Philadelphia

The Philadelphia Museum of Art is among the largest art museums in the United States. It is located at the west end of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway... in Philadelphia's Fairmount Park. The Museum was established in 1876 in conjunction with the Centennial Exposition of the same year. Originally called the Pennsylvania Museum and School of Industrial Art, its founding was inspired by the South Kensington Museum in London, which grew out of the Great Exhibition of 1851. The Museum, at that time housed in the Centennial Exposition's Memorial Hall, opened its doors to the public on May 10, 1877. While this location was adequate, it was remote from the vast majority of the city's inhabitants. Construction of the current building began in 1919 when Mayor Thomas B. Smith laid the cornerstone in a Masonic ceremony on the former reservoir land of the decommissioned Fairmount Water Works covering 10 acres of ground. The first section was completed in early 1928. The quasi-Greek Revival design was produced by Horace Trumbauer and the firm of Zantzinger, Borie and Medary. The facade of the building is of Minnesota dolomite.
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The University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archeology and Anthropology, commonly called The University Museum, is an archaeology and anthropology... museum that is part of the University of Pennsylvania in University City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. An internationally renowned educational and research institution dedicated to the understanding of cultural diversity and the exploration of the history of humankind, the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology—which has conducted more than 400 archaeological and anthropological expeditions around the world—was founded during the administration of Provost William Pepper. In 1887, Provost Pepper persuaded the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania to erect a fireproof building to house artifacts from an upcoming expedition to the ancient site of Nippur in modern-day Iraq . During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, North American and European museums regularly sponsored such excavations throughout the Mediterranean and Near East, sharing the ownership of their discoveries with the host country.
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The Eastern State Penitentiary is a former American prison in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is located on 2027 Fairmount Avenue between Corinthian... Avenue and North 22nd Street in the Fairmount section of Philadelphia and was operational from 1829 until 1971. Its revolutionary system of incarceration was the first to establish the policy of separate confinement, emphasizing principles of reform rather than punishment. Notorious criminals such as bank robber Willie Sutton and Al Capone were held inside its unique wagon wheel design. When the building was erected it was the largest and most expensive public structure ever constructed, quickly becoming a model for more than 300 prisons worldwide. The prison is currently a U.S. National Historic Landmark, which is open to the public as a museum for tours seven days a week, twelve months a year 10 am to 5 pm. Designed by John Haviland and opened on October 25, 1829, Eastern State is considered to be the world's first true penitentiary, despite the fact that the Walnut Street Jail, which opened in 1776, was called a "penitentiary" as early as 1790 .
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The Academy of Natural Sciences is the oldest natural science research institution and museum in the New World. It was founded in 1812 by many of the... leading naturalists of the young republic with its expressed mission of "the encouragement and cultivation of the sciences." For over nearly two centuries of continuous operations, the Academy has sponsored expeditions, conducted original environmental and systematics research, and amassed natural history collections containing more than 17 million specimens. The Academy also has a long tradition of public exhibits and educational programs for both schools and the general public. During the first decades of the United States, Philadelphia was the cultural capital and one of the country's commercial centers. Two of the city's institutions, the Library Company and the American Philosophical Society, were centers of enlightened thought and scientific inquiry. Yet, the increasing sophistication of the earth and life sciences combined with a growing awareness of the great variety of life and landscape in the American wilderness waiting to be discovered merited the establishment of an institution dedicated to the natural sciences.
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John William Coltrane was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. He was beatified by the African Orthodox Church as Saint John William Coltrane.... Working in the bebop and hard bop idioms early in his career, Coltrane helped pioneer the use of modes in jazz and later was at the forefront of free jazz. He was prolific, organizing at least fifty recording sessions as a leader during his recording career, and appeared as a sideman on many other albums, notably with trumpeter Miles Davis and pianist Thelonious Monk. As his career progressed, his music took on an increasingly spiritual dimension. His second wife was pianist Alice Coltrane, and their son Ravi Coltrane is also a saxophonist. He influenced innumerable musicians, and remains one of the most significant tenor saxophonists in jazz history. He received many awards, among them a posthumous Special Citation from the Pulitzer Prize Board in 2007 for his "masterful improvisation, supreme musicianship and iconic centrality to the history of jazz.
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Arlen Specter is the senior United States senator from Pennsylvania. Specter is a Democrat, but was a Republican from 1965 until switching back to... the Democratic Party in 2009. Elected to the Senate in 1980, Specter staked out a spot in the political center. In April 2006, he was selected by Time as one of America's Ten Best Senators. On April 28, 2009, Specter announced that, after 44 years as an elected Republican, he was switching to the Democratic Party, citing that he was increasingly "at odds with the Republican philosophy." On May 18, 2010, Specter was defeated in the Democratic primary by Joe Sestak. Specter was born in Wichita, Kansas, the youngest child of Lillie Shanin , and Harry Specter, who had emigrated from Russia in 1911. The family lived at 940 South Emporia Street in Wichita before moving to Russell, Kansas. He was raised in the Jewish faith in Russell, also the hometown of fellow politician Bob Dole. Specter's father served in the U.S. infantry during World War I, and was badly wounded.
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Vickilyn Reynolds is an American film and television actress and singer. Vickilyn Reynolds, an African-American, was born in Philadelphia,... Pennsylvania. She first appeared on television in 1987 where she appeared on Kate & Allie, the following year she had appeared in two films, Crossing Delancey and I'm Gonna Git You Sucka. She has recently appeared on American Dreams in the episode "Beyond the Wire". She last appeared on television in 2005 where she played a talk show host in the film When Do We Eat?. Reynolds has also appeared on 227, an African-American television show. , Vickilyn Reynolds had appeared on a television commercial for the Saturn Corporation.
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Brian Klugman is an American actor. Klugman was born in the suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His father is a real estate broker, and his... mother is a school teacher. Klugman's uncle is Golden Globe Award-winning actor Jack Klugman. Klugman has two brothers and one sister: Michael "Mike" Klugman , Jeffrey "Jeff" Klugman , and Laurie Klugman . He attended the Germantown Academy for high school, and Carnegie Mellon University for 2 years. Brian is nicknamed "Klugger". Klugman's most recent role has been in House on the episode "97 Seconds" as Thomas Stark, he has also appeared in Cloverfield, The Bogus Witch Project, Dreamland, Frasier, and National Lampoon's Adam & Eve. Klugman also appeared in the 2009 horror/thriller Vacancy 2: The First Cut in the role of "Reece".
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George Edward "Butch" Ballard is an American jazz drummer who during his long career has played with musicians such as Louis Armstrong, Count Basie... and Duke Ellington. Ballard was born in Camden, New Jersey and grew up in Frankford, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As a child he followed American Legion parades near his home, focusing particularly on the drummer. When he was about 10 years old, Ballard's father bought him a set of drums from a pawnbroker and he began to take lessons for 75 cents each. He got the nickname "Butch" after Machine Gun Butch, a character in the 1930 film The Big House. He attended Northeast High School in Philadelphia. When he was 21, he married Jessie, for whom he bought a house in Philadelphia in 1950. At around 16 years old, Ballard listened to Herb Thornton's band at the Boys Club in Philadelphia. They let him play with them, and he was invited to join a band by a man who heard him. For the following few months, he carried his drums across Philadelphia to rehearse. In 1938, Ballard started playing with Louis Armstrong's band The Dukes. He performed with them for a few years.
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Murray Grand was an American singer, songwriter, lyricist, and pianist best known for the song "Guess Who I Saw Today". Born in Philadelphia,... Pennsylvania, Grand played piano as a teenager. During World Ward II, he served as and infantryman in U.S. Army and played piano accompaniment for USO Tour stars including Gypsy Rose Lee and Betty Grable. After the war, Grand studied piano and composition at the Juilliard School and worked as a cabaret performer in New York City. In 1952, he wrote “Guess Who I Saw Today” for the Broadway musical revue New Faces of 1952. The song has been recorded by Nancy Wilson, Carmen McRae, and Eydie Gorme among others. Grand’s other songs include “Hurry”, “April in Fairbanks” “ Boozers and Losers" , "Thursday's Child", "Too Old to Die Young", "I Always Say Hello to a Flower", "Everything You Want", “Come By Sunday”, "I'd Rather Cha-Cha than Eat", "Comment Allez-Vous" and “Not a Moment Too Soon”. Grand’s songs have been recorded by Peggy Lee, Eartha Kitt, Paula West, Blossom Dearie, Toni Tennille, Eydie Gorme, and Michael Feinstein.
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Walter Crawford Kelly, Jr. , better known as Walt Kelly, was an American animator and cartoonist, best known for the influential comic strip, Pogo.... He won the National Cartoonists Society's Reuben Award in 1951 for Cartoonist of the Year, and their Silver T-Square Award in 1972, which is given to persons having "demonstrated outstanding dedication or service to the Society or the profession." He was posthumously inducted into the comic book industry's Jack Kirby Hall of Fame in 1992 and the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 1995. Born of Irish-American heritage in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Walter Crawford Kelly, Sr. and Genevieve Kelly, Walt's family moved to Bridgeport, Connecticut during his second year. After graduating from Warren Harding High School in 1930, Kelly worked at odd jobs until he was hired as a crime reporter on the Bridgeport Post. He also took up cartooning and illustrated a biography of fellow Bridgeport native P. T. Barnum.
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Jon Fishman is an American drummer best known for his work with the band Phish. He is credited with co-writing 18 Phish originals, 7 of them as a... solo credit . Fishman was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was then adopted, and grew up in Syracuse, New York with a Jewish family. Fishman had a passion for the drums from an early age, and emulated John Bonham, the drummer for Led Zeppelin, Bill Bruford of Yes, and Keith Moon of The Who. He went to Jamesville-Dewitt High School in a suburb of Syracuse, and after graduation in 1983, he attended the University of Vermont for one year, where he co-founded Phish. He then transferred with guitarist Trey Anastasio to Goddard College, where he wrote his senior study on "A Self-Teaching Guide to Drumming in Retrospect." As of 2005, he lived in Essex, Vermont. The band Phish was named after him though other explanations for the name have been given . Other than drumming, he also sings back-up vocals and occasionally lead-vocals .
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Kobe Bean Bryant is an American professional basketball player who plays shooting guard in the National Basketball Association for the Los Angeles... Lakers. Bryant enjoyed a successful high school basketball career at Lower Merion High School, where he was recognized as the top high school basketball player in the country. He decided to declare his eligibility for the NBA Draft upon graduation, and was selected with the 13th overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Hornets, then traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. As a rookie, Bryant earned himself a reputation as a high-flyer and a fan favorite by winning the 1997 Slam Dunk Contest. Bryant and then-teammate Shaquille O'Neal led the Lakers to three consecutive NBA championships from 2000 to 2002. After O'Neal's departure following the 2003–04 season, Bryant became the cornerstone of the Lakers franchise. He led the NBA in scoring during the 2005–06 and 2006–07 seasons, setting numerous scoring records in the process.
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Kelly Marie Monaco is an American model, actress, reality television contestant and winner of Dancing with the Stars in Season 1. Since 2003, she... has played the character of Sam McCall on General Hospital. In April 1997, Monaco became the Playboy Playmate of the Month. Throughout her tenure with Playboy in the 1990s, Monaco was also featured in many Playboy Special Edition publications. Monaco made numerous cover appearances in other magazines such as FHM and Maxim. Along with her Maxim feature in 2005, the magazine also awarded her 13th place on their annual Hot 100 List in May 2006. Monaco's first television role was on the nighttime drama Baywatch from 1997 to 1998. In addition to playing the role of Susan on the show, Monaco also was Carmen Electra's body double at times, as Electra could not swim. Monaco also had minor roles in the late 1990s films BASEketball, Idle Hands, and Mumford. Monaco had two roles on the supernatural television soap opera Port Charles: Olivia “Livvie” Locke Morley and Tess Ramsey . When that program ended, she joined the cast of soap opera General Hospital as Samantha “Sam” McCall in September 2003.
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Lani Todd is an American model. Todd was briefly a Cyber Girl of the Week in the Playboy Cyber Club in September 2002, but her pictorial was quickly... pulled. She was Playboy's Playmate of the Month in December 2002 and appeared in three Playboy videos. Lani works as a hair stylist and make-up artist in Pennsylvania and was active in Tropical Storm Katrina relief efforts.
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Dolores Donlon , who is an American model and actress. She was Playboy magazine's Playmate of the Month for the August 1957 issue. Her centerfold was... photographed by Peter Gowland. She had a number of film and television roles in the 1950s and early 1960s. She was the third Hollywood wife of talent agent Victor Orsatti, whom she married in 1949 .
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