Washington

The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the President of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in... Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical style. It has been the residence of every U.S. President since John Adams. When Thomas Jefferson moved into the house in 1801, he expanded the building outward, creating two colonnades that were meant to conceal stables and storage. In 1814, during the War of 1812, the mansion was set ablaze by the British Army in the Burning of Washington, destroying the interior and charring much of the exterior. Reconstruction began almost immediately, and President James Monroe moved into the partially reconstructed house in October 1817. Construction continued with the addition of the South Portico in 1824 and the North in 1829. Because of crowding within the executive mansion itself, President Theodore Roosevelt had all work offices relocated to the newly constructed West Wing in 1901.
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The Lincoln Memorial is an American memorial built to honor the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. It is located on the National... Mall in Washington, D.C. and was dedicated on May 30, 1922. The architect was Henry Bacon, the sculptor of the main statue was Daniel Chester French, and the painter of the interior murals was Jules Guerin. It is one of several monuments built to honor an American president. The building is in the form of a Greek Doric temple and contains a large seated sculpture of Abraham Lincoln and inscriptions of two well-known speeches by Lincoln, The Gettysburg Address and his Second Inaugural Address. The memorial has been the site of many famous speeches, including Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech, delivered on August 28, 1963 during the rally at the end of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Like other monuments on the National Mall – including the nearby Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Korean War Veterans Memorial, and National World War II Memorial – the memorial is administered by the National Park Service under its National Mall and Memorial Parks group.
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Mount Vernon, located near Alexandria, Virginia, was the plantation home of the first President of the United States, George Washington. The mansion... is built of wood in neoclassical Georgian architectural style, and the estate is located on the banks of the Potomac River. Mount Vernon was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1960 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is owned and maintained in trust by The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association and is open every day of the year, including holidays and Christmas. When Augustine Washington owned the estate, it was known as Little Hunting Creek Plantation after the nearby Little Hunting Creek. Lawrence Washington, George's older half-brother, inherited the estate and changed its name to Mount Vernon in honor of Vice Admiral Edward Vernon famed for the War of Jenkin's Ear and capture of Portobelo, Colón. Vernon had been Lawrence's commanding officer in the British Navy, and Lawrence greatly admired him. When George Washington inherited the property he kept the name Mount Vernon. The early history of the estate at Little Hunting Creek is separate from that of the home, which wasn't occupied until 1743.
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The Washington Monument is an obelisk near the west end of the National Mall in Washington, D.C., built to commemorate the first U.S. president,... General George Washington. The monument, made of marble, granite, and sandstone, is both the world's tallest stone structure and the world's tallest obelisk, standing 555 feet 5⅛ inches . There are taller monumental columns, but they are neither all stone nor true obelisks. It is also the tallest structure in Washington D.C.. It was designed by Robert Mills, an architect of the 1840s. The actual construction of the monument began in 1848 but was not completed until 1884, almost 30 years after the architect's death. This hiatus in construction happened because of co-option by the Know Nothing party, a lack of funds, and the intervention of the American Civil War. A difference in shading of the marble, visible approximately 150 feet up, shows where construction was halted for a number of years. The cornerstone was laid on July 4, 1848; the capstone was set on December 6, 1884, and the completed monument was dedicated on February 21, 1885. It officially opened October 9, 1888.
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The Art Museum of the Americas is an art museum located in Washington, D.C., primarily devoted to exhibiting works of modern and contemporary art... from Latin America and the Caribbean. The museum was formally established in 1976 by the Organization of American States . Artists represented in the AMA's permanent collection include Candido Portinari, Pedro Figari, Fernando de Szyszlo, Amelia Peláez and Alejandro Obregón. The art collection of the OAS was initiated under the organization's Visual Arts Unit, beginning with the first donated artwork by the Brazilian neo-realist artist Portinari, in 1949. In the following decade the Permanent Council of the OAS determined to establish an acquisitions fund, in order to build up a permanent collection of artworks by significant contemporary artists from the member states of the OAS. A number of works were also purchased from or donated directly by artists, after the temporary exhibitions periodically held at the OAS gallery. The Art Museum of the Americas itself was established in 1976 by Permanent Council resolution, on the occasion of the United States Bicentennial.
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The Corcoran Gallery of Art is the largest privately supported cultural institution in Washington, DC. The museum's main focus is American art. The... permanent collection includes works by Eugène Delacroix, Edgar Degas, Ian Hornak, Paul Manship, Chryssa Vardea Mavromichali, Claude Monet, Rembrandt, Pablo Picasso, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Andy Warhol, and many others. There are always several exhibitions. The Corcoran is the oldest and largest non-federal art museum in the District of Columbia. Its mission is to be "dedicated to art and used solely for the purpose of encouraging the American genius." When the gallery was founded in 1869 by William Wilson Corcoran, the co-founder of Riggs Bank, it was one of the first fine art galleries in the country. Corcoran established the gallery, supported with an endowment, "for the perpetual establishment and encouragement of the Fine Arts." The Corcoran Gallery of Art was originally located at 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, in the building that now houses the Renwick Gallery. Construction of that building started before the Civil War. The building, near completion, was used by the government as a warehouse during the Civil War.
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The Historical Society of Washington, D.C., is an educational foundation and museum dedicated to preserving and displaying the history of Washington,... D.C. The society provides lectures, exhibits, classes, community events, and other educational programs as part of its mission. In addition, the society's Kiplinger Research Library houses a collection of books, maps, photographs, and other materials relevant to the history of the city. Located in the center of Mount Vernon Square in Washington, the society occupies a Beaux-Arts building built by Andrew Carnegie in 1902 , originally used as the District of Columbia Public Library. The building is open to the public from Monday through Sunday 10am to 5pm. Visitors are welcome to tour current exhibits and use the society's library. Prior to the reorganization of the Historical Society, the building housed the City Museum of Washington, D.C.- devoted to the history of Washington, D.C. The Montreal firm gsmprjct° was contracted to design and develop the overall concept for the museum, including a multimedia show called Washington Stories.
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The Freer Gallery of Art, along with the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, forms the Smithsonian Institution's national museums of Asian art. The Freer... contains art from East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, the Muslim world, the ancient Near East, and ancient Egypt, as well as American art. It is located on the south side of the National Mall in Washington, D.C., and along with the Sackler Gallery, has an annual average of 900,000 visitors. The Freer adheres to the mission statement of the Smithsonian, which is to increase and diffuse knowledge through exhibitions, research, and publications. The Freer houses 25,518 objects spanning 6,000 years of history, including but not limited to ancient Egyptian stone sculpture and wooden objects, ancient Near Eastern ceramics and metalware, Chinese paintings and ceramics, Korean pottery and porcelain, Japanese Byōbu, Persian manuscripts, and Buddhist sculpture. Collections span from the Neolithic to modern eras. The gallery was founded by Charles Lang Freer , a railroad-car manufacturer from Detroit, who gave his collections to the United States and also the funds to help construct a building for their display.
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Frederick Lincoln "Link" Wray Jr was an American rock and roll guitarist, songwriter and occasional singer. Wray was noted for pioneering a new... sound for electric guitars, as exemplified in his hit 1958 instrumental "Rumble", by Link Wray and his Ray Men, which pioneered an overdriven, distorted electric guitar sound, and also for having, "invented the power chord, the major modus operandi of modern rock guitarist," "and in doing so fathering," or making possible, "punk and heavy rock". Rolling Stone included Link at number 67 on their list of the 100 greatest guitarist of all time. Wray was born in Dunn, North Carolina to Lillie M. Coats and Frederick Lincoln Wray. It was there that Link first heard slide guitar at age eight from a traveling carnival worker, an African-American man named "Hambone." Link and his family later moved to Norfolk, Virginia as his father got work in the Navy shipyards. Link served a hitch in the US Army and was a Korean War veteran. In 1956, his family later moved to Washington, D.C., and from there, they moved to a farm in Accokeek, Maryland.
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Judith Lee Baldwin is an American film and television actress who replaced Tina Louise in the role of Ginger Grant in Rescue From Gilligan's Island ... and The Castaways on Gilligan's Island . Baldwin amassed 46 screen credits between 1969 and her leading role in 2005's Every Secret Thing. Baldwin was born in Washington, D.C. She was crowned Miss New Mexico USA 1965 and was the second runner up to Sue Ann Downey in the Miss USA pageant that year. Her first acting job in Hollywood was in 1969 on I Dream of Jeannie in the episode "Jeannie and the Bachelor Party" playing Major Nelson's secretary "Dolores". In 1987, she created the role of Beth Logan on the soap opera, The Bold and the Beautiful, but she was soon replaced by Nancy Burnett, who became more closely identified in the role. Baldwin has guest starred on many TV shows including, Police Story, Fish, Quincy, M.E., The Dukes of Hazzard, The Fall Guy, T.J. Hooker, Hill Street Blues, Fantasy Island, Archie Bunker's Place, CHiPs, Matt Houston, Emerald Point N.A.S., Brothers, Matlock, Freddy's Nightmares, Empty Nest, Tales from the Crypt, Cybill and Six Feet Under.
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Bob Mould , is an American musician, principally known for his work as guitarist, vocalist and songwriter for alternative rock bands Hüsker... Dü in the 1980s and Sugar in the 1990s. Born in Malone, New York, Mould lived in several places, including the Minneapolis-St. Paul area where he then attended Macalester College. There, he formed Hüsker Dü in the late 1970s, with drummer/singer Grant Hart and bass guitarist Greg Norton. Hüsker Dü first gained notice as a punk rock group with a series of recordings on the independent label SST Records. One of the first 1980s underground bands to sign a contract with a major record label , Hüsker Dü found only moderate commercial success, but were later often cited as one of the key influences on 1990s alternative rock. In the late 1980s, Hüsker Dü broke up acrimoniously amid members' drug abuse and personal problems.
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Gbenga Akinnagbe is an American actor, best known for his role as Chris Partlow on the HBO original series The Wire. Born in Washington, D.C. to... Nigerian parents and raised in Silver Spring, Maryland, Akinnagbe was in and out of trouble as a youth. He is the second oldest of six children, one older sister and four younger brothers. He is the first in his family to be born in the U.S. He attended Colonel Zadok A. Magruder High School in Rockville, Maryland. Akinnagbe attended Bucknell University on a wrestling scholarship, majoring in Political Science and English. He is the cousin of DC rapper Wale. He also played "Yinka" on Barbershop: The Series and "Ben Ellis" in the episode Contenders on the TV Series Numb3rs. In the summer of 2006, Gbenga performed the role of "Zim" in the NYC Fringe Festival's "Outstanding Play" award-winning production of "Modern Missionary". In 2007, Gbenga appeared in the film The Savages with Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Laura Linney, and Philip Bosco. He appeared in the remake of The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, which was released by Sony in June 2009.
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Benjamin Jeremy "Ben" Stein is an American actor, writer, lawyer, and commentator on political and economic issues. He attained early success as a... speechwriter for American presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. Later he entered the entertainment field and became an actor, comedian, and Emmy Award-winning game show host. Stein has frequently written commentaries on economic, political, and social issues, along with financial advice to individual investors. He is the son of economist and writer Herbert Stein, who worked at the White House under President Nixon. His sister, Rachel, is also a writer. While as a character actor he is well-known for his nerdy monotone, in real life he is a public speaker on a wide range of economic and social issues. Stein was born in Washington, D.C., the son of Mildred , a homemaker, and Herbert Stein, a writer, economist, and presidential adviser. He is Jewish and grew up in the Woodside Forest neighborhood of Silver Spring, Maryland. Stein graduated from Montgomery Blair High School in 1961 along with classmate journalist Carl Bernstein; actress Goldie Hawn was two years behind.
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Hazel Harrison was an American pianist, known as the premiere black pianist of her time. Harrison was born in La Porte, Indiana, and spent most of... her childhood home schooled. In her 20s Harrison went to Europe for employment and education. She spent most of her time in Berlin performing recitals and performing with the Berlin Philharmonic. She later returned to the states and while performing in Chicago received sponsorship to travel back to Europe. During the next several years Harrison continued her studies with Ferrucio Busoni in Berlin. She then began performing as a concert pianist both in Europe and the U.S. In 1931, Harrison accepted a job as the head of the piano department at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. In 1936 she moved to Washington, D.C. and accepted a teaching job at Howard University, where she remained until retirement in 1955. While teaching, Harrison still performed in the U.S., and after retirement she accepted positions at Alabama State A&M College and Jackson College .
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Samuel Leroy Jackson is an American film and television actor and film producer. After Jackson became involved with the Civil Rights Movement, he... moved on to acting in theater at Morehouse College, and then films. He had several small roles, before meeting his mentor, Morgan Freeman, and the director Spike Lee. In 1991, after gaining critical acclaim for his role in Jungle Fever, he appeared in films such as Goodfellas, Patriot Games, Amos & Andrew, True Romance and Jurassic Park. In 1994 he was cast as Jules Winnfield in Pulp Fiction, and his performance received several award nominations and critical acclaim. Jackson has since appeared in over 100 films including Die Hard with a Vengeance, The 51st State, Jackie Brown, Unbreakable, The Incredibles, Black Snake Moan, Snakes on a Plane, as well as the Star Wars prequel trilogy and small roles in Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill Vol. 2 and Inglourious Basterds. He played Nick Fury in Iron Man and Iron Man 2, the first two of a nine film commitment as the character for the Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise. Jackson's many roles have made him one of the highest grossing actors at the box office.
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Michael Chabon is an American author and "one of the most celebrated writers of his generation", according to The Virginia Quarterly Review.... Chabon's first novel, The Mysteries of Pittsburgh , was published when he was 25 and catapulted him to literary celebrity. He followed it with a second novel, Wonder Boys , and two short-story collections. In 2000, Chabon published The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, a critically acclaimed novel that John Leonard, in a 2007 review of a later novel, called Chabon's magnum opus; it received the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2001 . His novel The Yiddish Policemen's Union, an alternate history mystery novel, was published in 2007 to enthusiastic reviews and won the Hugo, Sidewise, and Nebula awards; his serialized novel Gentlemen of the Road appeared in book form in the fall of that same year. His work is characterized by complex language, the frequent use of metaphor along with recurring themes, including nostalgia, divorce, abandonment, fatherhood, and issues of Jewish identity. He often includes gay, bisexual, and Jewish characters in his work.
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Jeffrey Wright is an American film, television, and stage actor and film producer. Wright was born in Washington, D.C. to a mother who worked as a... customs lawyer. He graduated from St Albans School and attended Amherst College, receiving a bachelor's degree in political science and planning to continue on to law school; however, he decided to study acting instead. After receiving an acting scholarship from New York University and attending the school for two months, he decided to leave and became a full time actor. Wright began appearing off-Broadway in New York City and Washington, D.C., and in 1990, he appeared in his first major film as an attorney in Presumed Innocent, which starred Harrison Ford. In 1991, Wright joined John Houseman's national touring repertory company The Acting Company with productions of A Midsummer Night's Dream and Athol Fugard's Blood Knot. Wright continued with his stage performances and in 1994 was cast as Norman 'Belize' Arriaga in Tony Kushner's award-winning play Angels in America.
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Connie Mason is an American model and actress who was Playboy magazine's Playmate of the Month for its June 1963 issue. Her centerfold was photographed by Pompeo Posar.

David Khari Webber "Dave" Chappelle is an American comedian, screenwriter, television/film producer and actor. Chappelle began his film career in... the film Robin Hood: Men in Tights in 1993 and continued to star in minor roles in the films The Nutty Professor, Con Air, and Blue Streak. His first lead role in a film was in Half Baked in 1998. In 2003, he became widely known for his popular sketch comedy television series, Chappelle's Show, which ran until 2006. Comedy Central ranked him forty-third in its list of the 100 greatest stand-up comedians. Chappelle was born in Washington, D.C. His father, William David Chappelle III, was a professor at Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio. His mother, Yvonne , was a professor at Howard University, Prince George's Community College, and the University of Maryland and is also a Unitarian Universalist minister. Chappelle grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland and attended Woodlin Elementary School. During young Chappelle's formative years, his comic inspiration came from various comedians, particularly Eddie Murphy and Richard Pryor.
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Patrick Joseph "Pat" Buchanan is an American conservative political commentator, author, syndicated columnist, politician and broadcaster. Buchanan... was a senior adviser to American Presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and Ronald Reagan, and was an original host on CNN's Crossfire. He sought the Republican presidential nomination in 1992 and 1996. He ran on the Reform Party ticket in the 2000 presidential election. He co-founded The American Conservative magazine and launched a foundation named The American Cause. He has been published in Human Events, National Review, The Nation and Rolling Stone. He is currently a political commentator on the MSNBC cable network including the show Morning Joe and a regular on The McLaughlin Group. Buchanan was born in Washington, D.C., a son of William Baldwin Buchanan , a partner in an accounting firm, and his wife Catherine Elizabeth Buchanan , a nurse and a homemaker.
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