The United States Military Academy is a four year coeducational federal
service academy located at West Point, New York. Established in 1802,
USMA is the oldest of the United States' five service academies. The
entire central campus is a national landmark and home to scores of
historic sites, buildings, and monuments. Candidates for admission must
both apply directly to the academy and receive a nomination, usually
from a congressman. Students are officers-in-training and are referred
to as cadets. Tuition for cadets is fully funded by the Army in
exchange for an active duty service obligation upon graduation.
Approximately 1,000 cadets graduate each spring and are commissioned as
second lieutenants. The academic program grants a bachelor of science
degree with a curriculum that grades cadets' performance upon a broad
academic program, military leadership performance, and mandatory
participation in competitive athletics. Cadets are required to adhere
to the Cadet Honor Code, which states that "a cadet will not lie,
cheat, or steal, nor tolerate those who do". Its alumni are
collectively referred to as "The Long Gray Line" and its ranks include
two Presidents of the United States, numerous famous generals, and
seventy-four Medal of Honor recipients.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Military_Academy>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1521:
The Diet of Worms declared Protestant Reformer Martin Luther an outlaw
and a heretic, banning his literature, and requiring his arrest.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther>
1946:
Abdullah bin Husayn , Emir of the Emirate of Transjordan, was
proclaimed King of the renamed "Hashemite Kingdom of Transjordan".
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdullah_I_of_Jordan>
1961:
During a speech to a Joint Session of the United States Congress, U.S.
President John F. Kennedy announced his support for the Apollo space
program, with "the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on
the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth".
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_program>
1977:
Star Wars, a science fantasy film written and directed by George Lucas,
was released, becoming one of the most successful films of all time.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars_Episode_IV%3A_A_New_Hope>
2000:
Israel withdrew its army from most of Lebanese territory, 22 years
after its first invasion in 1978.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Lebanon_conflict_%281982%E2%80%932000%29>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
chagrin (n):
Distress of mind caused by a failure of aims or plans, by mistakes, or
by want of appreciation
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/chagrin>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
Any man who can hitch the length and breadth of the galaxy, rough it,
slum it, struggle against terrible odds, win through, and still knows
where his towel is, is clearly a man to be reckoned with.
--Douglas Adams
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Douglas_Adams>
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