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From today's featured article

Chester Alan Arthur

Chester A. Arthur (1829–1886) was the 21st President of the United States, from 1881 to 1885. After practicing law in New York City, he served as quartermaster general in the New York Militia during the American Civil War. Rising quickly in the Republican political machine run by Senator Roscoe Conkling, he was appointed to the lucrative post of Collector of the Port of New York in 1871. In 1878 the new president, Rutherford B. Hayes, fired Arthur as part of a reform measure. When James Garfield won the Republican nomination for president in 1880, Arthur was nominated for vice president to balance the ticket. After Garfield's assassination, Arthur took up the cause of reform, supporting the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act. He presided over the rebirth of the U.S. Navy but was criticized for failing to alleviate a growing federal budget surplus. Suffering from poor health, Arthur retired at the close of his term. Journalist Alexander McClure later wrote, "No man ever entered the Presidency so profoundly and widely distrusted as Chester Alan Arthur, and no one ever retired ... more generally respected, alike by political friend and foe." (Full article...)

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Arnos Park Viaduct
Arnos Park Viaduct

In the news

Von Miller in 2011
Von Miller

On this day...

February 15: National Day in Serbia (1804); Washington's Birthday (Presidents' Day) in the United States (2016)

DEW Line radar station
DEW Line radar station

From today's featured list

Alison Krauss
Alison Krauss

The Grammy Award for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to quality country music collaborations for artists who do not normally perform together. Honors in several categories are presented at the ceremony annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to album sales or chart position". Originally called the Best Country Vocal Performance, Duet, the award was first presented to Kenny Rogers and Ronnie Milsap at the 30th Grammy Awards in 1988 for the single "Make No Mistake, She's Mine". Alison Krauss (pictured) holds the record for having the most wins in this category, with a total of five. She is followed by seven others, who have all won the award twice. Among the most nominated are Emmylou Harris and Willie Nelson, both nine-time nominees. (Full list...)

Today's featured picture

Jefferson Memorial

The Jefferson Memorial is a presidential memorial in Washington, D.C. designed by the architect John Russell Pope and built by the Philadelphia contractor John McShain from 1939 to 1943. It is dedicated to Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), one of the most important of the American Founding Fathers and the nation's third president. It is managed by the National Park Service.

Photograph: Joe Ravi

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