Ancient Egypt: Rulers *. Amenemhet I, king of ancient Egypt, founder of the XII dynasty (2000–1970B.C.) *. Sesostris I, king of ancient Egypt, second ruler of the XII dynasty (1980–1926B.C.) *. Amasis I, king of ancient Egypt (c.1570–1545B.C.), founder of the XVIII dynasty *. Thutmose I, king of ancient Egypt (1525–1495B.C.), third ruler of the XVIII dynasty *. Hatshepsut, queen of ancient Egypt (1486–1468B.C.), of the XVIII dynasty *. Ikhnaton, king of ancient Egypt (c.1372–1354B.C.), of the XVIII dynasty *. Ramses, name of several kings of ancient Egypt of the XIX and XX dynasties *. Horemheb, king of ancient Egypt (c.1342–c.1303B.C.), founder of the XIX dynasty *. Seti I, king of ancient Egypt (1302–1290B.C.), of the XIX dynasty *. Merneptah, king of ancient Egypt (1224–1215B.C.), of the XIX dynasty *. Sheshonk I, king of ancient Egypt (950–924?B.C.), founder of the XXII (Libyan) dynasty *. Piankhi, king of ancient Nubia(c.741–c.715B.C.) *. Taharka, king of ancient Egypt (688–663B.C.), last ruler of the XXV dynasty *. Psamtik, king of ancient Egypt (661–609B.C.), founder of the XXVI dynasty *. Apries, king of ancient Egypt (588–569B.C.), of the XXVI dynasty *. Amasis II, king of ancient Egypt (569–525B.C.), of the XXVI dynasty *. Ptolemy I (Ptolemy Soter), king of ancient Egypt (323–284B.C.), the first ruler of the Macedonian dynasty (or Lagid dynasty) *. Ptolemy II (Ptolemy Philadelphus), king of ancient Egypt (285–246B.C.), of the Macedonian dynasty *. Berenice, queen of ancient Cyrene and Egypt (273–221B.C.) *. Ptolemy III (Ptolemy Euergetes), king of ancient Egypt (246–221B.C.), of the Macedonian dynasty *. Ptolemy IV (Ptolemy Philopator), king of ancient Egypt (221–205B.C.), of the Macedonian dynasty *. Ptolemy V (Ptolemy Epiphanes), king of ancient Egypt (205–180B.C.), of the Macedonian dynasty *. Ptolemy VI (Ptolemy Philometor), king of ancient Egypt (180–145B.C.), of the Macedonian dynasty *. Ptolemy VII (Ptolemy Physcon), king of ancient Egypt (145–116B.C.), of the Macedonian dynasty *. Ptolemy VIII (Ptolemy Lathyrus), king of ancient Egypt (116–107B.C., 88–81B.C.), of the Macedonian dynasty *. Ptolemy IX, king of ancient Egypt (107–88B.C.), of the Macedonian dynasty *. Ptolemy X, king of ancient Egypt (80B.C.), of the Macedonian dynasty *. Cleopatra, queen of Egypt (69–30B.C.) *. Ptolemy XI (Ptolemy Auletes), king of ancient Egypt (80–58B.C., 55–51B.C.), of the Macedonian dynasty *. Ptolemy XII, king of ancient Egypt (51–47B.C.), of the Macedonian dynasty *. Ptolemy XIII, king of ancient Egypt (47–44B.C.), the last of the Macedonian dynasty

Pentagon History World's largest office building has distinctive past The world's largest office building, the Pentagon is synonymous with the Department of Defenseand a symbol of American military might. Exactly 60 years before the September 2001 attacks, on September 11, 1941, ground was broken in Arlington Country, Virginia, for a huge new building to house the War Department, forerunner of today's Department of Defense. The department was then operating from 17 separate buildings in Washington. Pearl Harbor Alters Plans At certain periods 13,000 people worked on the project. Originally, plans called for three floors, but as the military prepared for war after the attack on Pearl Harbor, two more floors were added. To conserve steel, concrete ramps were used in place of elevators and the outside walls were made of reinforced concrete. The Pentagon was built in "stripped classical" style, a variation of Greek and Roman classicism popular in the middle of the 20th century and often used for government buildings. On January 15, 1943, just 16 months after construction began, the Pentagon was completed. In April, occupants began moving in. Including outside facilities, the project cost about $83,000,000. Five Sides, Five Layers, Five Floors Since five roads surrounded the site, builders chose a five-sided building, which is how the Pentagon got its name. The building consists of five concentric rings connected by ten corridors that run, like spokes, from the inner ring to the outer. Interior courtyards that provide light separate the rings. The corridors are a total of 17.5 miles long, while the building provides a gross floor area of 6,500,000 square feet. There are 3,800,000 square feet for offices, concessions, and storage. The five-sided center courtyard covers five acres. A shopping concourse, numerous snack bars, cafeterias, dining rooms, banks, a subway station, and a bus platform make the Pentagon "a city within a city." Massive Dimensions The structure is supported by 41,492 concrete piles. There are five floors, plus mezzanines and basements. The building itself is 77 feet, 3.5 inches high. Each outside wall is 921 feet long. More than seven acres of glass went into the 7,754 windows in the Pentagon. There are 16,250 light fixtures, with some 250 bulb replacements made each day. There are 7,000 electric clock outlets, 691 drinking fountains, 131 stairways, 19 escalators, 13 elevators, 672 firehouse cabinets, and 284 rest rooms. The Pentagon site covers a total of 583 acres, while the building itself sits on 29 acres. The Pentagon's sewage treatment plant and the heating and refrigeration unit each cover one acre. The parking lot is 67 acres and has spaces for 8,770 vehicles. Miles of Cables Thirty miles of access highway and 21 bridges and overpasses were built to connect the complex to nearby roads. Some 100,000 miles of telephone cable handle the 200,000 phone calls made at the Pentagon each day. The Defense Post Office handles 1,200,000 pieces of mail each month. At its peak during World War II, 33,000 people worked in the Pentagon. A Historic Landmark In 1992, the Pentagon became a national historic landmark. Architects noted the building's unusual shape, facades, courtyard, two terraces, and its history as significant characteristics. September 11 Attack In 1990, a major renovation plan was approved, calling for the building to be gutted, asbestos removed, and new plumbing, wiring, and other features installed in compliance with current building codes. The plane that crashed into the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, hit a section that had recently been renovated and was still only partially occupied. Authorities say the death toll of 189 would have likely been much higher if the area had been fully occupied. The crash caused a gash on the west side of the Pentagon measuring 30 yards wide and 10 yards deep; 185,693 square feet were damaged and 37,161 square feet were destroyed. Three of the five Pentagon rings were damaged. It cost $501 million to repair the building; repairs were finished within a year of the attack.

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery occupies 612 acres in Virginiaon the Potomac River, directly opposite Washington. This land was part of the estate of John Parke Custis, Martha Washington'sson. His son, George Washington Parke Custis, built the mansion which later became the home of Robert E. Lee. In 1864, Arlington became a military cemetery. More than 240,000 service members and their dependents are buried there. Expansion of the cemetery began in 1966, using a 180-acre tract of land directly east of the present site. Among the many famous and distinguished people buried in the cemetery are presidents William Howard Taftand John F. Kennedy; a number of supreme court justices, including Chief Justice Earl Warren, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.,and Thurgood Marshall; explorers Robert Pearyand Matthew Henson; civil rights leader Medgar Evers; band leader Glenn Miller; and mystery writer Dashiell Hammett. There are also 3,800 Civil War “contrabands” (fugitive and liberated slaves) buried there, their headstones engraved only with “Civilian” or “Citizen.” In 1921, an Unknown American Soldierof World War I was buried in the cemetery; the monument at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was opened to the public without ceremony in 1932. Two additional Unknowns, one from World War II and one from the Korean War, were buried May 30, 1958. The Unknown Serviceman of Vietnam was buried on May 28, 1984. In June 1998 his body was disinterred and recent DNA-testing technology was used to identify him as First Lt. Michael Blassie, an Air Force pilot from St. Louis. It is possible that technology will prevent there from ever being another “unknown” buried in the tomb. The inscription carved on the Tomb of the Unknowns reads: HERE RESTS IN HONORED GLORY AN AMERICAN SOLDIER KNOWN BUT TO GOD

Mount Rushmore Mount Rushmore(6,000 ft), in South Dakota, became a celebrated American landmark after sculptor Gutzon Borglumtook on the project of carving into the side of it the heads of four great presidents. From 1927 until his death in 1941, Borglum worked on chiseling the 60-foot likenesses of Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt. His son, Lincoln, finished the sculpture later that year.

The Supreme Court Building Source:U.S. Supreme Court. Web: www.supremecourtus .gov. Despite its role as a coequal branch of government, the Supreme Court was not provided with a building of its own until 1935, the 146th year of its existence. Initially, the Court met in the Merchants Exchange Building in New York City. When the national capital moved to Philadelphiain 1790, the Court moved with it, establishing Chambers first in Independence Halland later in the City Hall. When the Federal Government moved, in 1800, to the permanent capital in Washington, D.C., Congress lent the Court space in the new Capitol Building. The Court was to change its meeting place a half dozen times within the Capitol. Additionally, the Court convened for a short period in a private house after the British set fire to the Capitol during the War of 1812. Following this episode, the Court returned to the Capitol and met from 1819 to 1860 in a chamber now restored as the “Old Supreme Court Chamber.” Then from 1860 until 1935, the Court sat in what is now known as the “Old Senate Chamber.” Finally in 1929, Chief Justice William Howard Taft, who had been president of the United States from 1909 to 1913, persuaded Congress to end this arrangement and authorize the construction of a permanent home for the Court. Architect Cass Gilbertwas charged by Chief Justice Taft to design “a building of dignity and importance suitable for its use as the permanent home of the Supreme Court of the United States.” Neither Taft nor Gilbert survived to see the Supreme Court Building completed. The construction, begun in 1932, was completed in 1935, when the Court was finally able to occupy its own building.