Depiction of George Washington laying the cornerstone for the White House in a freemason ceremony.

The cornerstone is laid for a presidential residence in the newly designated
capital city of Washington. In 1800, President John Adams became the first president to reside in the executive mansion, which soon became known as
the “White House” because its white-gray Virginia freestone contrasted
strikingly with the red brick of nearby buildings.

The city of Washington was created to replace Philadelphia as the nation’s
capital because of its geographical position in the center of the existing
new republic. The states of Maryland and Virginia ceded land around the
Potomac River to form the District of Columbia, and work began on
Washington in 1791.

    
 
  The original design of the White House in 1800. 
     

    
    
    

An artist’s interpretation of the construction of the White House.

The White House as it looks today.

ROSS SIMPSON

On this day in 1927,  "The Jazz Singer" opened in New York starring Al
Jolson. The film was based on the short story "The Day of Atonement"
by Sampson Raphaelson. It is the first feature-length motion picture
with not only a synchronized recorded music score but also lip-
synchronous singing and speech in several isolated sequences

CAMILLE
BOHANNON

Musician and actor Sting (Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner) is 68 years
old today. He was the principal songwriter, lead singer, and bassist for
the new wave  rock band the Police from 1977 to 1984, and launched a
solo career in 1985. He has included elements of rock, jazz, reggae,
classical, new-age and worldbeat in his music.

James Earl Carter Jr. served as the 39th president of the United States from
1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as a
Georgia State Senator from 1963 to 1967 and as the 76th Governor of Georgia
from 1971 to 1975. After his presidency, Carter has remained active in the
private sector; in 2002, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his work
in co-founding the Carter Center.

The launching of USS Nautilus.     

The USS Nautilus, the world’s first nuclear submarine, was commissioned
by the U.S. Navy on September 30, 1954.

The Nautilus was constructed under the direction of U.S. Navy Captain
Hyman G. Rickover, a brilliant Russian-born engineer who joined the U.S.
atomic program in 1946. In 1947, he was put in charge of the navy’s nuclear-propulsion program and began work on an atomic submarine. Regarded as
a fanatic by his detractors, Rickover succeeded in developing and delivering
the world’s first nuclear submarine years ahead of schedule. In 1952, the
Nautilus‘ keel was laid by President Harry S. Truman, and on January 21,
1954, first lady Mamie Eisenhower broke a bottle of champagne across its
bow as it was launched into the Thames River at Groton, Connecticut. Commissioned on September 30, 1954, it first ran under nuclear power
on the morning of January 17, 1955.

Hyman G. Rickover
(January 27, 1900 – July 8, 1986)

Rickover is known as the "Father of the
Nuclear Navy," and his influence on the
Navy and its warships was of such scope
that he "may well go down in history as
one of the Navy’s most important officers."

Harry S. Truman
(May 8, 1884 – December 26, 1972)