part of Denver's Civic Center area. Serving as the beginning of the Capitol Hill district, the historic building sits slightly higher than the rest of downtown Denver. The main entrance hall is open 180 feet to the top of the dome, about the height of an 18-story building. Additionally, the official elevation of Denver is measured outside the west entrance to the building, where the fifteenth step is engraved with the words "One Mile Above Sea Level." From this step, at 5,280 feet , the sun can be seen setting behind the Rocky Mountains.
more

Chamberlin Observatory is an astronomical observatory owned and operated by University of Denver. It is located in Denver, Colorado in Observatory... Park. It is named for Humphrey B. Chamberlin, a Denver real estate magnate who pledged $50,000 in 1888 to build and equip the facility. The observatory building was designed by Robert S. Roeschlaub, with the astronomical aspects and functions designed by Professor Herbert Alonzo Howe after he visited many observatories in the east. It was modeled after the Goodsell Observatory at Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota, and constructed from rusticated red sandstone blocks. The Romanesque structure includes a central rotunda and domed roof. Construction began in 1890. The 20-inch objective lens for the observatory's main refracting telescope was made by Alvan Clark & Sons, and the mount was built by George Nicholas Saegmuller. The mount rests on a cast iron pillar which is in turn supported by a massive stone pier. Assembly of the telescope was supervised by Professor Herbert Alonzo Howe. The telescope saw first light in 1894.
more

The Denver Museum of Nature & Science is a municipal natural history and science museum in Denver, Colorado. It is a resource for informal... science education in the Rocky Mountain region. A variety of exhibitions, programs, and activities help museum visitors learn about the natural history of Colorado, Earth, and the universe. The 500,000-square-foot building houses more than one million objects in its collections including natural history and anthropological materials, as well as archival and library resources. The Museum is an independent, nonprofit institution with approximately 350 full-time and part-time staff, more than 1,600 volunteers, and a 25-member Board of Trustees. It is accredited by the American Association of Museums . The Museum provides programming in six main areas. The exhibitions, IMAX films, lectures, classes, and programs pertain to one or more of the following core competencies: More than 178,000 students and teachers visit the Museum with school groups each year. In addition, the Museum has science outreach programs and distance–learning opportunities for families, schools and surrounding communities.
more

The Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum is located on the former grounds of Lowry Air Force Base in Denver, Colorado. The museum, which... opened in 1994, is housed in the 40,000 sq ft Hangar #1 built in 1939. The museum preserves the history of Lowry AFB's operations from 1938 to 1994 in its collections, archives, and research library. Features of the museum's collection includes Colorado Aviation Historical Society's Alexander Eaglerock biplane built in Englewood, USAF's B-1A Lancer bomber, and many other military and generation aircraft. The Wings Museum is open seven days a week and provides services, aircraft collections, a variety of exhibit rooms and cases, hands-on exhibits, and open cockpit demonstrations hosted by trained volunteers and Civil Air Patrol Cadets. Traveling exhibits and loans offer unique perspectives on military aviation. Such an exhibit was the Francis Gary Powers Memorial, which told his story as a U-2 spy pilot and included displays of memorabilia and photographs of the late U.S. Air Force and civilian aviator. During the summers, the Museum hosts weekly Space Camp events tailored to different age brackets of children.
more

The Forney Transportation Museum is a transport museum located in Denver, Colorado. It is named after the founder, J.D. Forney, who started Forney... Industries, Inc., in Fort Collins. The museum maintains a collection of approximately 500 exhibits. Its early years were focused on antique automobiles but the focus soon expanded to other modes of transport. The museum has a slogan, "Anything on Wheels," and includes the following items: The Forney Museum of Transportation began as a private collection and has expanded into one of the finest transportation collections in the country. Mr. J.D. Forney, founder of Forney Industries in Ft. Collins, Colorado, became interested in antique and classic cars after his wife and children gave him a 1921 Kissel yellow Tourister, the same model he used to court his wife Rae. Forney Industries has produced many products such as the Fornair airplane, a central vacuum system and portable vacuum cleaner, auto generators, and battery chargers, but the best-known products are the different models of electric welders and welding supplies. Mr. Forney started taking in old cars and carriages as trades on some of the welder sales.
more

Matthew Richard "Matt" Stone is an American screenwriter, producer, voice artist, musician and actor, best known for being the co-creator of South... Park along with creative partner and best friend, Trey Parker. Stone and Parker launched their largely collaborative careers in 1992, making a holiday short titled Jesus vs. Frosty. Their first success came from Alferd Packer: The Musical, subsequently distributed as Cannibal! The Musical. From there he made another short title Jesus vs. Santa, leading him and his college friend Trey Parker to create the animated television series South Park, which has been on television for over a decade. He has four Emmy Awards for his role in South Park, winning for both "Outstanding Programming More Than One Hour" and "Outstanding Programming Less Than One Hour". Stone was born in Houston, Texas to Gerald Whitney Stone, Jr. , an economics professor and textbook author, and Sheila Lois Belasco . Stone's mother is Jewish and his father was of Irish descent.
more

Trey Parker is an American animator, screenwriter, director, producer, voice artist, musician and actor, best known for being the co-creator of the... television series South Park along with his creative partner and best friend Matt Stone. Parker started his film career in 1992, making a holiday short titled Jesus vs. Frosty. His first success came from Cannibal! The Musical. From there he made another short titled Jesus vs. Santa, which led him and his college friend, Matt Stone, to create the animated television series South Park, which began airing on television in 1997. He has won 4 Emmy Awards for his role in South Park, winning for both "Outstanding Programming More Than One Hour" and "Outstanding Programming Less Than One Hour". He has co-written and co-directed the 2011 multi-Tony Award winning musical The Book of Mormon. Parker was born in Denver, Colorado, the son of Randy and Sharon . The two share the first names and occupations of South Park characters Randy and Sharon Marsh. He has an older sister named Shelley, which is also the name of Stan Marsh's older sister.
more

Katherine Marie Heigl is an American actress and producer. She is possibly best known for her role as Dr. Izzie Stevens on ABC's Grey's Anatomy from... 2005 to 2010, for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress – Drama Series in 2007. She has also starred in films such as Knocked Up, Zyzzyx Road, 27 Dresses, The Ugly Truth, Killers, Life As We Know It, New Year's Eve and One for the Money. Heigl started her career as a child model with Wilhelmina Models before she turned her attention to acting. She made her debut in the coming-of-age film That Night. Heigl co-starred as Isabel Evans in the television series Roswell and movies including My Father the Hero before landing her break-out role in Grey's Anatomy. Heigl has established herself as a cover model appearing on numerous publications including Maxim, Vanity Fair and Cosmopolitan. Heigl is married to singer Josh Kelley, with whom she has a daughter. Heigl was born in Washington, D.C., at Columbia Hospital for Women. She is the daughter of Nancy , a personnel manager, and Paul Heigl, a financial executive and accountant.
more

Martin Fitzgerald Lawrence is an American actor, film director, film producer, screenwriter, and stand up comedian. He came to fame during the... 1990s, establishing a Hollywood career as a leading actor, most notably the films Bad Boys, Blue Streak, and Big Momma's House. Lawrence has acted in numerous film roles and starred in his own television series, Martin, which ran from 1992 to 1997. Lawrence was born in Frankfurt am Main, Hesse in Germany on April 16, 1965, to American parents. He was given his first name after civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. and his middle name after US President John F. Kennedy. His father, John Lawrence, served in the US Military. After his parents divorced when he was eight, Lawrence rarely saw his father, who worked as a police officer at the time. His mother, Chlora , began working several jobs to support her family. During his teen years, Lawrence excelled at boxing. He lived in Maryland, and attended Thomas G.
more

Keri Russell is an actor and dancer.

Stacie Joy Orrico is a Contemporary Christian and R&B singer-songwriter and occasional actress. In 1998, she signed to ForeFront Records when... she was 12 years old, and recorded her first album Genuine , which sold 13,000 in the first week of release. After her first album she signed to a new record label, Virgin Records, and started to record her self-titled album Stacie Orrico . The album, which debuted at No. 59 on the Billboard Hot 200, was certified gold with over 500,000 sales in the U.S. The first single "Stuck" reached number No. 52 on Billboard Hot 100, but worldwide a bigger success. Her second single " More to Life" debuted at No. 30 on the Billboard Hot 100. Her self-titled album has achieved sales worldwide of over 3.5 million. In the same year, she made her first television appearance as an actress in two episodes of American Dreams. She lost her label ForeFront Records in 2005 after 7 years and decided to concentrate on her music career and began writing her third album, Beautiful Awakening . The first single "I'm Not Missing You" was released in August 2006.
more

Phil Austin is a comedian and writer. He was born in Denver, Colorado and later grew up in Fresno, California, attending Fresno High School. He... attended Bowdoin College and UCLA, joining the staff of KPFK radio in Los Angeles in the late 1960s. Austin is best known for his work as part of The Firesign Theatre , where he plays the group's best-known creation, Nick Danger. Other prominent roles are as Harry Cox, the narrator of Everything You Know Is Wrong and Bebop Loco/Lobo on Give Me Immortality or Give Me Death. He is also serves as the troupe's musician and record producer. His collection of short stories, Tales of the Old Detective and Other Big Fat Lies, is published by Audio Editions. Two of his stories appear in the third volume of Mirth of a Nation. Austin also wrote a solo work, Roller Maidens From Outer Space, and directed Eat Or Be Eaten.
more

Tim Allen is an American comedian, actor, voice-over artist, and entertainer, known for his role in the sitcom Home Improvement. He is also known... for his starring roles in several popular films, including the Toy Story film series, The Santa Clause film series, and Galaxy Quest. Allen currently stars in the ABC sitcom Last Man Standing. Born in Denver, Colorado, Allen is the son of Martha Katherine , a community-service worker, and Gerald M. Dick, a real estate agent. He is the third oldest of five brothers. His father died in a car accident, colliding with a drunk driver, when Allen was 11. Two years later, his mother married her high school sweetheart, a successful business executive, and moved with her six children to Birmingham, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit, to be with her new husband and his three children. Allen attended Ernest W. Seaholm High School in Birmingham, where he was in theater and music classes . He then attended Central Michigan University and transferred to Western Michigan University in 1974.
more

Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. was an American actor, screenwriter, director and producer. He was best known for his swashbuckling roles in silent films... such as The Thief of Bagdad, Robin Hood, and The Mark of Zorro. An astute businessman, Fairbanks was a founding member of United Artists. Fairbanks was also a founding member of The Motion Picture Academy and hosted the first Oscars Ceremony in 1929. With his marriage to Mary Pickford in 1920, the couple became Hollywood royalty and Fairbanks was referred to as "The King of Hollywood", a nickname later passed on to actor Clark Gable. His career rapidly declined with the advent of the "talkies". The future screen actor was born Douglas Elton Thomas Ullman in Denver, CO, the son of H. Charles Ullman and Ella Adelaide Marsh . He had a half-brother, John Fairbanks, Jr. , and a full brother, Robert Payne Ullman . The father of Douglas Fairbanks, Hezekiah Charles Douglas Ullman , was born in Berrysburg, Pa. but raised in Williamsport.
more

Karl Christian Rove was Senior Advisor and Deputy Chief of Staff to former President George W. Bush until Rove's resignation on August 31, 2007. He... has headed the Office of Political Affairs, the Office of Public Liaison, and the White House Office of Strategic Initiatives. Since leaving the White House, Rove has worked as a political analyst and contributor for Fox News, Newsweek and The Wall Street Journal. Prior to his White House appointments, Rove was a Republican political consultant and strategist. He is credited with the successful 1994 and 1998 Texas gubernatorial victories of George W. Bush, as well as Bush's 2000 and 2004 successful presidential campaigns. In his 2004 victory speech Bush referred to Rove as "the Architect". Rove has also been credited for the successful campaigns of John Ashcroft , Bill Clements , Senator John Cornyn , Governor Rick Perry , and Phil Gramm .
more

Duane Lee "Dog" Chapman, Sr. is an American bounty hunter and a former bail bondsman. He stars in Dog the Bounty Hunter, a weekly reality television... program which is broadcast on the A&E Network , FOX8 and GO! , OLN and A&E Network , Sky1 and Sky2 , MAX and RTL II . Chapman claims he has made more than 6,000 captures in his 27-year career. As an ex-con, he says: “I am what rehabilitation stands for.” Duane Lee Chapman was born on February 2, 1953 to Wesley Chapman and Barbara Chapman. He is the eldest of four children, having two younger sisters and one brother. According to Chapman, he is of Native American Chiricahua ancestry, on his mother's side. While a member of the Devils Diciples , an outlaw motorcycle club, Chapman reportedly gained the nickname "Dog" from another gang member, because of his relationship with God. His mother was a minister for the First Assembly of God church and passed her faith onto her son. He quit school after seventh grade.
more

Constance Elaine Trimmer Willis is an American science fiction writer. She has won eleven Hugo Awards and seven Nebula Awards. Willis most recently... won a Hugo Award for Blackout/All Clear . She was inducted to the Science Fiction Museum and Science Fiction Hall of Fame in 2009. Willis's first published story, "The Secret of Santa Titicaca," appeared in Worlds of Fantasy in 1971. After receiving an NEA grant in 1982, she left her teaching job and became a full-time writer. Willis is known for her accessible prose and likable characters. She has written several pieces involving time travel by history students and faculty of the future University of Oxford. These pieces include her Hugo Award-winning novels Doomsday Book and To Say Nothing of the Dog, the short story "Fire Watch" , and the two-volume novel Blackout/All Clear. All but one of the Oxford University Time Travel tales have won both the Hugo Award and the Nebula Award. Willis tends to the comedy of manners style of writing.
more