The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( Spanish: Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico) is a archipelago located east of the Dominican Republic in the northeastern Caribbean. Puerto Rico, the smallest of the Greater Antilles, includes the main island of Puerto Rico and a number of smaller islands and keys, including the populated island-municipalities of Vieques and Culebra, as well as unpopulated Mona island, located halfway between the islands of Puerto Rico and Hispaniola.
The nature of Puerto Rico's political relationship with the United States is the subject of ongoing debate on and off the island. Those who support maintaining the current formula insist that upon attaining this status, Puerto Rico entered into a voluntary association with the U.S. "in the nature of a compact", but opponents of the Commonwealth status, disagree: according to them, Puerto Rico is no more than an unincorporated organized territory of the U.S., subject to the plenary powers of the United States Congress.
The Puerto Rican Campaign refers to an American military sea and land operation on Puerto Rico during the Spanish–American War. The offensive began on May 12, 1898, when the United States Navy attacked the archipelago's capital, San Juan. The land offensive began on July 25. The Americans encountered larger opposition as they advanced towards the main island's interior. They engaged in two crossfires in Guamani River and Coamo, both of which were inconclusive as the allied soldiers retreated. On August 9, 1898, American troops that were pursuing units retreating from Coamo encountered heavy resistance in Aibonito and retreated after six of their soldiers were injured. They returned three days later reinforced with artillery units and attempted a surprise attack. In the subsequent crossfire, confused soldiers reported seeing Spanish reinforcements nearby and five American officers were gravely injured, which prompted a retreat order. All military actions in Puerto Rico were suspended on August 13, after the signing of the Treaty of Paris was made public. ( more...)
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The 1985 Mameyes landslide in Ponce was one of the worst landslide disasters in North American history. Caused by excessive rains, it destroyed more than 100 homes and killed anywhere from 129 to 300 residents.
Featured content represents the best of what Wikipedia has to offer. The following Puerto Rico-related articles and lists have been designated as Featured (  ) by the community, as a result of many collaborative efforts of users and readers just like you.
Selected anniversaries for September
- September 4, 1972 – Birth of Carlos Ponce, actor and singer
- September 6, 1964 – Birth of Rosie Perez, Academy Award-nominated actress and filmmaker
- September 7, 1934 – Birth of Juan "Pachín" Vicéns, basketball player (d. 2007)
- September 8, 1971 – Birth of Vico C (Armando Lozada Cruz), rapper and considered one of the founders of Latin hip hop
- September 9, 1898 – U.S. and Spanish Commissions met in San Juan to discuss the details of the withdrawal of Spanish troops and the cession of the island to the United States.
- September 9, 1939 – Birth of Bruce Gray, character actor
- September 12, 1983 – Los Macheteros assaulted the Wells Fargo depot located in West Hartford, Connecticut, stealing a total of seven million dollars, an event now known as Operation Aguila Blanca (White Eagle).
- September 13, 2004 – Death of Jose Juan Rodriguez Vargas Dorado, Puerto Rico
- September 15, 1931 – Birth of Raúl Dávila, actor, All My Children (d. 2006)
- September 15, 1933 – Birth of Henry Darrow, Emmy Award winning actor
- September 16, 1898 – Death of Ramón Emeterio Betances, main leader of the Grito de Lares and father of the Puerto Rican independence movement (b. 1827)
- September 17, 1922 – The Puerto Rican Nationalist Party was formed.
- September 17, 1937 – Birth of Orlando Cepeda, Mayor League Baseball Hall of Famer
- September 18, 1981 – Birth of Angelo Reyes, professional basketball player
- September 22, 1944 – The 65th Infantry landed in France and was committed to action on the Maritime Alps at Peira Cava.
- September 23, 1868 – The Grito de Lares occurred.
- September 23, 1911 – The College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts was founded in Mayagüez.
- September 23, 2005 – Death of Filiberto Ojeda Ríos, after a stand-off with FBI agents (b. 1933)
- September 25, 1625 – The Dutch, under the leadership of Boudewijn Hendrick (Balduino Enrico), attacked San Juan, besieging Fort San Felipe del Morro and La Fortaleza.
- September 25, 1976 – Birth of Charlotte Ayanna, actress
- September 25, 1978 – Birth of Joel Piñeiro, Mayor League Baseball pitcher
- September 26, 1912 – The first school of advanced studies in Puerto Rico was established by Alonso Manso.
- September 27, 1932 – Hurricane San Ciprián struck the island, leaving 200-300 dead and more than 1,000 injured.
- September 30, 1946 – Birth of Héctor Lavoe, renowned salsa singer (d. 1993)
- September 30, 1972 – Roberto Clemente hits his 3,000th and final hit.
- ...that the largest single-aperture telescope ever to be constructed is the Arecibo Observatory located near the city by the same name in Puerto Rico?
- ...that Juan Mari Brás is the first and only person to receive a Puerto Rican citizenship certificate from the Puerto Rico State Department since the establishment of the Commonwealth in 1952, an action which has been since questioned by the United States Department of State?
- ...that after the United States, Puerto Rico is tied with Mexico in hosting the most Miss Universe contests and has the third most titleholders following the United States and Venezuela?
- ...that Wilfredo Gómez won thirty two straight fights by knockout thus making him the World Champion with the longest knockout streak in boxing history?
- September 8, 2011: The US Justice Department issues a report decrying systematic civil rights abuse by the Puerto Rico Police Department, including illegal searches, use of excessive force, and corruption, sparking a wide call for action from the public and an announcement of reform by Gov. Luis Fortuño.
- August 21, 2011: Tropical storm Irene passes through Puerto Rico and its surrounding islands while becoming a hurricane just north of San Juan, the first of the 2011 Atlantic season.
- June 29, 2011: Jose "Piculin" Ortiz, a former professional basketball player in the NBA (Utah Jazz) and the Puerto Rican Olympic team and the Superior Basketball League, is arrested for drug-related charges.
- June 12, 2011: In professional basketball, José Juan "J.J." Barea, helps the Dallas Mavericks defeat the Miami Heat (4-2) and win the 2011 NBA Championship. A national welcoming party is held in his honor in Puerto Rico.
Ramón (Raymond) Ayala (born February 3, 1977 in San Juan, Puerto Rico), known artistically as Daddy Yankee, is a Latin Grammy Award-winning Puerto Rican reggaeton recording artist. Ayala was born in Río Piedras the largest district of San Juan, where he became interested in music at a young age. After receiving lessons from several artists within the genre, he developed an independent career, first recording in a production titled Playero 37. After this he began to produce independent albums. His first solo album was No Mercy. He subsequently formed a duo with Nicky Jam, and then continued his solo career with the releases of El Cartel and El Cartel II. In 2002 El Cangri.com became Ayala's first album with international success, receiving coverage in the markets of New York and Miami. Barrio Fino was released in 2004, and the album received numerous awards, including a Premio Lo Nuestro and a Latin Billboard, as well as receiving nominations for the Latin Grammy and MTV Video Music Awards. Barrio Fino performed well in the sales charts of the United States, Latin America, Europe, and Japan. On June 5, 2007, El Cartel Records released El Cartel: The Big Boss, which was ranked as the top-selling album in Latin music genres in 2007. He promoted the album with an international tour which began in the United States and continued through Latin America, breaking attendance records in Ecuador and Bolivia. His performances have appeared on more than 70 albums, including compilations such as Mas Flow 2 and Blin Blin Vol. 1. ( more...)
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