The United States of America is a federal republic of 50 states, a capital district, and a few other territories. It resides mostly in central North America. The U.S. has three land borders, two with Canada and one with Mexico, and is otherwise bounded by the Pacific Ocean, the Bering Sea, the Arctic Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean. Of the 50 states, only Alaska and Hawaii are not contiguous with any other state. The U.S. also has a collection of districts, territories, and possessions around the world. Each state has a high level of local autonomy according to the system of federalism. The United States traces its national origin to the declaration by 13 British colonies in 1776 that they were free and independent states. They were recognized as such by the Treaty of Paris in 1783. Since then, the nation has grown to become a global superpower and exerts a high level of economic, political, military, and cultural influence.
American Airlines Flight 77 was a passenger flight which was hijacked by five al-Qaeda terrorists on September 11, 2001, as part of the September 11 attacks. They deliberately crashed it into the Pentagon near Washington, D.C., killing all 59 people on board plus the hijackers, as well as 125 people in the building. The aircraft involved, a Boeing 757-223, was flying American Airlines' daily scheduled morning transcontinental service from Washington Dulles International Airport, in Dulles, Virginia to Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles, California.
Less than 35 minutes into the flight, the hijackers stormed the cockpit and forced the passengers to the rear of the aircraft. Hani Hanjour, one of the hijackers who was trained as a pilot, assumed control of the flight. Unknown to the hijackers, passengers aboard were able to make telephone calls to loved ones and relay information on the hijacking.
The aircraft crashed into the western side of the Pentagon at 09:37 EDT. Dozens of people witnessed the crash and news sources began reporting on the incident within minutes. The impact severely damaged an area of the Pentagon and caused a large fire. A portion of the Pentagon collapsed; firefighters spent days trying to fully extinguish the blaze. The damaged sections of the Pentagon were rebuilt in 2002, with occupants moving back into the completed areas on August 15, 2002.
The 184 victims of the attack are memorialized in the Pentagon Memorial adjacent to the Pentagon. The 1.93-acre (7,800 m2) park contains a bench for each of the victims, arranged according to their year of birth, ranging from 1930 (age 71) to 1998 (age 3).
Selected culture biography
William Bradley "Brad" Pitt (born December 18, 1963) is an American actor and film producer. Pitt has received two Academy Award nominations and four Golden Globe Award nominations, winning one. He has been described as one of the world's most attractive men, a label for which he has received substantial media attention.
Following a high-profile relationship with actress Gwyneth Paltrow, Pitt was married to actress Jennifer Aniston for five years. Pitt currently lives with actress Angelina Jolie in a relationship that has generated wide publicity. He and Jolie have six children—Maddox, Zahara, Pax, Shiloh, Knox, and Vivienne. Since beginning his relationship with Jolie, he has become increasingly involved in social issues both in the United States and internationally. Pitt owns a production company named Plan B Entertainment, whose productions include the 2007 Academy Award winning Best Picture, The Departed.
Selected society biography
Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884 – December 26, 1972) was the thirty-third President of the United States (1945–1953). As vice president, he succeeded to the office upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt.
During World War I he served as an artillery officer. After the war he became part of the political machine of Tom Pendergast and was elected a county judge in Missouri and eventually a United States Senator. In 1945, Roosevelt replaced Henry A. Wallace as vice president with Truman for Roosevelt's fourth term.
As president, Truman faced challenge after challenge in domestic affairs. The tumultuous reconversion of the economy of the United States was marked by severe shortages, numerous strikes, and the passage of the Taft-Hartley Act over his veto. He confounded all predictions to win re-election in 1948, largely due to his famous Whistle Stop Tour of rural America. After his re-election he was able to pass only one of the proposals in his Fair Deal program. He used executive orders to begin desegregation of the U.S. armed forces and to launch a system of loyalty checks to remove thousands of communist sympathizers from government office, even though he strongly opposed mandatory loyalty oaths for governmental employees, a stance that led to charges that his administration was soft on communism. Truman's presidency was also eventful in foreign affairs, with the end of World War II and his decision to use nuclear weapons in combat, the founding of the United Nations, the Marshall Plan to rebuild Europe, the Truman Doctrine to contain communism, the beginning of the Cold War, the creation of NATO, and the Korean War. Corruption in Truman's administration reached the cabinet and senior White House staff. Republicans made corruption a central issue in the 1952 campaign.
Seattle is a coastal port city and the largest city in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located in the state of Washington between an arm of the Pacific Ocean called Puget Sound and Lake Washington, about 96 miles (154 km) south of the Canadian border. In 2006, the city had an estimated population of 582,174 and an estimated metropolitan area population of approximately 3.2 million.
The first permanent white settlers—Arthur A. Denny and those subsequently known as the Denny party—arrived November 13, 1851. Early settlements in the area were called "New York-Alki" ("Alki" meaning "bye and bye" in the local Chinook Jargon) and "Duwamps". In 1853, Doc Maynard suggested that the main settlement be renamed "Seattle", an anglicized rendition of the name of Sealth, the chief of the two local tribes.
Seattle is often regarded as the birthplace of grunge music, and has a reputation for heavy coffee consumption; coffee companies founded or based in Seattle include Starbucks and Tully's. Analysis conducted in 2004 by the United States Census Bureau indicated that Seattle was the most educated large city in the U.S. with 48.8 percent of residents 25 and older having at least bachelor degrees.
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General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization: Come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!
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Anniversaries for October 1
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As of 1 October 2015, there are 7002981000000000000♠981 featured and 7003210300000000000♠2,103 good articles within WikiProject United States scope. This makes up 5.15% of the articles on Wikipedia, 13.11% of all featured articles and lists, and 9.21% of all good articles. Including non-article pages, such as talk pages, redirects, categories, etcetera, there are 7005824114000000000♠824,114 pages in the project.
Featured culture biographies: Actors and filmmakers – James Thomas Aubrey, Jr. • Kroger Babb • Eric Bana • Joseph Barbera • Bette Davis • Kirsten Dunst • Judy Garland • Jake Gyllenhaal • Maggie Gyllenhaal • Anthony Michael Hall • William Hanna • Phil Hartman • Ethan Hawke • Katie Holmes • Janet Jackson • Michael Jackson • Angelina Jolie • Diane Keaton • Madonna (entertainer) • Austin Nichols • Brad Pitt • Nancy Reagan • Ronald Reagan • Aaron Sorkin • KaDee Strickland • Sharon Tate • Reese Witherspoon • Anna May Wong; Arts and entertainment – James Robert Baker • William D. Boyce • Stephen Crane • H.D. • Emily Dickinson • George Washington Dixon • Zelda Fitzgerald • Margaret Fuller • William Gibson • Rufus Wilmot Griswold • Ernest Hemingway • Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. • Jenna Jameson • James Russell Lowell • Master Juba • I. M. Pei • Edgar Allan Poe • Roman Vishniac • Nathaniel Parker Willis; Musicians – Aaliyah • Alice in Chains • Audioslave • Bix Beiderbecke • Big Star • Mariah Carey • Damageplan • Bob Dylan • Flea (musician) • Black Francis • John Frusciante • Godsmack • The Greencards • Insane Clown Posse • Janet Jackson • Michael Jackson • Bradley Joseph • Maynard James Keenan • Frank Klepacki • David Lovering • Madonna (entertainer) • John Mayer • Metallica • Nine Inch Nails • Nirvana (band) • The Notorious B.I.G. • Leo Ornstein • Ellis Paul • Pearl Jam • Pixies • Elvis Presley • Selena • Slayer • The Smashing Pumpkins • Elliott Smith • Gwen Stefani • The Supremes • Tool (band) • Uncle Tupelo • Wilco • Frank Zappa; Sports and games – Nick Adenhart • Shelton Benjamin • Moe Berg • Tim Duncan • Bobby Eaton • Orval Grove • Art Houtteman • Magic Johnson • Michael Jordan • Bart King • Sandy Koufax • Jimmy McAleer • Bob Meusel • Stan Musial • Ben Paschal • CM Punk • J. R. Richard • Jackie Robinson • Bill Russell • Sigi Schmid • Lee Smith (baseball) • Ozzie Smith • Paul Stastny • Jim Thorpe • Tyrone Wheatley
Featured society biographies: Military – Daniel Boone • James Bowie • Simon Bolivar Buckner • Henry Cornelius Burnett • Frederick Russell Burnham • Wesley Clark • Brian Eaton • Gerald Ford • Winfield Scott Hancock • Benjamin Harrison • William Henry Harrison • Rutherford B. Hayes • Thomas C. Hindman • Thomas C. Kinkaid • Eli Lilly • John McCain • George B. McClellan • Fred Moosally • Sylvanus Morley • Edwin Taylor Pollock • Ronald Reagan • Uriel Sebree • Lawrence Sullivan Ross • Isaac Shelby • William Tecumseh Sherman • Myles Standish • Edward Teller • Benjamin Franklin Tilley • Stephen Trigg • Harriet Tubman; Politics and government – Samuel Adams • J. C. W. Beckham • Daniel Boone • William O'Connell Bradley • Simon Bolivar Buckner • Henry Cornelius Burnett • Charles Carroll the Settler • Murray Chotiner • Wesley Clark • Grover Cleveland • Calvin Coolidge • Richard Cordray • John J. Crittenden • Gerald Ford • Wendell H. Ford • William Goebel • Emma Goldman • John W. Johnston • Franklin Knight Lane • John McCain • George B. McClellan • Bob McEwen • Thomas R. Marshall • Harvey Milk • Edwin P. Morrow • Pat Nixon • Barack Obama • Rosa Parks • Paul E. Patton • Edwin Taylor Pollock • Nancy Reagan • Ronald Reagan • Theodore Roosevelt • Lawrence Sullivan Ross • Terry Sanford • Antonin Scalia • Solomon P. Sharp • Isaac Shelby • Augustus Owsley Stanley • Stephen Trigg • Jerry Voorhis • Daniel Webster • Franklin D. Roosevelt • Harry S. Truman; Science and academia – Edward Drinker Cope • Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. • David A. Johnston • Eli Lilly • Glynn Lunney • Barbara McClintock • Sylvanus Morley • Gerard K. O'Neill • Hilary Putnam • Edward Teller • Roman Vishniac • Otto Julius Zobel
Featured lists: There are over 230 Featured lists in the scope of United States including: 109th United States Congress • Commandant of the Marine Corps • Korean War Medal of Honor recipients • Most populous counties in the United States • National Parks of the United States • Tallest buildings in Washington, D.C. • U.S. state name etymologies • U.S. states by population • United States Secretary of Energy • Volcanoes in the Hawaiian – Emperor seamount chain
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Featured portals: • California • Portal:Connecticut • Florida • Illinois (Chicago) • Indiana (Indianapolis) • Kentucky (Louisville) • Minnesota • Nevada • New York • Oklahoma • Oregon • Puerto Rico • Rhode Island • Texas (Houston) • Utah • American Civil War • Barack Obama • Military of the United States (United States Navy, United States Air Force) • U.S. Roads (Maryland Roads, Michigan Highways)
United States-related lists
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Culture
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Economy
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Geography
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History
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Law
Media
Natural history
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People
Protected areas
Religion
Transportation
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Featured article candidates
Total pages in content type is 5
Featured list candidates
Total pages in content type is 3
Good article nominees
Total pages in content type is 52
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To create
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To find images
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Maintenance and cleanup
Other issues
- Portal:United States - Needs to be updated and expanded
- 2010 Census - Update articles using 2000 census data to use the 2010 data
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United States is one of the United States WikiProjects.
The following Wikimedia sister projects provide more on this subject:
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