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Robert Ehrlich

Robert Ehrlich

Robert Leroy Ehrlich, Jr. (born November 25, 1957) is an American politician and the 60th and current Governor of Maryland. A Republican, he became governor in 2003 after defeating Democrat Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, a member of the Kennedy family, 51%–48% in the 2002 elections. Prior to serving as governor, Ehrlich was a U.S. congressman from Maryland's 2nd congressional district and a member of the Maryland House of Delegates.

Early life, career, and family

Ehrlich was born in the small community of Arbutus, Maryland located southwest of Baltimore and was raised in a conservative Lutheran environment. After attending the Gilman School in Baltimore, he received degrees from Princeton University (1979), where he was the captain of the football team, and Wake Forest University Law School (1982). After he obtained his degrees, Ehrlich went to work for the Ober, Kaler, Grimes and Shriver law firm of Baltimore. In November 1986, Ehrlich won a seat in the Maryland House of Delegates, representing parts of Baltimore County from 1987 to 1995. Ehrlich married his wife Kendel in 1993 and they have two sons, Drew Robert Ehrlich and Joshua Taylor Ehrlich.

Congress

In 1993, 2nd district congresswoman Helen Delich Bentley announced she would be vacating her seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. Ehrlich decided to pursue the seat and announced his candidacy in November of the same year. His campaign involved promises of lower taxes and more support for the U.S. Military and senior citizens. He also promised aid for veterans and better education for Maryland’s children. U.S. Military Ehrlich won the seat by a substantial margin, making himself one of the few leading Republican figures in the heavily Democratic state. Throughout his congressional tenure, he maintained most of his campaign promises and worked towards lowering one of the highest tax rates in U.S. history and towards garnering further support for American troops abroad. He supported disabled Americans by introducing legislation aimed at helping those who had been disabled maintain employment, and supported harsher gun violence penalties. While in Congress, Ehrlich served on the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committees, where he further served on the subcommittees on health, telecommunications and the internet, and environment and hazardous materials; the Congressional Biotechnology Caucus, where he served as cochairman; and the Congressional Steel Caucus. A staunch conservative, Ehrlich has been an ardent supporter of President George W. Bush ever since Bush’s election in 2000, and he has supported several Bush initiatives including the No Child Left Behind Act and the recent tax cuts.

2002 Gubernatorial Election

In 2002, Governor Parris Glendening’s (D) second term was coming to a conclusion. While Glendening had been reelected by a substantial margin in 1998, the final years of his term were plagued by a personal marital crisis, and a large state budget deficit. The rural areas of Maryland—largely Republican—had long criticized Glendening for what they perceived as overzealous environmental regulations as well as ignoring their budgetary needs (bridges, highways, etc.). It was during this time that, on March 15, 2002, Ehrlich announced his candidacy for the governorship. He attacked Glendening's record and his Democratic opposition, Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, and, if elected, promised to increase school funding, balance the budget, and to protect the Chesapeake Bay. During the election, Lt. Gov. Townsend was criticized for her choice of running mate; she picked retired Admiral Charles Larson, a novice politician who had switched parties only a few weeks before. Larson was also a white male, unlikely to boost minority turnout. In contrast, Ehrlich's running mate was Michael Steele, a Roman Catholic African-American lawyer and former seminarian, who had been chairman of the Republican Party of Maryland. The Townsend campaign was also hurt by the unpopularity of Governor Parris Glendening, who had implemented a partisan redistricting proposal that was overturned by Maryland's highest court. Townsend's popularity continued to fall when it was reported that much of her campaign money was given by out-of-state donors; Ehrlich remained quiet while the Lt. Governor's poll numbers declined. Even though Maryland traditionally votes Democratic and had not elected a Republican governor in almost 40 years, Ehrlich won the race, becoming only the sixth Republican governor in state history, and the first since Spiro T. Agnew in 1967. Ehrlich won by 51% of the vote to Townsend's 48% and Libertarian Spear Lancaster's 1%. After the election, heavy criticism was directed at Townsend from many Democratic Party activists. Nonetheless, most observers agreed that Townsend ran a weak campaign; specifically, they cited a lack of planning, claiming that she hastily booked campaign stops in rural areas hostile to her and produced campaign literature of poor printing quality.

Governor of Maryland

Since becoming governor, Ehrlich has focused what he calls the Five Pillars of his Administration: fiscal responsibility, education, health and the environment, public safety and safer neighborhoods, and commerce. The $1.8 billion state budget deficit left by the Glendening administration has been eradicated under Ehrlich’s guidance. Moreover, the Maryland budget has been balanced every year (the state forcasts a $1 billion surplus for the 2005 fiscal year) since Ehrlich has been in office. He has also continually fought against sales and income tax increases vigorously proposed by the heavily Democratic Maryland General Assembly. Maryland General Assembly talks with Ehrlich following a speech by President George W. Bush in Bethesda, Maryland.]] In education, Ehrlich has endorsed the Thornton Plan, named after sponsor Dr. Alvin Thornton. The plan was proposed to drastically increase education funding in the state by $1.3 billion annually with the hopes of improving public education for students across Maryland, especially for schools in lower-income neighborhoods. Health care has also been a priority for Ehrlich, and has established a position in his cabinet based on providing affordable healthcare benefits to those who cannot afford them. Protecting the Chesapeake Bay has been Ehrlich’s primary environmental objective, and he has signed into law legislation which will reduce pollution and runoff in the Bay by millions of pounds annually. Considering Maryland’s proximity to Washington, D.C., Ehrlich has continually tried to improve Maryland's readiness level for another terrorist attack. He has appointed a cabinet-level Homeland Security advisor and has also signed into legislation laws which are aimed at reducing repeat offenders and eliminating the revolving-door nature of the state prison system. With employment, Maryland boasts one of the lowest unemployment rates in the nation, and has seen an increase of 60,000 jobs since Ehrlich has taken office. He has also continually supported minority business owners and the hi-tech industry.

Controversy

O'Malley rumors and the "MD4Bush" Incident

:See Also MD4Bush Incident In early 2005 an Ehrlich aide Joseph Steffen was accused of spreading rumors of marital infidelity about Baltimore mayor Martin O'Malley on the Free Republic internet site. The discussions in which Steffen posted the rumors were apparantly provoked by an anonymous user going by the name "MD4Bush," who posted his own rumors about O'Malley and asked Steffen, who was going by the name "NPAC," to share any information he knew. Steffen and MD4Bush conversed extensively through the site's private webmail system. On February 8, 2005 MD4Bush posted the contents of their conversations including rumors about O'Malley onto the public sections of the Free Republic site. The Washington Post published a story the same day revealing that Steffen was the author of the rumor messages.[http://www.thewbalchannel.com/11investigates/5236702/detail.html] O'Malley, a Democrat, is running for governor in 2006 and, if he wins the primary, will likely face off against Ehrlich in the general election. O'Malley and his wife had a highly publicized press conference to deny the rumors and accuse Republicans of dirty politics. Steffen resigned shortly thereafter. [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/27/AR2005062701638.html] The Ehrlich Administration later investigated and found that Steffen was the only person using a government computer for such a purpose. The press then reported that the rumors were widely known by the press and by Democrats. And as early as 2000, Katie O'Malley was discussing them with her brother, a Baltimore City Councilman.[http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-te.md.impact19may19,1,5966341.story?coll=bal-mdpolitics-headlines] In November 2005 investigations of the incident revealed that "MD4Bush" was using an email address connected to the Democratic Party of Maryland.[http://www.thewbalchannel.com/health/5285510/detail.html] The Maryland Republican Party has since responded, suggesting that Steffen was baited into the conversation by a Democratic Party operative posing as an O'Malley critic on the Free Republic site. Republicans have also suggested that the Washington Post and "MD4Bush" were working together, pointing to recent disclosures that the Post's reporter was given login information by "MD4Bush" to view Steffen's private exchanges. As of late November 2005, the identity of "MD4Bush" remains unknown and the incident is under investigation.[http://www.thewbalchannel.com/11investigates/5236702/detail.html]

Partisan hiring practices or Partisan Witch Hunt

The O'Malley rumors and Steffen's role in the Ehrlich Administration provided a reason for legislative investigation into hiring practices by the Administration. In September 2005 newly released e-mails showed that an aide in Republican Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.'s appointments office personally authorized the dismissal of a mid-level state engineer, Vincent J. Gardina, a Democrat and at will employee, on the Baltimore County Council who had worked for five months on dredging projects at the Maryland Environmental Service. Gardina, who earned $55,000 a year, had received a favorable work evaluation just weeks before being terminated. After being dismissed, Gardina sued the governor, alleging that he was fired solely because of his political affiliation. The state settled the suit, at the recommendation of Democrat Attorney General Joe Curran, for $100,000 before the question could be resolved. Gardina was an at will employee that served at the Governor's pleasure.

Britney Spears

Creating national notoriety, Ehrlich's wife, Kendal, jokingly commented that she'd like to "shoot Britney Spears" because of the bad influence that Mrs. Ehrlich feels Ms. Spears has on teenage girls. [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/25/AR2005062501274.html]

Slot machines

In light of the budget deficit left by Glendening and Ehrlich’s staunch opposition to raising taxes, Ehrlich has pursued slot machines as a means for raising revenue for the state. Ehrlich initially met with little success on the issue, and the House of Delegates continually voted down legislation, but in early 2005, both the House of Delegates and the State Senate passed different sets of legislation allowing slot machines. Boths bill varied too much for compromise, however, and died at the end of the legislative session. Ehrlich cited his reasons for needing slot machines in Maryland by examining the surrounding states of West Virginia, Delaware and Pennsylvania, all of which have slot machines legalized. He claims that hundreds of millions of dollars are lost to those states that could be kept in Maryland. Furthermore, most of the money that was expected to be generated from the slot machines was earmarked towards education, although often the state reduces education funding from the amount it wouuld have spent by the amount the lottery brings in, cancelling the lottery's purported goal [http://www.taxfoundation.org/commentary/show/318.html]. Much of the remaining funds were intended to support the state horse racing industry and retain the Preakness at Pimilico racetrack. State House speaker Michael E. Busch (D) has steadfastly opposed slot machines in Maryland and has regularly clashed with State Senate president Thomas V. Mike Miller, Jr. (D). These actions divided both chambers of the Assembly as well as the Maryland Democratic party. However reluctantly, Busch premitted passage of a bill allowing 9,500 slot machines.[http://www.taxfoundation.org/commentary/show/318.html] Following the failure of the slots initiative, Ehrlich predicted that no further slots bills would be passed during the next legislative session, and that the issue will remain under the table until after the 2006 gubernatorial election. [http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-te.md.slots12apr12,1,7596683.story] Some legislators tried to call a special session of the General Assembly to address slot machines. A referendum has also been discussed.

Issues with the Baltimore Sun

The Baltimore Sun lost a major lawsuit against Ehrlich when Judge William D. Quarles Jr. of the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland dismissed the Suns lawsuit it brought for "Ehrlich['s] ban on Sun journalists."[http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-ehrlich-sun,1,3465746.storygallery?coll=bal-mdpolitics-storyutil]. Quarles' opinion stated that the Sun had demanded "special access beyond what is granted to the general public, and that the governor was within the law to deny that special access to two writers because he did not like what they wrote about him."[http://www.baltimoresun.com/media/acrobat/2005-02/16287608.pdf] The Sun has appealed the decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit. In the Suns articles critical of Ehrlich, with the exception of articles related to this specific subject, the Sun makes no mention of its suit and statements against the Ehrlich administration. Further, many noted the Sun's action in July 2005 ordering Gregory Kane—its only conservative columnist—could no longer chat with Ron Smith on his talk show on WBAL radio. Many perceived hypocrisy in the Sun's suing Ehrlich for his blackout of columnists David Nitkin and Michael Olesker, while pulling the same stunt in silencing Kane on WBAL's airwaves. Another Sun article titled "Ehrlich criticized for choice of golf club as fund-raiser site"[http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-md.elkridge02jul02,1,2995377.story] stated that the club where Ehrlich had one of his fundraisers had no African-American members in its 127-year history. One of their columnists, Michael Olesker, advised Ehrlich to learn a lesson from Groucho Marx[http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-md.olesker05jul05,1,295757.column]. An editorial in the Sun implied he continues to use Lt. Gov. Michael Steele for political purposes and accused them both of endorsing the club's policy[http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/bal-ed.golf07jul07,1,4010430.story]. The Maryland NAACP and Democratic Party Leaders such as Kweisi Mfume, Isiah Leggett, and Montgomery County Executive (and probable 2006 gubernatorial candidate) Doug Duncan joined in the criticism. Later, the Sun reported that Baltimore County Executive James T. Smith Jr., a Democrat, also hosted a fundraiser there[http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-md.ehrlich06jul06,1,1615659.story]. Additionally, Peter O'Malley, the younger brother of and top political adviser to Baltimore City Mayor Martin O'Malley, had his wedding reception to Melinda O'Malley at the club.

2006 gubernatorial election

For more information, see Maryland gubernatorial election, 2006.

Sources


- Maryland Archives gubernatorial biography. [http://www.mdarchives.state.md.us/msa/mdmanual/08conoff/html/msa12125.html]
- Maryland Archives general biography. [http://www.mdarchives.state.md.us/msa/speccol/sc3500/sc3520/012100/012125/html/msa12125.html]

See also


- Government of Maryland

External links


- [http://www.gov.state.md.us/ Office of the Governor]
- [http://www.issues2000.org/Robert_Ehrlich.htm Bob Ehrlich on the Issues] Ehrlich, Robert Leroy Ehrlich, Robert Leroy Ehrlich, Robert Leroy Ehrlich, Robert Leroy Ehrlich, Robert Leroy Ehrlich, Robert Leroy Ehrlich, Robert Leroy Ehrlich, Robert Leroy Ehrlich, Robert Leroy Ehrlich, Robert Leroy

November 25

November 25 is the 329th (in leap years the 330th) day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 36 days remaining.

Events


- 1034 - Malcolm II of Scotland dies. Duncan, the son of his second daughter, inherits the throne ahead of Macbeth, the son of his eldest daughter.
- 1120 - The White Ship sinks in the English Channel, drowning William Adelin, son of Henry I of England.
- 1177 - Baldwin IV of Jerusalem and Raynald of Chatillon defeat Saladin at the Battle of Montgisard.
- 1491 - The siege of Granada, last Moorish stronghold in Spain, begins.
- 1542 - Battle of Solway Moss. The English army defeats the Scottish.
- 1758 - French and Indian War: British forces capture Fort Duquesne from French control.
- 1783 - American Revolutionary War: The last British troops leave New York City three months after the signing of the Treaty of Paris.
- 1795 - Partitions of Poland: Stanislaus August Poniatowski, the last king of independent Poland, is forced to abdicate and exiled to Russia.
- 1863 - American Civil War: Battle of Missionary Ridge - At Missionary Ridge in Tennessee, Union forces led by General Ulysses S. Grant break the Siege of Chattanooga by routing Confederate troops under General Braxton Bragg.
- 1874 - The United States Greenback Party is established as a political party consisting primarily of farmers affected by the Panic of 1873.
- 1876 - Indian Wars: In retaliation for the American defeat at the Battle of the Little Bighorn, United States Army troops sack Chief Dull Knife's sleeping Cheyenne village at the headwaters of the Powder River.
- 1905 - The danish Prins Carl arrives in Norway to become King Haakon VII of Norway
- 1913 - Panama becomes a signatory to the Buenos Aires copyright treaty.
- 1936 - In Berlin, Germany and Japan sign the Anti-Comintern Pact, thus agreeing to consult on what measures to take "to safeguard their common interests" in case of an unprovoked attack by the Soviet Union against either nation.
- 1940 - Woody Woodpecker first appears, in the film "Knock Knock".
- 1943 - Statehood of Bosnia and Herzegovina was re-established at the Anti-Fascist Council of National Liberation of Yugoslavia.
- 1944 - World War II: A German V-2 rocket hits a Woolworth's store in Deptford, UK, killing 160 shoppers.
- 1947 - Red Scare: The "Hollywood Ten" are blacklisted by Hollywood movie studios.
- 1947 - New Zealand ratifies the Statute of Westminster and thus becomes independent of legislative control by the United Kingdom.
- 1950 - The People's Republic of China joins the Korean War, sending thousands of troops across the Yalu river border to fight United Nations forces.
- 1952 - Agatha Christie's murder-mystery play The Mousetrap opens at the Ambassadors Theatre in London and eventually becomes the longest continuously-running play in history.
- 1953 - The England football team suffer their first home defeat against continental opposition, losing to Hungary.
- 1958 - French Sudan gains autonomy as a self-governing member of the French Community.
- 1960 - The Mirabal sisters of the Dominican Republic are assassinated .
- 1963 - President John F. Kennedy is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
- 1970 - In Japan, author Yukio Mishima and two compatriots commit ritualistic suicide after an unsuccessful coup attempt.
- 1973 - Greek President George Papadopoulos is ousted in a military coup led by Lieutenant General Phaidon Gizikis.
- 1975 - Suriname gains independence from the Netherlands.
- 1980 - No Más Fight: Sugar Ray Leonard regains the WBC world welterweight boxing title in a bout against Roberto Duran.
- 1984 - 36 top musicians gather in a Notting Hill studio and record Band Aid's Do They Know It's Christmas in order to raise money for famine relief in Ethiopia.
- 1984 - A KCR train derails between Sheung Shui and Fanling, Hong Kong.
- 1986 - Iran Contra Affair: US Attorney General Edwin Meese announces that profits from covert weapons sales to Iran were illegally diverted to the anti-communist Contra rebels in Nicaragua.
- 1992 - The Czechoslovakia Federal Assembly votes to split the country into the Czech Republic and Slovakia from January 1, 1993.
- 1994 - Sony founder Akio Morita announces he will be stepping down as CEO of the company.
- 1999 - The United Nations General Assembly passes a resolution designating November 25 as the annual International Day to Eliminate Violence Against Women.
- 2001 - Richard Burns becomes first ever English World Rally Championship champion.
- 2002 - US President George W. Bush signs the Homeland Security Act into law.
- 2002 - Reported assassination attempt on Turkmen president Saparmurat Niyazov.

Births


- 1501 - Yi Hwang, Confucian scholar (d. 1570)
- 1562 - Félix Lope de Vega, Spanish playwright (d. 1635)
- 1577 - Piet Hein, Dutch naval commander and folk hero (d. 1629)
- 1609 - Henrietta Maria, Queen of Charles I of England (d. 1669)
- 1638 - Catherine of Braganza, Queen of Charles II of England (d. 1705)
- 1703 - Jean-François Séguier, French astronomer and botanist (d. 1784)
- 1712 - Charles-Michel de l'Épée, French philanthropist and developer of 'Signed French' (d. 1789)
- 1714 - Yoriyuki Arima, Japanese mathematician (d. 1783)
- 1814 - Julius Robert von Mayer, German physician and physicist (d. 1878)
- 1817 - John Bigelow, American statesman and author (d. 1911)
- 1835 - Andrew Carnegie, British-born industrialist and philanthropist (d. 1919)
- 1844 - Karl Benz, German engineer (d. 1929)
- 1845 - José Maria Eça de Queiróz, Portuguese novelist (d. 1900)
- 1846 - Carrie Nation, American temperance advocate (d. 1911)
- 1858 - Alfred Capus, French author (d. 1922)
- 1862 - Ethelbert Nevin, American pianist and composer (d. 1901)
- 1869 - Ben Lindsey, American judge and social reformer (d. 1934)
- 1870 - Winthrop Ames, American theatrical director (d. 1937)
- 1874 - Joe Gans, American boxer (d. 1910)
- 1881 - Pope John XXIII (d. 1963)
- 1883 - Harvey Spencer Lewis, American mystic (d. 1939)
- 1883 - Merrill C. Meigs, American newspaper publisher and aviation promoter (d. 1968)
- 1895 - Wilhelm Kempff, German pianist (d. 1991)
- 1895 - Ludvík Svoboda, President of Czechoslovakia (d. 1979)
- 1896 - Virgil Thomson, American composer and music critic (d. 1989)
- 1904 - Lillian Copeland, American athlete (d. 1964)
- 1904 - Ba Jin, Chinese novelist (d. 2005)
- 1913 - Lewis Thomas, American physician and essayist (d. 1993)
- 1914 - Joe DiMaggio, American baseball player (d. 1999)
- 1915 - Augusto Pinochet, Chilean politician
- 1920 - Tuanku Syed Putra ibni Almarhum Syed Hassan Jamalullail, King of Malaysia (d. 2000)
- 1920 - Ricardo Montalban, Mexican actor
- 1920 - Noel Neill, American actress
- 1924 - Takaaki Yoshimoto, Japanese poet, critic, and philosopher.
- 1925 - Jeffrey Hunter, American actor (d. 1969)
- 1926 - Poul Anderson, American writer (d. 2001)
- 1933 - Kathryn Grant, American actress
- 1940 - Reinhard Furrer, American physicist and astronaut (d. 1995)
- 1940 - Joe Gibbs, American football coach
- 1944 - Ben Stein, American actor, game show host, and political consultant
- 1945 - Percy Sledge, American musician
- 1947 - John Larroquette, American actor
- 1951 - Bucky Dent, American baseball player
- 1951 - Bill Morrissey, American musician
- 1952 - Imran Khan, Pakistani test cricketer
- 1959 - Charles Kennedy, British politician
- 1960 - Amy Grant, American singer
- 1960 - John F. Kennedy, Jr., American publisher (d. 1999)
- 1965 - Cris Carter, American football player
- 1965 - Bernie Kosar, American football player
- 1966 - Tim Armstrong, American musician (Rancid and The Transplants)
- 1968 - Jill Hennessy, Canadian actress
- 1968 - Erick Sermon, American rap music artist
- 1971 - Christina Applegate, American actress
- 1971 - Magnus Arvedson, Swedish hockey player
- 1976 - Donovan McNabb, American football player
- 1978 - Shina Ringo, Japanese musician, singer, and songwriter
- 1979 - Thea Gilmore, British singer and songwriter
- 1981 - Xabi Alonso, Spanish international footballer
- 1981 - Barbara and Jenna Bush, daughters of U.S. President George W. Bush

Deaths


- 311 - Peter of Alexandria, Christian martyr (b. 300)
- 1034 - King Malcolm II of Scotland (killed)
- 1120 - William Adelin, son of Henry I of England (drowned) (b. 1104)
- 1185 - Pope Lucius III (b. 1097)
- 1326 - Prince Koreyasu, Japanese shogun (b. 1264)
- 1374 - Philip II of Taranto, Emperor of Costantinople (b. 1329)
- 1456 - Jacques Cœur, French merchant
- 1560 - Andrea Doria, Italian naval leader (b. 1466)
- 1626 - Edward Alleyn, English actor (b. 1566)
- 1694 - Ismael Bullialdus, French astronomer (b. 1605)
- 1700 - Stephanus Van Cortlandt, first native Mayor of New York (b. 1643)
- 1748 - Isaac Watts, British hymnwriter (b. 1674)
- 1755 - Johann Georg Pisendel, German musician (b. 1687)
- 1785 - Richard Glover, British poet (b. 1712)
- 1865 - Heinrich Barth, German explorer (b. 1821)
- 1881 - Theobald Boehm, German inventor of the modern flute (b. 1794)
- 1884 - Adolph Wilhelm Hermann Kolbe, German chemist (b. 1818)
- 1920 - Gaston Chevrolet, Swiss-born race car driver and automobile pioneer (b. 1892)
- 1944 - Kenesaw Mountain Landis, baseball commissioner (b. 1866)
- 1947 - Léon-Paul Fargue, French poet (b. 1876)
- 1950 - Johannes Vilhelm Jensen, Danish writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1873)
- 1959 - Gérard Philipe, French actor (b. 1922)
- 1968 - Upton Sinclair, American journalist, politician, and writer (b. 1878)
- 1965 - Dame Myra Hess, British pianist (b. 1890)
- 1970 - Yukio Mishima, Japanese writer (b. 1925)
- 1972 - Henri Coanda, Romanian aerodynamics pioneer (b. 1886)
- 1973 - Laurence Harvey, Lithuanian-born actor (b. 1928)
- 1974 - Nick Drake, British singer and songwriter (b. 1948)
- 1974 - U Thant, Burmese UN Secretary-General (b. 1909)
- 1981 - Jack Albertson, American actor (b. 1907)
- 1987 - Harold Washington, Mayor of Chicago (b. 1922)
- 1998 - Nelson Goodman, American philosopher (b. 1906)
- 1998 - Flip Wilson, American actor and comedian (b. 1933)
- 2002 - Karel Reisz, Czech theater director (b. 1926)
- 2005 - George Best, Irish footballer (b. 1946)
- 2005 - Richard Burns, English rally driver (b.1971)

Holidays and observances


- R.C. Saints - Saint Catherine of Alexandria; Moses?
- Bosnia and Herzegovina: National Day (1943)
- Surinam - Independence Day (from the Netherlands, 1975)
- In 2003, celebration of the Muslim festival of Eid (which has no set date in the Gregorian calendar because the Muslim calendar is based on the lunar, not the solar, cycle)
- International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women

External links


- [http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/november/25 BBC: On This Day] ---- November 24 - November 26 - October 25 - December 25 -- listing of all days ko:11월 25일 ms:25 November ja:11月25日 simple:November 25 th:25 พฤศจิกายน

1957

1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar.

Events

January-February


- January 1 - Saarland joins West Germany
- January 2 - San Francisco and Los Angeles stock exchanges merge to form Pacific Coast Stock Exchange.
- January 3 - Hamilton Watch Company introduces the first electric watch
- January 4 - After 69 years the last issue of Collier's Weekly magazine is published
- January 5 - Russell Endean becomes the first batsman to be dismissed handled the ball in test match cricket
- January 10 - Anthony Eden resigns - Harold Macmillan becomes the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
- January 11 - The African Convention is founded in Dakar.
- January 13 - Wham-O Company produces the first Frisbee
- January 16 - The Cavern Club opens in Liverpool
- January 22 - Israel withdraws from the Sinai Peninsula (they captured it from Egypt in a battle on October 29, 1956)
- January 22 - The New York City "Mad Bomber," George P. Metesky, is arrested in Waterbury, Connecticut and is charged with planting more than 30 bombs.
- January 23 - Ku Klux Klan members force truck driver Willie Edwards to jump off a bridge into the Alabama River - he drowns as a result.
- February 4 - France prohibits UN involvement in Algeria
- February 15 - Andrei Gromyko becomes foreign minister of Soviet Union

March

Soviet Union
- March 1 - U Nu becomes Prime Minister of Burma
- March 1 - Arturo Lezama becomes President of the National Council of Government of Uruguay
- March 1 - Sud Aviation forms from a merger between SNCASE (Société Nationale de Constructions Aéronautiques du Sud Est) and SNCASO (Société Nationale de Constructions Aéronautiques du Sud Ouest)
- March 6 - United Kingdom colonies Gold Coast and British Togoland become the independent Republic of Ghana
- March 8 - Egypt re-opens the Suez Canal
- March 10 - Floodgates of The Dalles Dam are closed inundating Celilo Falls and ancient indian fisheries along the Columbia River in Oregon.
- March 13 - The FBI arrests Jimmy Hoffa and charges him with bribery
- March 14 - President Sukarno declares martial law in Indonesia
- March 20 - French newspaper L'Express reveals that the French army tortures Algerian prisoners
- March 25 - Treaty of Rome (patto di Roma) establishes the European Economic Community (EEC); see EU

April-June


- April 1 - The first new conscripts join the Bundeswehr
- April 5 - First elected government of Kerala. CPI won the elections and E. M. S. Namboodiripad became the first chief minister of united Kerala
- April 9 - Egypt reopens Suez Canal for all shipping
- April 12 - United Kingdom announces that Singapore will gain self rule January 1 1958
- April 12 - Allen Ginsberg's poem Howl, printed in England, is seized by U.S. customs officials on the grounds of obscenity
- May 2 - Vincent Gigante fails to assassinate mafioso Frank Costello
- May 2 - Senator Joseph McCarthy of the Red Scare dies.
- May 3 - Walter O'Malley, the owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers, agrees to move the team from Brooklyn, New York, to Los Angeles, California.
- May 15 - Stanley Matthews plays his final international game, ending an English record international career of almost 23 years
- May 16 - Paul-Henri Spaak becomes the new Secretary General of NATO.
- June 9 - First ascent of Broad Peak
- June 15 - Eindhoven University of Technology is founded.
- June 21 - John Diefenbaker becomes Canada's thirteenth prime minister.
- June 25 - United Church of Christ formed in Cleveland, Ohio by merger of Congregational Christian Churches and the Evangelical and Reformed Church.
- June 27 - Hurricane Audrey demolishes Cameron, Louisiana, killing 400 people.

July-September


- July - International Geophysical Year begins.
- July 16 - United States Marine Major John Glenn flies an F8U supersonic jet from California to New York in 3 hours, 23 minutes and 8 seconds setting a new transcontinental speed record.
- July 25 - Tunisia becomes a republic.
- July 29 - The International Atomic Energy Agency is established.
- August 4 - Juan Manuel Fangio, driving for Maserati, wins the Formula One German Grand Prix, clinching (with 4 wins that season) his record fifth world drivers championship, including his fourth consecutive championship (also a record); these two records would endure for nearly half a century.
- August 31 - The Federation of Malaya, which does not include Singapore, gains independence from the United Kingdom. Tuanku Abdul Rahman ibni Almarhum Tuanku Muhammad, Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan becomes the first Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia.
- September 4 - American Civil Rights Movement: Little Rock Crisis - Orville Faubus, governor of Arkansas, calls out the US National Guard to prevent black students from enrolling in Central High School in Little Rock.
- September 4 - The Ford Motor Company introduces the Edsel on what the company proclaims as "E Day."
- September 21 - Olav V becomes King of Norway on the death of Haakon VII.

October


- October 4 - Sputnik program: The Soviet Union launches Sputnik I, the first artificial satellite to orbit the earth.
- October 9 - Neil H. McElroy was sworn in as the 6th Secretary of Defense of United States.
- October 10 - US President Dwight D. Eisenhower apologizes to the finance minister of Ghana, Komla Agbeli Gbdemah, after he was refused service in a Dover, Delaware restaurant.
- October 11 - Radio telescope of Jodrell Bank, Cheshire, UK, opened.
- October 23 - Morocco begins its invasion of Ifni.
- October 25 - Assassination of a Mafia boss Albert Anastasia in a barber shop in Park Sheraton Hotel.
- October 27 - Celal Bayar re-elected president of Turkey

November-December


- November 1 - Michigan's Mackinac Bridge opened.
- November 3 - Sputnik program: The Soviet Union launches Sputnik 2. On board is the first animal to enter space - a dog named Laika (she was kept alive for several days in space with a sophisticated life-support system).
- November 7 - Cold War: In the United States, the Gaither Report calls for more American missiles and fallout shelters.
- November 13 - Flooding in the Po River valley of Italy leads to the flooding also in Venice
- November 14 - Apalachin Meeting - The leaders of the American Mafia meet at a convention in Apalachin, New York at the house of Joseph Barbara. It is broken up by a curious patrolman.
- November 15 - Plane crash in the Isle of Wight leaves 43 dead.
- November 16 - Serial killer Edward Gein murders his last victim, Bernice Worden of Plainfield, Wisconsin.
- November 30 - Grenade attack against Indonesian president Sukarno in Cikini School in Jakarta. Six children killed, Sukarno survives unscathed.
- December 1 - In Indonesia, Sukarno announces nationalization of 246 Dutch businesses
- December 4 - Lewisham train disaster in UK leaves 92 dead
- December 5 - All 326,000 Dutch nationals are expelled from Indonesia.
- December 6 - First US attempt to launch a satellite fails, the satellite blowing up on the launch pad.

Undated


- Consumers' Association founded (UK)
- Project Orion begins, a U.S. program to build a spacecraft powered by nuclear explosions.
- Civil Rights Commission established under the Civil Rights Act of 1957
- IBM makes FORTRAN scientific programming language available to customers. It becomes the most widely used computer language for technical work.
- Citroën stops production of its Traction Avant motor car (production started in 1934).
- The Piña Colada was invented by Ramon Marrero, a bartender at Puerto Rico's Caribe Hilton. [http://melindalee.com/recipearchive.html?action=124&item_id=698]

Environmental change


- The Africanized bee is accidentally released in Brazil
- The Asian Flu pandemic begins in China

Births

January-February


- January 6 - Nancy Lopez, American golfer
- January 7 - Nicholson Baker, American novelist
- January 7 - Katie Couric, American television host
- January 7 - Julian Solis, Puerto Rican boxer
- January 11 - Robert Earl Keen, American musician and singer
- January 15 - Mario Van Peebles, Mexican actor and director
- January 19 - Katey Sagal, American actress, singer, and writer
- January 22 - Mike Bossy, Canadian hockey player
- January 23 - Princess Caroline of Monaco
- January 30 - Payne Stewart, American golfer (d. 1999)
- February 4 - Don Davis, American composer
- February 6 - Kathy Najimy, American actress and comedian
- February 6 - Robert Townsend, American comedian, actor, director, and producer
- February 8 - Cindy Wilson, American singer (The B-52's)
- February 9 - John Axon GC, British railwayman
- February 16 - LeVar Burton, American actor
- February 16 - James Ingram, American singer
- February 18 - Vanna White, American game show presenter
- February 19 - Falco, Austrian musician (d. 1998)
- February 27 - Viktor Markin, Russian athlete
- February 28 - Ian Smith, New Zealand cricket captains

March-May


- March 5 - Ray Suarez, American journalist
- March 10 - Osama bin Laden, Saudi-born Islamic extremist
- March 12 - Steve Harris, British bassist (Iron Maiden)
- March 20 - Spike Lee, American film director and actor
- March 29 - Christophe Lambert, American-born actor
- March 30 - Paul Reiser, American actor
- March 31 - Marc McClure, American actor
- April 4 - Aki Kaurismäki, Finnish film director
- April 4 - Nobuyoshi Kuwano, Japanese television performer and musician (Rats & Star)
- April 5 - Ivan Corea, Sri Lankan autism campaigner
- April 8 - Henry Cluney, Irish musician
- April 9 - Seve Ballesteros, Spanish golfer
- April 29 - Daniel Day-Lewis, Anglo-Irish actor
- May 3 - William Clay Ford, Jr., American automobile executive
- May 10 - Sid Vicious, English bassist (Sex Pistols) (d. 1979)
- May 22 - Gary Sweet, Australian actor
- May 26 - Margaret Colin, American actress
- May 27 - Siouxsie Sioux, British singer (Siouxsie and the Banshees)
- May 28 - Kirk Gibson, baseball player
- May 29 - Jeb Hensarling, American politician

June-October


- June 2 - King Lizzard, American entertainer
- June 3 - Horst-Ulrich Hänel, German field hockey player
- June 8 - Scott Adams, American cartoonist
- June 10 - Hidetsugu Aneha, Japanese one class authorized architect and builder
- June 11 - Jamaaladeen Tacuma, American musician
- June 12 - Javed Miandad, Pakistani cricketer
- June 19 - Anna Lindh, Swedish politician (d. 2003)
- July 13 - Cameron Crowe, American writer and film director
- June 13 - Frances McDormand, American actress
- July 23 - Theo van Gogh, Dutch film director (d. 2004)
- July 26 - Nana Visitor, American actress
- July 29 - Nelli Kim, Russian gymnast
- August 6 - Jim McGreevey, Governor of New Jersey
- August 7 - Mark Bagley, American comic book artist
- August 9 - Melanie Griffith, American actress
- August 11 - Richie Ramone, American drummer (The Ramones)
- August 18 - Carole Bouquet, French actress
- August 18 - Denis Leary, American comedian and actor
- August 24 - Stephen Fry, British comedian, author, and actor
- August 27 - Bernhard Langer, German golfer
- August 28 - Daniel Stern, American actor
- September 1 - Gloria Estefan, Cuban-born singer
- September 12 - Rachel Ward, British actress
- October 14 - Kenny Neal, American guitarist
- October 21 - Wolfgang Ketterle, German physicist, Nobel Prize laureate
- October 26 - Bob Golic, American football player
- October 27 - Jeff East, American actor

November-December


- November 6 - Klaus Kleinfeld, German business executive
- November 7 - Christopher Knight, American actor November 9 - Spiro Agnew, American politician
- November 15 - Kevin Eubanks, American jazz guitarist
- November 24 - Denise Crosby, American actress
- November 30 - Colin Mochrie, Scottish-born comedian
- December 6 - Thomas Brinkman, American politician
- December 8 - Phil Collen, British singer and guitarist (Def Leppard)
- December 9 - Donny Osmond, American singer
- December 10 - Michael Clarke Duncan, American actor
- December 13 - Steve Buscemi, American actor
- December 13 - Morris Day, American musician (The Time (Band))
- December 13 - Jean-Marie Messier, French businessman
- December 20 - Billy Bragg, British singer
- December 20 - Joyce Hyser, American actress
- December 21 - Tom Henke, baseball player
- December 21 - Ray Romano, American actor and comedian
- December 30 - Matt Lauer, American newscaster

Unknown date


- Walter Moers, German comic artist and writer
- Eugene Spafford, American computer scientist

Deaths

January-March


- January 10 - Gabriela Mistral, Chilean writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1889)
- January 14 - Humphrey Bogart, American actor (b. 1899)
- January 16 - Arturo Toscanini, Italian conductor (b. 1867)
- February 8 - Walther Bothe, German physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1891)
- February 8 - John von Neumann, Hungarian-born mathematician (b. 1903)
- February 9 - Miklós Horthy, Hungarian admiral and regent (b. 1868)
- February 10 - Laura Ingalls Wilder, American author (b. 1867)
- February 18 - Henry Norris Russell, American astronomer (b. 1877)
- February 25 - George "Bugs" Moran, American gangster (b. 1893)
- March 11 - Admiral Richard E. Byrd, American explorer (b. 1888)
- March 16 - Constantin Brancusi, Romanian sculptor (b. 1876)
- March 17 - Ramon Magsaysay, President of the Philippines (b. 1907)
- March 25 - Max Ophüls, German film director and writer (b. 1902)
- March 29 - Joyce Cary, Irish author (b. 1888)

April-June


- May 2 - Joseph McCarthy, U.S. Senator (b. 1908)
- May 9 - Ezio Pinza, Italian bass (b. 1892)
- May 14 - Marie Vassilieff, Russian artist (b. 1884)
- May 16 - Eliot Ness, American Federal Bureau of Investigation agent (b. 1903)
- May 31 - Leopold Staff, Polish poet (b. 1878)
- June 17 - Dorothy Richardson, English feminist writer (b. 1873)
- June 21 - Johannes Stark, German physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1874)
- June 26 - Alfred Döblin, German writer (b. 1878)
- June 27 - Malcolm Lowry, English novelist (b. 1909)

July-September


- July 4 - Judy Tyler, American actress (b. 1933)
- July 24 - Sacha Guitry, Russian-born French playright, actor, and director (b. 1885)
- July 28 - Edith Abbott, American social worker, educator, and author (b. 1876)
- August 5 - Heinrich Otto Wieland, German chemist, Nobel Prize larueate (b. 1877)
- August 7 - Oliver Hardy, American actor (b. 1892)
- August 16 - Irving Langmuir, American chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1881)
- August 19 - David Bomberg, English painter (b. 1890)
- September 1 - Dennis Brain, English French horn player (b. 1921)
- September 20 - Jean Sibelius, Finnish composer (b. 1865)
- September 21 - Haakon VII of Norway (b. 1872)
- September 22 - Toyoda Soemu, Japanese admiral (b. 1885)

October-December


- October 25 - Edward Plunkett, Baron Dunsany, Irish author (b. 1878)
- October 26 - Gerty Cori, Austrian-born biochemist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1896)
- October 29 - Louis B. Mayer, American film producer (b. 1885)
- November 4 - Shoghi Effendi, Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith (b. 1897)
- November 4 - Laika, first Russian dog to orbit the earth
- November 24 - Diego Rivera, Mexican painter (b. 1886)
- November 29 - Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Austrian composer (b. 1897)
- November 30 - Beniamino Gigli, Italian tenor (b. 1890)
- December 21 - Eric Coates, English composer (b. 1886)

Nobel Prizes


- Physics - Chen Ning Yang, Tsung-Dao Lee
- Chemistry- Lord Alexander R. Todd
- Physiology or Medicine - Daniel Bovet
- Literature - Albert Camus
- Peace - Lester Bowles Pearson Category:1957 als:1957 ko:1957년 ms:1957 ja:1957年 simple:1957 th:พ.ศ. 2500

United States

:For alternative meanings, see the disambiguation page for US, USA, United States, or American. The United States of America is a federal democratic republic situated primarily in central North America. It comprises 50 states and one federal district, and has several territories. It is also referred to, with varying formality, as the United States, the U.S., the U.S.A., the States, or simply and most commonly, America. The official founding date of the United States is July 4, 1776, when the Second Continental Congress—representing thirteen British colonies—adopted the Declaration of Independence. However, the structure of the government was profoundly changed in 1788, when the states replaced the Articles of Confederation with the United States Constitution. The date on which each of the fifty states adopted the Constitution is typically regarded as the date that state "entered the Union" (became part of the United States). Since the mid-20th century, following World War II, the United States has emerged as a dominant global influence in economic, political, military, scientific, technological, and cultural affairs.

Geography and climate

The United States shares land borders with Canada (to the north) and Mexico (to the south), and territorial water boundaries with Canada, Russia, the Bahamas, and numerous smaller nations. It is otherwise bounded by the Pacific Ocean and the Bering Sea, in the west; the Arctic Ocean, in the northernmost areas; and the Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean Sea, in the eastern and southeastern areas. Forty-eight of the states are in the single region between Canada and Mexico; this group is referred to, with varying precision and formality, as the continental or contiguous United States, sometimes abbreviated CONUS, and as the Lower 48. Alaska, which is not included in the term contiguous United States, is at the northwestern end of North America, separated from the Lower 48 by Canada. The archipelago of Hawaii is in the Pacific Ocean. The capital city, Washington, District of Columbia is a federal district located on land donated by the state of Maryland. (Virginia also donated land, but it was returned in 1847.) The United States also has overseas territories with varying levels of independence and organization. When inland water is included in the total area, only Russia and Canada are larger than the United States; if inland water is excluded, China ranks third and the U.S. ranks fourth. The United States' total area is 3,718,711 square miles (9,631,418 km²), of which land makes up 3,537,438 square miles (9,161,923 km²) and water makes up 181,273 square miles (469,495 km²). The United States' landscape is one of the most varied among those of the world's nations: among its many features are temperate forestland and rolling hills, on the east coast; mangrove, in Florida; the Great Plains, in the center of the country; the Mississippi–Missouri river system; the Great Lakes, four of the five of which are shared with Canada; the Rocky Mountains, west of the Great Plains; deserts and temperate coastal zones, west of the Rocky Mountains; and temperate rain forests, in the Pacific northwest. Alaska's tundra, and the volcanic, tropical islands of Hawaii add to the geographic diversity. Hawaii The climate varies along with the landscape, from tropical in Hawaii and southern Florida to tundra in Alaska and atop some of the highest mountains. Most of the North and East experience a temperate continental climate, with warm summers and cold winters. Most of the South experiences a subtropical humid climate with mild winters and long, hot, humid summers. Rainfall decreases markedly from the humid forests of the Eastern Great Plains to the semi-arid shortgrass prairies on the high plains abutting the Rocky Mountains. Arid deserts, including the Mojave, extend through the lowlands and valleys of the southwest, from westernmost Texas to California and northward throughout much of Nevada. Some parts of California have a Mediterranean climate. Rainforests line the windward mountains of the Pacific Northwest from Oregon to Alaska.

History

American history started with the migration of people from Asia across the Bering land bridge approximately 12,000 years ago following large animals that they hunted into the Americas. These Native Americans left evidence of their presence in petroglyphs, burial mounds, and other artifacts. It is estimated that 2-9 million people lived in the territory now occupied by the U.S. before European contact, and the subsequent introduction of foreign diseases such as small pox that greatly diminished the native populations. Some advanced societies were the Anasazi of the southwest, who inhabited Chaco Canyon, and the Woodland Indians, who built Cahokia, located near present-day St Louis, a city with a population of 40,000 at its peak in AD 1200. Vikings first visited North America around 1000, but did not settle permanently. Following the discovery voyages of Christopher Columbus around 1492, other Europeans began to explore and settle there. During the 1500s and 1600s, the Spanish settled parts of the present-day Southwest and Florida, founding St. Augustine, Florida in 1565 and Santa Fe (in what is now New Mexico) in 1607. The first successful English settlement was at Jamestown, Virginia, also in 1607. Within the next two decades, several Dutch settlements, including New Amsterdam (the predecessor to New York City), were established in what are now the states of New York and New Jersey. In 1637, Sweden established a colony at Fort Christina (in what is now Delaware), but lost the settlement to the Dutch in 1655. This was followed by extensive British settlement of the east coast. The British colonists remained relatively undisturbed by their home country until after the French and Indian War, when France ceded Canada and the Great Lakes region to Britain. Britain then imposed taxes on the 13 colonies, widely regarded by the colonists as unfair because they were denied representation in the British Parliament. Tensions between Britain and the colonists increased, and the thirteen colonies eventually rebelled against British rule. British Parliament, George Washington (1789-1797).]] In 1776, the 13 colonies split from Great Britain and formed the United States, the world's first constitutional and democratic federal republic, after their Declaration of Independence of that year, and the Revolutionary War (1775 to 1783). The original political structure was a confederation in 1777, ratified in 1781 as the Articles of Confederation. After long debate, this was supplanted by the Constitution in 1789, forming a more centralized federal government. Prior to all these was the Albany Congress in 1754, in which a union was first seriously proposed. From early colonial times, there was a shortage of labor, which encouraged unfree labor, particularly indentured servitude and slavery. In the mid-19th century, a major division occurred in the United States over the issue of states' rights and the expansion of slavery. The northern states had become opposed to slavery, while the southern states saw it as necessary for the continued success of southern agriculture and wanted it expanded to the territories. Several federal laws were passed in an attempt to settle the dispute, including the Missouri Compromise and the Compromise of 1850. The dispute reached a crisis in 1861, when seven southern states seceded1 from the Union and formed the Confederate States of America, leading to the Civil War. Soon after the war began, four more southern states seceded. During the war, Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, mandating the freedom of all slaves in states in rebellion, though full emancipation did not take place until after the end of the war in 1865, the dissolution of the Confederacy, and the Thirteenth Amendment took effect. The Civil War effectively ended the question of a state's right to secede, and is widely accepted as a major turning point after which the federal government became more powerful than state governments. Thirteenth Amendment). The title of the painting, from a 1726 poem by Bishop Berkeley, was a phrase often quoted in the era of Manifest Destiny, expressing a widely held belief that civilization had steadily moved westward throughout history. [http://americanart.si.edu/t2go/1lw/1931.6.1.html (more)] ]] During the 19th century, many new states were added to the original 13 as the nation expanded across the continent. Manifest Destiny was a philosophy that encouraged westward expansion in the United States. As the population of the Eastern states grew and as a steady increase of immigrants entered the country, settlers moved steadily westward across North America. In the process, the U.S. displaced most American Indian nations. This displacement of American Indians continues to be a matter of contention in the U.S. with many tribes attempting to assert their original claims to various lands. In some areas American Indian populations were reduced by foreign diseases contracted through contact with European settlers, and US settlers acquired those emptied lands. In other instances American Indians were removed from their traditional lands by force. Though some would say the U.S. was not a colonial power until the Spanish-American War when it acquired Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippines, the dominion exercised over land in North America the United States claimed is essentially colonial. The Philippines became independent in 1946. During this period, the nation also became an industrial power. This continued into the 20th century, which has been termed "the American Century" because of the nation's overriding influence on the world. The US became a center for innovation and technological development; major technologies that America either developed or was greatly involved in improving include the telephone, television, computer, the Internet, nuclear weapons, nuclear power, aviation, and aeronautics. In addition to the Civil War, another major traumatic experience for the nation was the Great Depression (1929 to 1939). The nation has also taken part in several major foreign wars, including World War I and World War II (in both of which the US later joined the Allies). During the Cold War, the US was a major player in the Korean War and Vietnam War, and, along with the Soviet Union, was considered one of the world's two "superpowers". With the collapse of the Soviet Union, the US emerged as the world's leading economic and military power. Beginning in the 1990s, the United States became very involved in police actions and peacekeeping, including actions in Kosovo, Haiti, Somalia and Liberia, and the first Persian Gulf