George Washington, a Founding Father of the United States, led the Continental Army to victory in the Revolutionary War and was America’s first president.
George Washington was an American general and commander-in-chief of the colonial armies in the American Revolution (1775–83) and subsequently first president of the United States (1789–97). He is known as ‘the Father of His Country.’ Learn more about
George Washington’s presidency was marked by a series of firsts. He signed the first United States copyright law, protecting the copyrights of authors. He also signed the first Thanksgiving proclamation, making November 26 a national day ofThanksgivingfor the end of the war for American indepe...
and about 40 percent of American households owned a radio by the end of the decade. With the addition of sound and color, movies also became an increasingly popular form of diversion. Comedies, gangster movies, horror films, westerns, melodramas, and musicals all helped people to forget their...
At a glance: the Hayes presidency Presidency and later life 1 of 2 Rutherford B. HayesU.S. Pres. Rutherford B. Hayes.(more) 2 of 2 Rutherford B. Hayes, 1877(more) As president, Hayes promptly made good on the secret pledges made during the electoral dispute. He withdrew federal troops...
Martha Washington and George Washington and their childrenGeorge Washington and Martha Washington with the children of her son, John Parke (“Jacky”) Custis; the two were adopted by the Washingtons after Jacky Custis's death. Because the framers of the Constitution left the chief executive consi...
Phoenix Park was opened to the public in 1747. Itszoo, celebrated for lion breeding, opened in 1831 and effectively doubled its size in 2001 when the African Plains section opened on land donated by the president of Ireland from the presidency’s official holdings. The 205-foot (62-metre)...
Pop Quiz: 19 Things to Know About the Vietnam War At a glance: the Nixon presidency Vice presidency Richard Nixon and Dwight D. EisenhowerDwight D. Eisenhower (center), the Republican Party nominee for U.S. president, with running mate Richard Nixon (left, holding child) at campaign headqua...
In federal elections from the 1870s to the 1890s, the parties were in rough balance—except in the South, which became solidly Democratic. The two parties controlled Congress for almost equal periods, though the Democrats held the presidency only during the two terms of Grover Cleveland (1885...
Brownv.Board of Education(From left) Lawyers George E.C. Hayes, Thurgood Marshall, and James M. Nabrit, Jr., celebrating outside the U.S. Supreme Court, Washington, D.C., after the Court ruled inBrownv.Board of Educationthat racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional, May...