Christopher Columbus

Interesting Survey Of People Honored By US Monuments, From The Washington Post

The Washington Post has published an interesting survey of people honored by US Monuments, and there are many surprises in the survey.

Eleven Presidents are in the top 50 figures represented in memorials, with George Washington and Abraham Lincoln being the top two of the fifty listed.

Also listed at number 9 is John F. Kennedy; number 10 is Thomas Jefferson; and number 11 is Ulysses S. Grant.

Andrew Jackson is number 15, a three way tie with Theodore Roosevelt and William McKinley.

Dwight D. Eisenhower and Franklin D. Roosevelt tie at 32nd.

Finally, James A. Garfield is in a four way tie at number 47 with three non Presidents.

Interestingly, NOT on the list are such Presidents as Woodrow Wilson, Harry Truman, Lyndon B. Johnson, or Ronald Reagan.

Some religious figures, native Americans, and African Americans (Martin Luther King (4th), Harriet Tubman (24th), Frederick Douglass (29th)) are also represented, as are a number of individuals who are not at all related to American history, including Christopher Columbus, most notably in third place with 149!

Confederate leaders are also represented, including Robert E. Lee, Jefferson Davis, and Stonewall Jackson.

Other well known Americans include the following: Benjamin Franklin at number 8; Alexander Hamilton tied with two others at number 26; and Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall in a six way tie at number 41.

50 Years Of Man In Space: NOT Time To Delay Space Exploration!

Fifty years ago today, Yuri Gagarin orbited the earth for the Soviet Union, becoming the first man in space, but followed soon after by Alan Shepard, John Glenn and many other American astronauts, along with many Soviet cosmonauts.

Space exploration opened up a new field of science, and on this anniversary, it is essential to look forward and continue space exploration as good for knowledge and for the future of the earth!

The purpose of America must be to compete in exploring the planets and beyond, and it should not be forgotten or delayed at a time when the space shuttle fleet is about to be retired!

Failure to explore space would be the equivalent of explorers deciding after Christopher Columbus to abandon the mission of settling the Western Hemisphere! To abandon space now would be a tragedy of long lasting effects!