About the U.S.A.

Glimpsing Louis Armstrong: A Critic Remembers

Louis Armstrong

“America has never produced a more important or influential artist,” theater and music critic Terry Teachout said recently about the late Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong, the sui generis jazz musician and composer who galvanized the music scene in the United States for more than a half-century.

Marking the 105th anniversary of the birth [August 4, 1901] of the legendary creative artist, Teachout – who is the drama critic of The Wall Street Journal and whose classical and popular music essays appear monthly in Commentary magazine – reflected on aspects of Armstrong’s life, career and influence in a conversation with Washington File writer Michael J. Bandler

Teachout is completing a major biography of Louis Armstrong and an assessment of the musician’s art, which is scheduled for publication in 2007.


Pop Icon Elvis Presley Remembered on Anniversary of Death- August 16, 1977

Before "Elvis," Beatles vocalist and rhythm guitarist John Lennon once said, "there was nothing." Lennon exaggerated -- but not by much. By the late 1950s, Elvis Aaron Presley (1935–1977), a dirt-poor country boy had emerged as “The King" -- Hollywood star, top-selling recording artist (of all time, by some measures) and cultural icon. His first and perhaps most lasting achievement, though, was introducing the rhythm-and-blues music pioneered by African Americans to a white audience. Elvis fused what then often was known as "black music" with the "country" sound prevalent in the South. The result was called “rockabilly,” but subsequent generations -- John Lennon included -- heard the beginning of rock 'n' roll.

In Focus: 2006: The Year of the Museum

There are an estimated 16,000 museums in the United States.

- 2.3 million people visit American museums every day. That’s 865 million visits per year, more than all ticket sales to professional baseball, football, and basketball sporting events combined.
- 1/3 of Americans have visited a museum within the past six months.
- Museums rank in the top 3 family vacation destinations
- Museums care for over 750 million objects and living specimens.
- Museums annually spend more than $1 billion to provide over 18 million hours for educational programs.
- Zoos and aquariums invest $51 million in scientific research each year
During the past century, U.S. museums have become the cultural landmarks of American society, institutions that educate, inspire, and lead their communities. 2006 marks the 100th anniversary of the American Association of Museums (AAM), the national service organization representing the American museum community.

Women’s Equality Day August 26, 2006

President Bush has proclaimed August 26 as Women’s Equality Day to honor the contributions and accomplishments of women in the United States.

“On Women’s Equality Day we celebrate this milestone and pay tribute to the inspiring individuals who stepped forward and asked our nation to live up to its founding principle of equality for all,” Bush said in his proclamation.

August 26 marks the anniversary of the ratification of the U.S. Constitution’s 19th Amendment, which in 1920 granted American women the right to vote. Congress passed a joint resolution in 1971 designating the date as a holiday and authorizing the president to issue a proclamation annually.

See also the full text of the Women’s Equality Day proclamation.

For additional information, see Women’s Rights.