1.
Tribeca Film Festival
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The mission of the festival is to enable the international film community and the general public to experience the power of film by redefining the film festival experience. The Tribeca Film Festival was founded to celebrate New York City as a filmmaking center. In 2006 and 2007, the Festival received over 8600 film submissions, the Festivals program line-up includes a variety of independent films including documentaries, narrative features and shorts, as well as a program of family-friendly films. The Festival also features panel discussions with personalities in the entertainment world, past artists of the Artists Awards program have included Chuck Close, Alex Katz, and Julian Schnabel. The festival now draws an estimated three million people—including often-elusive celebrities from the worlds of art, film, and music—and generates $600 million annually, the inaugural festival launched after 120 days of planning with the help of more than 1,300 volunteers. It was attended by more than 150,000 people and featured several up-and-coming filmmakers, the 2003 festival brought more than 300,000 people. It became one of the venues of the festival, in an effort to serve its mission of bringing independent film to the widest possible audience, in 2006, the Festival expanded its reach in New York City and internationally. In New York City, Tribeca hosted screenings throughout Manhattan as the Festivals 1, internationally, the Festival brought films to the Rome Film Fest. As part of the celebrations in Rome, Tribeca was awarded the first ever Steps and Stars award, presented on the Spanish Steps. A total of 169 feature films and 99 shorts were selected from 4,100 film submissions, the festival featured 90 world premieres, nine international premieres,31 North American premieres,6 U. S. premieres, and 28 New York City premieres. In 2009, Rosenthal, Hatkoff and De Niro were named number 14 on Barrons list of the worlds top 25 philanthropists for their role in regenerating TriBeCas economy after September 11, as of 2010, the festival is run as a business by Tribeca Enterprises. Andrew Essex has been the CEO of Tribeca Enterprises since January,2016, in 2011, L. A. Noire became the first video game to be recognized by the Tribeca Film Festival. com,02.23.2013
2.
Kansas City, Missouri
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Kansas City is the largest city in Missouri and the sixth largest city in the Midwest. According to the U. S. Census Bureau, the city had an population of 475,378 in 2015. It is the city of the Kansas City metropolitan area. Kansas City was founded in the 1830s as a Missouri River port at its confluence with the Kansas River coming in from the west, on June 1,1850 the town of Kansas was incorporated, shortly after came the establishment of the Kansas Territory. Confusion between the two ensued and the name Kansas City was assigned to them soon thereafter. Most of the city lies within Jackson County, but portions spill into Clay, Cass, along with Independence, it serves as one of the two county seats for Jackson County. Major suburbs include the Missouri cities of Independence and Lees Summit and the Kansas cities of Overland Park, Olathe, and Kansas City. The city is composed of neighborhoods, including the River Market District in the north, the 18th and Vine District in the east. Kansas City is also known for its cuisine, its craft breweries, Kansas City, Missouri was officially incorporated as a town on June 1,1850, and as a city on March 28,1853. The territory straddling the border between Missouri and Kansas at the confluence of the Kansas and Missouri rivers was considered a place to build settlements. The Antioch Christian Church, Dr. James Compton House, the first documented European visitor to Kansas City was Étienne de Veniard, Sieur de Bourgmont, who was also the first European to explore the lower Missouri River. Criticized for his response to the Native American attack on Fort Détroit, Bourgmont lived with a Native American wife in a village about 90 miles east near Brunswick, Missouri, where he illegally traded furs. In the documents, he describes the junction of the Grande Riv des Cansez and Missouri River, French cartographer Guillaume Delisle used the descriptions to make the areas first reasonably accurate map. The Spanish took over the region in the Treaty of Paris in 1763, the French continued their fur trade under Spanish license. After the 1804 Louisiana Purchase, Lewis and Clark visited the confluence of the Kansas and Missouri rivers, in 1831, a group of Mormons from New York settled in what would become the city. They built the first school within Kansas Citys current boundaries, but were forced out by mob violence in 1833, in 1833 John McCoy established West Port along the Santa Fe Trail,3 miles away from the river. In 1834 McCoy established Westport Landing on a bend in the Missouri to serve as a point for West Port. Soon after, the Kansas Town Company, a group of investors, began to settle the area, in 1850, the landing area was incorporated as the Town of Kansas
3.
University of Missouri
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The University of Missouri is a public land-grant research university located in Columbia, Missouri, U. S. It was founded in 1839 as the first public institution of higher education west of the Mississippi River, as the largest university in the state, it enrolled 32,777 students in 2016, offering over 300 degree programs in 19 academic colleges in the 2014–2015 school year. It is the campus of the University of Missouri System, which also maintains campuses in Kansas City, Rolla. MU is one of the nations top-tier R1 institutions and one of the 34 public universities to be members of the Association of American Universities, there are more than 300,000 MU alumni living worldwide with over one half continuing to reside in Missouri. The university was ranked 103rd among national universities in the 2016 U. S. News & World Report rankings, starting in December 1953, it boasts the countrys only university-owned TV network affiliate, operated by the Missouri School of Journalism. In 1908, the worlds first school of journalism was founded by Walter Williams as the Missouri School of Journalism, the University of Missouri Research Reactor Center is the worlds most powerful university research reactor. MU is one of six public universities in the United States with a school of medicine, veterinary medicine, engineering, agriculture. The university also owns the University of Missouri Health Care system, the only athletic program that operates a NCAA Division I FBS football team in Missouri is known as the Missouri Tigers and competes as a member of the Southeastern Conference. The schools mascot, Truman the Tiger, is named after Missourian, according to the NCAA, the American tradition of homecoming was established at the university in 1911, the tradition has since been adopted nationwide. In 1839, the Missouri Legislature passed the Geyer Act to establish funds for a state university and it would be the first public university west of the Mississippi River. To secure the university, the citizens of Columbia and Boone County pledged $117,921 in cash, the land on which the university was eventually constructed was just south of Columbias downtown and owned by James S. Rollins. He was later called the Father of the University, as the first public university in the Louisiana Purchase, the school was shaped by Thomas Jeffersons ideas about public education. In 1862 the American Civil War forced the university to close for much of the year, residents of Columbia formed a home guard militia that became known as the Fighting Tigers of Columbia. They were given the name for their readiness to protect the city and university, in 1890, the universitys newly formed football team took the name the Tigers after the Civil War militia. In 1870 the institution was granted land-grant college status under the Morrill Act of 1862, the act led to the founding of the Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy as an offshoot of the main campus in Columbia. It developed as the present-day Missouri University of Science and Technology, in 1888 the Missouri Agricultural Experiment Station opened. This grew to encompass ten centers and research farms around Missouri, by 1890 the university encompassed a normal college, engineering college, arts and science college, school of agriculture and mechanical arts. School of medicine, and school of law, on January 9,1892, Academic Hall, the institutions main building, burned in a fire that completely gutted the building, leaving little more standing than six stone Ionic columns
4.
Truman Capote
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At least 20 films and television dramas have been produced of Capote novels, stories, and plays. Capote rose above a childhood troubled by divorce, an absence from his mother. He had discovered his calling as a writer by the age of 8, Capote began his professional career writing short stories. The critical success of one story, Miriam, attracted the attention of Random House publisher Bennett Cerf, Capote earned the most fame with In Cold Blood, a journalistic work about the murder of a Kansas farm family in their home. Capote spent four years writing the book aided by his lifelong friend Harper Lee, a milestone in popular culture, In Cold Blood was the peak of Capotes literary career. In the 1970s, he maintained his celebrity status by appearing on talk shows. Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, Capote was the son of 17-year-old Lillie Mae Faulk and his parents divorced when he was four, and he was sent to Monroeville, Alabama, where, for the following four to five years, he was raised by his mothers relatives. He formed a fast bond with his mothers distant relative, Nanny Rumbley Faulk and her face is remarkable – not unlike Lincolns, craggy like that, and tinted by sun and wind, is how Capote described Sook in A Christmas Memory. In Monroeville, he was a neighbor and friend of author Harper Lee, as a lonely child, Capote taught himself to read and write before he entered his first year of school. Capote was often seen at age five carrying his dictionary and notepad and he was given the nickname Bulldog around this age. Capote received recognition for his work from The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards in 1936. In 1933, he moved to New York City to live with his mother and her husband, Joseph Capote, a Cuban-born textile broker. However, Joseph was convicted of embezzlement and shortly afterwards, when his income crashed, of his early days, Capote related, I began writing really sort of seriously when I was about eleven. I say seriously in the sense that other kids go home and practice the violin or the piano or whatever, I used to go home from school every day. In 1935, he attended the Trinity School in New York City and he then attended St. Joseph Military Academy. In 1939, the Capote family moved to Greenwich, Connecticut, and Truman attended Greenwich High School, where he wrote for both the schools literary journal, The Green Witch, and the school newspaper. When they returned to New York City in 1942, he attended the Franklin School, an Upper West Side private school now known as the Dwight School and that was the end of his formal education. While still attending Franklin in 1943, Capote began working as a copyboy in the art department at The New Yorker, years later, he reminisced, Not a very grand job, for all it really involved was sorting cartoons and clipping newspapers
5.
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
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The Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. It is given in honor of an actor who has delivered a performance in a supporting role while working within the film industry. At the 9th Academy Awards ceremony held in 1937, Walter Brennan was the first winner of award for his role in Come. Initially, winners in both supporting acting categories were awarded instead of statuettes. Beginning with the 16th ceremony held in 1944, however, winners received full-sized statuettes, currently, nominees are determined by single transferable vote within the actors branch of AMPAS, winners are selected by a plurality vote from the entire eligible voting members of the Academy. Since its inception, the award has given to 72 actors. Brennan has received the most awards in this category with three awards, Brennan, Jeff Bridges, Robert Duvall, Arthur Kennedy, Jack Nicholson, and Claude Rains were nominated on four occasions, more than any other actor. As of the 2017 ceremony, Mahershala Ali is the most recent winner in category for his role as Juan in Moonlight. In the following table, the years are listed as per Academy convention, and generally correspond to the year of release in Los Angeles County. Toronto, Ontario, Canada, University of Toronto Press, ISBN 978-1-55002-574-3. org The Academy Awards Database Oscar. com Complete Downloadable List of Academy Award Nominees
6.
Robert Hanssen
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Robert Philip Hanssen is a former U. S. Federal Bureau of Investigation agent who spied for Soviet and Russian intelligence services against the United States for twenty-two years from 1979 to 2001. He is currently serving 15 consecutive life sentences at ADX Florence, on July 6,2001, he pleaded guilty to 15 counts of espionage in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. He was sentenced to 15 life terms without the possibility of parole and his activities have been described by the Department of Justices Commission for the Review of FBI Security Programs as possibly the worst intelligence disaster in U. S. history. Hanssen was born in Chicago, Illinois, to a family who lived in the Norwood Park community and his father Howard, a Chicago police officer, was emotionally abusive to Hanssen during his childhood. He graduated from William Howard Taft High School in 1962 and went on to attend Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois, Hanssen applied for a cryptographer position in the National Security Agency, but was rebuffed due to budget setbacks. He enrolled in school at Northwestern University but switched his focus to business after three years. Hanssen received an MBA in accounting and information systems in 1971 and he quit after one year and joined the Chicago Police Department as an internal affairs investigator, specializing in forensic accounting. In January 1976, he left the department to join the FBI. Hanssen met Bernadette Bonnie Wauck, a staunch Roman Catholic, while attending school at Northwestern. Upon becoming an agent on January 12,1976, Hanssen was transferred to the FBIs Gary, Indiana. In 1978, Hanssen and his family moved to New York City when the FBI transferred him to its field office there. The next year, Hanssen was moved into counter-intelligence and given the task of compiling a database of Soviet intelligence for the Bureau, in 1979, only three years after joining the FBI, Hanssen approached the Soviet GRU and offered his services. He never indicated any political or ideological motive for his actions, during his first espionage cycle, Hanssen told the GRU a significant amount, including information on the FBIs bugging activities and lists of suspected Soviet intelligence agents. For unknown reasons, the Soviets did not act against Polyakov until he was betrayed a second time by CIA mole Aldrich Ames in 1985, Polyakov was arrested in 1986 and executed in 1988. Ames was officially blamed for giving Polyakovs name to the Soviets, in 1981, Hanssen was transferred to FBI headquarters in Washington, D. C. and moved to the suburb of Vienna, Virginia. His new job in the FBIs budget office gave him access to information involving many different FBI operations and this included all the FBI activities related to wiretapping and electronic surveillance, which were Hanssens responsibility. He became known in the Bureau as an expert on computers, Hanssens section was in charge of evaluating Soviet agents who volunteered to give intelligence to determine whether they were genuine or triple agents. In 1985, Hanssen was again transferred to the FBIs field office in New York and it was after the transfer, while on a business trip back to Washington, that he resumed his career in espionage
7.
Norman Osborn
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Norman Osborn is a fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, an amoral industrialist head of Oscorp, he took a formula which enhanced his physical abilities and intellect but also drove him to insanity. He is widely regarded as Spider-Mans archenemy, being responsible for numerous tragedies in Peter Parkers life, however, he has also come into conflict with other superheroes in the Marvel Universe, and was the focus of the company-wide Dark Reign storyline as the original iteration of Iron Patriot. Although his primary obsession is Spider-Man, Osborn has also many other heroes including Jessica Jones. In 2009, Norman Osborn was also ranked as IGNs 13th Greatest Comic Book Villain of All Time, the characters popularity has seen him appear on a variety of merchandise, such as clothing and collectable items, inspire real-world structures, and be referenced in a number of media. Osborn has been adapted to serve as Spider-Mans adversary in live-action, animated, the character has been portrayed in film by Willem Dafoe in the 2002 film Spider-Man and Chris Cooper in the 2014 film The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Neil Ross, Steven Weber, and others have provided the characters voice, according to Steve Ditko, Stans synopsis for the Green Goblin had a movie crew, on location, finding an Egyptian-like sarcophagus. Inside was an ancient, mythological demon, the Green Goblin, on my own, I changed Stans mythological demon into a human villain. The Green Goblin debuted in The Amazing Spider-Man #14, at the end of the story, the Green Goblin is shown changing out of his costume, consoling himself that although he was unsuccessful in his scheme, his secret identity remains safe. However, the mystery of the Green Goblins true identity was not played up until the story arc featuring him. Lee elaborated, At some point we had to tell the reader who The Green Goblin really was, and Steve wanted him to turn out to be just some character that we had never seen before. Because, he said, in life, very often a villain turns out to be somebody that you never knew. And I felt that that would be wrong, I felt, in a sense, it would be like cheating the reader. If its somebody you didnt know and had never seen, then what was the point of following all the clues, I think that frustrates the reader. So that was a big argument we had, however, Ditkos account contradicts Lees, So I had to have some definite ideas, who he was, his profession and how he fit into the Spider-Man story world. I was even going to use an earlier, planted character associated with J. Jonah Jameson and it was like a subplot working its way until it was ready to play an active role. John Romita, Sr. who replaced Ditko as the titles artist, recalled, Stan wouldnt have been able to stand it if Ditko did the story, I didnt know there was any doubt about Osborn being the Goblin. I didnt know that Ditko had just been setting Osborn up as a straw dog, I just accepted the fact that it was going to be Norman Osborn when we plotted it
8.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2
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It is the fifth theatrical Spider-Man film produced by Columbia Pictures and Marvel Entertainment, and is a sequel to The Amazing Spider-Man. It is also the film in the Amazing Spider-Man franchise. The studio hired James Vanderbilt to write the screenplay and Alex Kurtzman, development of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 began after the success of The Amazing Spider-Man. DeHaan, Giamatti, Jones, and Cooper were cast between December 2012 and February 2013, filming took place in New York City from February to June 2013. The film was released in 2D, 3D, and IMAX 3D on May 2,2014, the film received mixed reviews, and although it grossed $709 million worldwide and became the ninth-highest-grossing film of 2014, it was the lowest-grossing film in the series. However, the film was declared a hit in the markets with high openings. The film subsequently won awards for its composition and acting, notably one Nickelodeon Kids Choice Award. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 was originally envisioned as the beginning of a fictional universe. Holland is scheduled to appear in his own film, due out in July 2017, in 2000, Oscorp scientist Richard Parker records a video message to explain his disappearance. Later, he and his wife, Mary, are aboard a private jet hijacked by a man sent to assassinate Richard, the plane crashes, killing both Richard and Mary, after he uploads the video. Fourteen years later, Richards son Peter continues to fight crime as Spider-Man and he pursues and apprehends Aleksei Sytsevich. Later, Peter meets with Gwen at their high school graduation ceremony and, insisting he keep his vow to her father, Peters childhood friend, Harry Osborn, returns to Manhattan to see his terminally-ill father, Norman, CEO of OsCorp. Norman explains his illness is genetic, and Harry is at the age where it first develops, Norman gives Harry a small device he claims contains his lifes work. The next day, Norman dies and Harry is appointed the new OsCorp CEO, while working in an OsCorp laboratory, electrical engineer Max Dillon shocks himself by accident and falls into a tank of genetically-engineered electric eels. They attack him, and he mutates into an electric generator. Meanwhile, Peter attempts to maintain a friendship with Gwen, before they can discuss it, Dillon wanders into Times Square, accidentally causing a blackout, and is stopped by Peter after a battle. Dillon is taken to Ravencroft Institute, where he is studied by German scientist Dr. Kafka, meanwhile, the first symptoms of Harrys illness are showing, and he uses the device Norman gave him to deduce that Spider-Mans blood could help save him. He asks Peter, who has been selling photos of Spider-Man to the Daily Bugle, Peter refuses, unsure of what effects the transfusion would have
9.
Texas
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Texas is the second largest state in the United States by both area and population. Other major cities include Austin, the second most populous state capital in the U. S. Texas is nicknamed the Lone Star State to signify its former status as an independent republic, and as a reminder of the states struggle for independence from Mexico. The Lone Star can be found on the Texan state flag, the origin of Texass name is from the word Tejas, which means friends in the Caddo language. Due to its size and geologic features such as the Balcones Fault, although Texas is popularly associated with the U. S. southwestern deserts, less than 10 percent of Texas land area is desert. Most of the centers are located in areas of former prairies, grasslands, forests. Traveling from east to west, one can observe terrain that ranges from coastal swamps and piney woods, to rolling plains and rugged hills, the term six flags over Texas refers to several nations that have ruled over the territory. Spain was the first European country to claim the area of Texas, Mexico controlled the territory until 1836 when Texas won its independence, becoming an independent Republic. In 1845, Texas joined the United States as the 28th state, the states annexation set off a chain of events that caused the Mexican–American War in 1846. A slave state before the American Civil War, Texas declared its secession from the U. S. in early 1861, after the Civil War and the restoration of its representation in the federal government, Texas entered a long period of economic stagnation. One Texan industry that thrived after the Civil War was cattle, due to its long history as a center of the industry, Texas is associated with the image of the cowboy. The states economic fortunes changed in the early 20th century, when oil discoveries initiated a boom in the state. With strong investments in universities, Texas developed a diversified economy, as of 2010 it shares the top of the list of the most Fortune 500 companies with California at 57. With a growing base of industry, the leads in many industries, including agriculture, petrochemicals, energy, computers and electronics, aerospace. Texas has led the nation in export revenue since 2002 and has the second-highest gross state product. The name Texas, based on the Caddo word tejas meaning friends or allies, was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves, during Spanish colonial rule, the area was officially known as the Nuevo Reino de Filipinas, La Provincia de Texas. Texas is the second largest U. S. state, behind Alaska, though 10 percent larger than France and almost twice as large as Germany or Japan, it ranks only 27th worldwide amongst country subdivisions by size. If it were an independent country, Texas would be the 40th largest behind Chile, Texas is in the south central part of the United States of America. Three of its borders are defined by rivers, the Rio Grande forms a natural border with the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas to the south
10.
Leavenworth, Kansas
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Leavenworth is the largest city in and the county seat of Leavenworth County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 35,251, located on the west bank of the Missouri River 25 mi northwest of Kansas City, Missouri, it is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. The site of Fort Leavenworth, built in 1827, the city known in American history for its role as a key supply base in the settlement of the American West. It is important in nineteenth-century African-American history, during the American Civil War, it was the destination of numerous African-American refugee slaves who escaped from Missouri and other slave states. The city has been notable as the location of several prisons, particularly the United States Disciplinary Barracks and United States Penitentiary, Leavenworth, founded in 1854, was the first city incorporated in the territory of Kansas. The city developed south of Fort Leavenworth, which was established as Cantonment Leavenworth in 1827 by Colonel Henry Leavenworth and its location on the Missouri River made it a destination for refugee African-American slaves seeking freedom from the slave state of Missouri in the antebellum years. Abolition supporters helped them find refuge, in the years before the American Civil War, Leavenworth was a hotbed of anti-slavery and pro-slavery agitation, often leading to open physical confrontations on the street and in public meetings. On April 3,1858, it was in Leavenworth, Kansas that the Leavenworth Constitution for the state of Kansas was adopted, refugee African Americans continued to settle in the city during the war. By 1865 it had attracted nearly one-fifth of the 12,000 blacks in the state, charles Henry Langston was an important African-American leader in Leavenworth and northeast Kansas in the Reconstruction era and afterward. In Kansas, Langston worked for suffrage and the right to sit on juries, testify in court. African Americans gained suffrage in 1870 after passage of the federal 15th constitutional amendment, and the legislature voted for their right to sit on juries in 1874. African Americans continued to migrate to the state after the war, there were a total of 17,108 blacks in Kansas in 1870, with 43,107 in 1880, and 52,003 by 1900. Fort Leavenworth was located outside the city limits until its territory was annexed by the city on April 12,1977, in 2008, an underground series of vaults was found in the city, apparently built during the late 19th century. Leavenworth is located at 39°18′40″N 94°55′21″W at an elevation of 840 feet, the city lies on the west bank of the Missouri River in the Dissected Till Plains region of North Americas Central Lowlands. Four small tributaries of the river flow generally east through the city, from north to south, these are Quarry Creek, Corral Creek, Three Mile Creek, and Five Mile Creek. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 24.06 square miles. Fort Leavenworth occupies the half of the citys area. Leavenworth, along with the rest of Leavenworth County, lies within the Kansas City metropolitan area, Lansing, Kansas, is located to the south
11.
Las Vegas
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The city anchors the Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area and is the largest city within the greater Mojave Desert. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city known primarily for its gambling, shopping, fine dining, entertainment and it is the leading financial, commercial, and cultural center for Nevada. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World and it is a top three destination in the United States for business conventions and a global leader in the hospitality industry, claiming more AAA Five Diamond hotels than any city in the world. Today, Las Vegas annually ranks as one of the worlds most visited tourist destinations. The citys tolerance for numerous forms of adult entertainment earned it the title of Sin City, and has made Las Vegas a popular setting for literature, films, television programs, Las Vegas was settled in 1905 and officially incorporated in 1911. At the close of the 20th century, it was the most populated American city founded within that century, population growth has accelerated since the 1960s, and between 1990 and 2000 the population nearly doubled, increasing by 85. 2%. Rapid growth has continued into the 21st century, and according to a 2013 estimate, perhaps the earliest visitors to the Las Vegas area were nomadic Paleo-Indians, who traveled there 10,000 years ago, leaving behind petroglyphs. Anasazi and Paiute tribes followed at least 2,000 years ago, a young Mexican scout named Rafael Rivera is credited as the first non-Native American to encounter the valley, in 1829. Trader Antonio Armijo led a 60-man party along the Spanish Trail to Los Angeles, the area was named Las Vegas, which is Spanish for the meadows, as it featured abundant wild grasses, as well as desert spring waters for westward travelers. The year 1844 marked the arrival of John C, frémont, whose writings helped lure pioneers to the area. Downtown Las Vegas Fremont Street is named after him, eleven years later members of the LDS Church chose Las Vegas as the site to build a fort halfway between Salt Lake City and Los Angeles, where they would travel to gather supplies. The fort was abandoned several years afterward, the remainder of this Old Mormon Fort can still be seen at the intersection of Las Vegas Boulevard and Washington Avenue. Las Vegas was founded as a city in 1905, when 110 acres of adjacent to the Union Pacific Railroad tracks were auctioned in what would become the downtown area. In 1911, Las Vegas was incorporated as a city,1931 was a pivotal year for Las Vegas. At that time, Nevada legalized casino gambling and reduced residency requirements for divorce to six weeks and this year also witnessed the beginning of construction on nearby Hoover Dam. The influx of workers and their families helped Las Vegas avoid economic calamity during the Great Depression. The construction work was completed in 1935, in 1941, the Las Vegas Army Air Corps Gunnery School was established. Currently known as Nellis Air Force Base, it is home to the team called the Thunderbirds
12.
Phoenix, Arizona
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Phoenix is the capital and most populous city of the U. S. state of Arizona. Phoenix is the anchor of the Phoenix metropolitan area, also known as the Valley of the Sun, the metropolitan area is the 12th largest by population in the United States, with approximately 4.3 million people as of 2010. Settled in 1867 as a community near the confluence of the Salt and Gila Rivers. Located in the reaches of the Sonoran Desert, Phoenix has a subtropical desert climate. Despite this, its canal system led to a farming community, many of the original crops remaining important parts of the Phoenix economy for decades, such as alfalfa, cotton, citrus. The city averaged a four percent annual growth rate over a 40-year period from the mid-1960s to the mid-2000s. This growth rate slowed during the Great Recession of 2007–09, and has rebounded slowly, Phoenix is the cultural center of the Valley of the Sun, as well as the entire state. For more than 2,000 years, the Hohokam people occupied the land that would become Phoenix, the Hohokam created roughly 135 miles of irrigation canals, making the desert land arable. Paths of these canals would later used for the modern Arizona Canal, Central Arizona Project Canal. The Hohokam also carried out trade with the nearby Anasazi, Mogollon and Sinagua. It is believed that between 1300 and 1450, periods of drought and severe floods led to the Hohokam civilizations abandonment of the area. After the departure of the Hohokam, groups of Akimel Oodham, Tohono Oodham and Maricopa tribes began to use the area, as well as segments of the Yavapai and Apache. The Oodham were offshoots of the Sobaipuri tribe, who in turn were thought to be the descendants of the formerly urbanized Hohokam and their crops included corn, beans, and squash for food, while cotton and tobacco were also cultivated. Mostly a peaceful group, they did together with the Maricopa for their mutual protection against incursions by both the Yuma and Apache tribes. The Tohono Oodham lived in the region as well, but their concentration was to the south. Living in small settlements, the Oodham were seasonal farmers who took advantage of the rains and they also hunted local game such as deer, rabbit, and javalina for meat. When the Mexican–American War ended in 1848, Mexico ceded its northern zone to the United States, the Phoenix area became part of the New Mexico Territory. In 1863 the mining town of Wickenburg was the first to be established in what is now Maricopa County, at the time Maricopa County had not yet been incorporated, the land was within Yavapai County, which included the major town of Prescott to the north of Wickenburg
