Home About us Products Services Contact us Bookmark
:: wikimiki.org ::
Alvin & The Chipmunks

Alvin & The Chipmunks

Alvin and the Chipmunks are a fictional musical group, created by Ross Bagdasarian. The group consists of three singing chipmunks—Alvin - the mischevious troublemaker, who quickly became the the star of the group, Simon - the tall bespectacled quiet one, and Theodore —who are "managed" by their human "dad" and confidant, David "Dave" Seville. In reality, "David Seville" was Ross Bagdasarian's stage name. After first being brought to life in Bagdasarian's 1950s novelty recordings under the name David Seville and the Chipmunks, the characters were an unprecedented success, and the singing Chipmunks and their manager were given life in several animated cartoon series and motion pictures. It is notable that the characters are now perceived as cartoon characters that also released some accompanying music, which is the inverse of their early existence. The voices of the group were all performed by Bagdasarian, who sped up the playback to create the most-distinctive higher pitched squeaky voices. This process wasn't entirely new; Bagdasarian had also used it for a previous novelty song project "The Witch Doctor", but it was so unusual and well executed it earned the trio two Grammy Awards for engineering. Although the characters were fictional, they did release a long line of "real" albums and singles, with "The Chipmunk Song" becoming a #1 hit single in the United States. After his death in 1972, the voices of the Chipmunks were subsequently recorded by his son, Ross Bagdasarian, Jr., and his wife, Janice Karman, in all future incarnations to date. The Chipmunks themselves are named after the executives of their original record label, Liberty Records: Alvin Bennett (the president), Simon Waronker (the founder and owner), and Theodore Keep (the chief engineer).

History

"The Witch Doctor"

In early 1958, Ross Bagdasarian released a novelty song, under his stage name David Seville, about being unlucky at love until he found a Witch Doctor who told him the "magic words" to woo his woman. The entire song was done by Bagdasarian in his normal voice, except for the "magic" words, done first in Bagdasarian's sped-up, pre-Chipmunk voice, then in a duet between his sped-up voice and his normal voice. The words, of course, are nonsense: "Oo-ee, oo-ah-ah, ting-tang, walla-walla, bing-bang". The song was a major hit, sitting at Number 1 in the Billboard Hot 100 chart for three weeks during the spring, and the Witch Doctor's "magic words" were being sung by kids everywhere. Although nothing in the song makes any reference to chipmunks, the song is now sometimes included on Chipmunk compilations, as if the Chipmunks themselves had provided the voice of the Witch Doctor... which, technically speaking, was true.

"The Chipmunk Song"

Alvin and the Chipmunks first officially appeared on the scene in a novelty record released in late fall 1958 by Bagdasarian. The song, known at first as just "The Chipmunk Song" and later subtitled "Christmas Don't Be Late", featured the singing skills of the chipmunk trio. The novelty record was highly successful, selling more than 4 million copies in 7 weeks, and it launched the careers of its chipmunk stars. It spent four weeks at Number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart from December 27, 1958 to January 19, 1959. It also earned three Grammy Awards and a nomination for Record of the Year. At the height of its popularity, Bagdasarian and three chipmunk hand-puppets appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show, lip-synching the song.

Imitations

While the series was being prepared for broadcast, an imitation, the Nutty Squirrels, beat them to the market, but was less successful, despite catchy scat singing. scat singing

The Alvin Show

The first television series to feature the characters was The Alvin Show. The cartoon gave more distinctive looks and personalities to the three chipmunks than just their voices. The cartoon portrayal of David Seville was a reasonable caricature of Bagdasarian himself. The series ran from 1961 to 1962 and was one of a small number of animated series to be shown in prime time, on CBS. Unfortunately, it was not immediately successful and was cancelled after one season, only to find new life in syndication. In addition to Alvin cartoons, the series also featured Clyde Crashcup and his sidekick Leonardo. Those characters did not feature prominently on any of the later series. Crashcup made a single cameo appearance in an episode of Alvin and the Chipmunks. The first television series was produced by Format Films for Bagdasarian Film Corporation. Although the series was broadcast in black and white, it was produced and later re-run in color. 26 episodes each were produced for the Alvin and the Chipmunks and Clyde Crashcup segments, along with 52 musical segments.

A Chipmunk Christmas

After the death of Ross Bagdasarian in 1972, the Chipmunks' careers stalled until NBC showed interest in the original show and released a new album of contemporary songs performed by the Chipmunks. The new album featured the late Ross's son, Ross Bagdasarian Jr., doing the voices of the characters. That album and the continued reruns of the series proved to be popular enough to warrant new television production, and in 1981, the Chipmunks and David Seville returned to television in the Christmas special A Chipmunk Christmas, produced by Chuck Jones, which was first broadcast on NBC on December 14 of that year. December 14

Alvin and the Chipmunks

In 1983, the second cartoon series, produced by Ruby-Spears, was released. Titled simply Alvin and the Chipmunks, the outline of the show closely paralleled the original Alvin Show. The show lasted eight production seasons, until 1991. In the third season, the show introduced The Chipettes, three female versions of the Chipmunks—Brittany, Jeanette, and Eleanor—with their own human counterpart, the myopic Mrs. Miller. Many fans consider this the moment when the show jumped the shark. After 1987, the show was renamed just The Chipmunks to indicate that there were now two groups of them. 1987).]] In 1987, during the fifth season of the show on television, the Chipmunks had their first (and thus far, only) animated feature film, The Chipmunk Adventure, directed by Janice Karman and released to theatres by The Samuel Goldwyn Company. The film featured the Chipmunks and the Chipettes in a contest traveling around the world. Other than improved production values, the movie was more of an extended and enhanced episode of the series. For the eighth and final season, the show switched production companies (to DiC Entertainment) and switched titles again: Chipmunks Go to the Movies. Each episode in this season was a spoof of a Hollywood film, such as Back to the Future, King Kong, and others. In addition, several television specials featuring the characters were also released. At the conclusion of the eighth season, the show was cancelled again. In 1990, a documentary was produced about the show entitled Alvin and the Chipmunks/Five Decades with the Chipmunks. In that year, the chipmunks also teamed up with other contemporary cartoons (such as Bugs Bunny, Garfield, etc.) for the drug abuse-prevention special Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue.

Direct-to-video Alvin

In 1996, the rights to the characters were purchased by Universal Pictures. This resulted in The Chipmunks' 1999 reappearance in the form of the direct-to-video movie Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet Frankenstein. The movie was successful enough to spark interest in a sequel, and in 2000, Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet the Wolfman appeared. Both movies featured the "original" cast of the second series reprising their roles and the tone of the movies are very similar to the series. These film titles reflect earlier horror spoofs by Abbott and Costello.

Alvin's future

In 2000, Bagdasarian Productions sued Universal Pictures for breach of contract, in order to recoup monentary damages and to regain control of the Alvin and the Chipmunks characters. If that lawsuit is not successful, the contract will expire in 2006. Until that is resolved, there will likely be no major activity with the franchise and no further television movies produced. A live-action feature-length movie is in development by 20th Century Fox, featuring computer-animated Chipmunks and a live-action David Seville. It is scheduled to be released in theatres around 2006.

Recording technique

The Chipmunks' voices were recorded onto audiotape by voice talent talking or singing at half the normal speed. When the tape was played back at double speed, they would sound a full octave higher in pitch, at normal tempo. The technique was by no means new to the Chipmunks. For example, the high and low pitched characters in The Wizard of Oz were achieved by speeding up and slowing down vocal recordings. Nowadays the same effect can be created digitally. The term "chipmunk-voiced" has entered the American vernacular to describe any artificially high-pitched voice. The technique was frequently imitated in comedy records, notably "The Ying Tong Song" by The Goons, "Transistor Radio" by Benny Hill, "Bridget the Midget" by Ray Stevens, "The Laughing Gnome" by David Bowie, and on several tracks the Joe Meek and the Blue Men album I Hear A New World. The technique also appears in the instumental break in Bobby Lewis' 1961 US #1 hit "Tossin' and Turnin'". It was also used extensively in the British puppet show Pinky and Perky. Prince has also used the technique for his "Camille" alter ego. Kanye West's technique of speeding up soul samples has led to his productions being compared to the Chipmunks. However, the vocal technique is not always generated by a recording technique. Some fans of the band Gamma Ray (band) have described the singer Kai Hansen's falsetto as "chipmunk-like" on the album "No World Order".

Discography

Gamma Ray (band)

Albums


- 1959: Let's All Sing with the Chipmunks
- 1960: Sing Again with the Chipmunks
- 1961: Around the World with the Chipmunks
- 1961: The Alvin Show
- 1962: Christmas With the Chipmunks, Vol. 1
- 1962: The Chipmunks Songbook
- 1963: Christmas With the Chipmunks, Vol. 2
- 1964: The Chipmunks Sing the Beatles Hits
- 1965: The Chipmunks a Go-Go
- 1965: The Chipmunks Sing with Children
- 1968: The Chipmunks See Doctor Dolittle
- 1969: The Chipmunks Go to the Movies
- 1980: Chipmunk Punk
- 1981: A Chipmunk Christmas
- 1981: Urban Chipmunk
- 1982: Chipmunk Rock
- 1984: Alvin and the Chipmunks
- 1987: The Chipmunk Adventure
- 1990: Rockin' Through the Decades
- 1992: In Low Places (Label: Sony Wonder, ASIN B0000028T3)
- 1992: Greatest Hits
- 1993: Alvin's Christmas Carol
- 1993: Sing-Alongs
- 1994: Here's Looking at Me!
- 1995: Alvin's Daydreams
- 1995: Chipmunk Celebration
- 1995: Easter Chipmunk
- 1995: When You Wish upon a Chipmunk
- 1995: A Very Merry Chipmunk
- 1995: Very Best of Chipmunks
- 1996: Club Chipmunk: The Dance Mixes
- 1998: The A-Files: Alien Songs
- 1999: Alvin & the Chipmunks Greatest Hits: Still Squeaky After All These Years
- 2003: Merry Christmas from the Chipmunks
- 2004: Little Alvin and the Mini-Munks

Singles


- 1958: "The Chipmunk Song" (US #1)
- 1959: "Alvin's Harmonica"
- 1960: "Ragtime Cowboy Joe"
- 1960: "Alvin's Orchestra"
- 1960: "Alvin for President"
- 1960: "America the Beautiful"
- 1960: "Rudolph, the Red-Reindeer"
- 1962: "The Alvin Twist"
- 1963: "Alvin's All Star Chipmunk Band"
- 1963: "Eefin' Alvin"
- 1963: "The Night Before Christmas"
- 1964: "All My Lovin'"
- 1965: "Do-re-mi"
- 1965: "I'm Henry VIII"
- 1968: If I Could Talk to the Animals"
- 1968: "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang"
- 1980: "You May Be Right"
- 1980: "Call Me"
- 1981: "On The Road Again"
- 1981: "I Love A Rainy Night"
- 1982: "Heartbreaker"
- 1982: "E.T. And Me"
- 1983: "We're The Chipmunks/Beat It"
- 1985: "What Were You Doing At The Time?
- 1987: "The Girls of Rock & Roll""
- 1990: "Jingle Bells Finale"
- 1992: "Achy Breaky Heart"
- 1994: "I Don't Want To Be Alone For Christmas (Unless I'm Alone With You" (actually performed by James Ingram)
- 1996: "Macarena"
- 2003: "Remember A Day"

Awards and nominations

James Ingram
- 1959, won three Grammy Awards for Best Album for Children, Best Comedy Performance, and Best Engineered Record - Non-Classical for the song "The Chipmunk Song." (Was also nominated for Record of the Year, but did not win.)
- 1960, won a Grammy Award for Best Engineered Recording, Non-Classical for the song "Alvin's Harmonica."
- 1961, won a Grammy Award for Best Album for Children for the album Let's All Sing with the Chipmunks. (It was also nominated for Best Engineered Record - Non-Classical.) The song "Alvin for President" was also nominated for both Best Comedy Performance - Musical and Best Engineered Record - Novelty, making two nominations in the latter category.)
- 1962, was nominated again for a Grammy Award for Best Engineered Record - Novelty for the television tie-in album The Alvin Show.
- 1963, was nominated again for Grammy Awards for both Best Album for Children and Best Engineered Record - Novelty for the album The Chipmunk Songbook.
- 1966, was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Album for Children for the album Supercalifragelisticexpialidocious.
- 1985, was nominated for a Emmy Award in the category "Outstanding Animated Program (Daytime)."
- 1987, the second television series was nominated for a Young Artist Award in the category "Exceptional Family Animation Series or Specials."
- 1987, was nominated for a Emmy Award in the category "Outstanding Animated Program (Daytime)."
- 1988, was nominated for a Emmy Award in the category "Outstanding Animated Program (Daytime)."
- 1988, was nominated for a Young Artist Award in the category "Best Motion Picture - Animation" for the movie The Chipmunk Adventure.
- 2000, won the Golden Reel Award in the category "Best Sound Editing - Direct to Video - Sound Editorial" for the movie Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet Frankenstein. In total: five Grammy Awards and a Golden Reel Award.

External links


- [http://www.thechipmunks.com/ TheChipmunks.com, Bagdasarian Productions' official site]
- [http://www.panic.com/extras/audionstory/popup-chipmunks.html "The Chipmunk Song" slowed down so that the Chipmunks' voices sound human] Category:Animated musical groups Category:Fictional musical groups Category:Alvin and the Chipmunks Category:Fictional chipmunks

Ross Bagdasarian

Ross Bagdasarian (January 27, 1919 – January 16, 1972), pianist, songwriter, actor, and record producer was born in Fresno, California. During his professional life he was better known by the stage name David Seville, which he used on his recordings featuring Alvin and the Chipmunks. His first musical success was Rosemary Clooney's "Come On-a My House", which he wrote with his cousin, novelist William Saroyan. As David Seville, he had another number-one record in his song, "The Witch Doctor", which was also his first experiment with the technique of speeding up the playback of an audio track to get the most-distinctive higher pitched squeaky comedy sound. This success led to his recording of "The Christmas Song" with the Chipmunks. Bagdasarian also appeared in minor film parts, including Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window, in which he plays an obsessed piano-playing songwriter. He also had bit parts in The Deep Six (1957), The Devil's Hairpin (1957), The Proud and Profane (1956), Three Violent People (1956), Hot Blood (1956), Alaska Seas (1954), Destination Gobi (1953), Stalag 17 (1953), Viva Zapata! (1952), and The Greatest Show on Earth (1952). He also provided the voice for the David Seville character in the Chipmunks' 1961 animated television series, The Alvin Show. On his passing in 1972 from a heart attack, Ross Bagdasarian was cremated at the Chapel of the Pines Crematory in Los Angeles, California. His son, Ross Bagdasarian, Jr., continued to release Chipmunks recordings and took over as the voice for the Chipmunk characters in subsequent iterations of the cartoon.

External links


- [http://www.thechipmunks.com/history.php History area on TheChipmunks.com] with some photos and stories about Ross Bagdasarian
- Bagdasarian, Ross Bagdasarian, Ross Bagdasarian, Ross Bagdasarian, Ross Bagdasarian, Ross Bagdasarian, Ross Bagdasarian, Ross Bagdasarian, Ross Bagdasarian, Ross Bagdasarian, Ross Bagdasarian, Ross Bagdasarian, Ross

Chipmunk

:This article is about the animal. For the military training aircraft, see De Havilland Chipmunk.
23 species, see text Chipmunk is the common name for any small squirrel-like rodent species of the genus Tamias in the family Sciuridae. About 23 species fall under this title, with one species in northeastern Asia, one in the eastern portions of Canada and the US, and all the rest native to the western part of North America. The name stems from the loud chip sound that they make, in addition to a rapid trill sound. They are also called striped squirrel or ground squirrel; however, the name "ground squirrel" is more usually kept for the genus Spermophilus, though Tamias and Spermophilus are only two of the 13 genera of ground-living sciurids. Though they are commonly depicted with their paws up to the mouth, eating peanuts, or more famously their cheeks bulging out on either side, chipmunks eat a much more diverse range of foods than just nuts. Their omnivorous diet consists of grain, nuts, birds' eggs, fungi, and insects. Come autumn, many species of chipmunk begin to stockpile these goods in their burrows, for winter. Other species make multiple small caches of food. These two kinds of behavior are called larder hoarding and scatter hoarding. Larder hoarders usually live in their nests until spring. These small squirrels fulfill several important functions in forest ecosystems. Their activities with regards to harvesting and hoarding tree seeds play a crucial role in seedling establishment. They also consume many different kinds of fungi, including those involved in symbiotic mycorrhizal associations with trees, and are an important vector for dispersal of the spores of subterranean sporocarps (truffles) which have co-evolved with these and other mycophagous mammals and thus lost the ability to disperse their spores through the air. Chipmunks play an important role as prey for various predatory mammals and birds, but are also opportunistic predators themselves, particularly with regard to bird eggs and nestlings. In Oregon, Mountain Bluebirds (Siala currucoides) have been observed energetically mobbing chipmunks that they see near their nest trees. Chipmunks construct expansive burrows which can be more than 3.5 m in length with several well-concealed entrances. The sleeping quarters are kept extremely clean as shells and feces are stored in refuse tunnels. If unmolested they often become bold enough to accept food from the hands of humans. The temptation to pick up or pet any wild animal should be strictly avoided. While rabies is exceptionally rare, if non-existent, in rodents, chipmunk bites can transmit virulent and dangerous bacterial infections.

Species


- Alpine Chipmunk, Tamias alpinus
- Yellow pine Chipmunk, Tamias amoenus
- Gray-footed Chipmunk, Tamias canipes
- Gray-Collared Chipmunk, Tamias cinereicollis
- Cliff Chipmunk, Tamias dorsalis
- Merriam's Chipmunk, Tamias merriami
- Least Chipmunk, Tamias minimus
- California Chipmunk, Tamias obscurus
- Yellow-cheeked Chipmunk, Tamias ochrogenys
- Palmer's Chipmunk, Tamias palmeri
- Panamint Chipmunk, Tamias panamintinus
- Long-eared Chipmunk, Tamias quadrimaculatus
- Colorado Chipmunk, Tamias quadrivittatus
- Red-Tailed Chipmunk, Tamias ruficaudus
- Hopi Chipmunk, Tamias rufus
- Allen's Chipmunk, Tamias senex
- Siberian Chipmunk, Tamias sibiricus
- Siskiyou Chipmunk, Tamias siskiyou
- Sonoma Chipmunk, Tamias sonomae
- Lodgepole Chipmunk, Tamias speciosus
- Eastern Chipmunk, Tamias striatus
- Townsend's Chipmunk, Tamias townsendii
- Uinta Chipmunk, Tamias umbrinus

Pop Culture References

Alvin and the Chipmunks

In 1958 Ross Bagdasarian (using the stage name David Seville, named after Seville, Spain) released "The Chipmunk Song" ("Christmas, Don't Be Late"), a sped-up recording of himself performing three-part harmony. The resulting high-pitched cartoony voices were named "Alvin", "Simon", and "Theodore" after executives at the record company which published the record. "The Chipmunk Song" went on to win two Grammy Awards and a new "group" called "David Seville & the Chipmunks" became a popular novelty act. In 1961, the group starred in their own animated television series, The Alvin Show. The characters substantially regained popularity in the early 1980s under the guidance of Bagdasarian's son Ross Jr.. A new series, Alvin and the Chipmunks, debuted in 1983, with a feature film (The Chipmunk Adventure, 1987) and several direct-to-video releases in the 1990s following it. Ross Bagdasarian, Jr. provides the voices of Dave, Alvin, and Simon in the new production; his wife Janice Karman does the voice of Theodore and the female Chipmunk spin-off group The Chipettes.

Walt Disney

In Disney's animated movie The Emperor's New Groove, character Krunk regularly converses with chipmunks, in their language of squeaks. Walt Disney also created two talking chipmunks, Chip and Dale, during the 1940's. Chip and Dale Chip and Dale Chip and Dale Chip and Dale Category:Squirrels

1950s

----

Events and trends

The 1950s in Western society was marked with a sharp rise in the economy for the first time in almost 30 years and return to the 1920s-type consumer society built on credit and boom-times, as well as the the baby boom from returning GIs who went to college under the Montgomery G.I. Bill and settled in suburban America. Most of the internal conflicts that had developed in earlier decades like women's rights, civil rights, imperialism, and war were relatively suppressed or neglected during this time as a returning world from the brink hoped to see a more consistent way of life as opposed to liberalism and radicalism of the 1930s and 1940s. The effect of suppressing social problems in the 50s would backfire in the 60s with the counter-culture movement. The 1950s were also marked with a rapid rise in conflict with the Eastern Bloc and the Soviet Union that would heighten the Cold War to an unprecedented level which would include the Arms Race, Space Race, McCarthyism, and Korean War. Stalin's death in 1953 left an enormous impact in Eastern Europe that forced the Soviet Union to create more liberal policies internally and externally. The rise of Suburbia as well as the growing conflict with the East are the two generally accepted reasons for the conservative domination of this decade.

Technology


- United States tests the first fusion bomb. See History of nuclear weapons
- Sputnik, the first man-made satellite, and thus the Sputnik crisis
- The De Havilland Comet enters service as the world's first jet airliner
- Charles Townes builds a maser in 1953 at Columbia University.

Science


- Urey-Miller experiment shows that under simulated conditions resembling those thought to have existed shortly after Earth first accreted, many of the basic organic molecules that form the building blocks of modern life are able to spontaneously form
- Francis Crick and James D. Watson discover the helical structure of DNA at the Cavendish Laboratory at the University of Cambridge
- Bruce Heezen discovers the Mid-Atlantic Ridge
- Polio vaccine
- The first organ transplants are done in Boston and Paris in 1954.

War, peace, and politics


- Korean War
- Red Scare, McCarthy Hearings
- Suez Crisis
- European Common Market founded.
- Warsaw pact founded.
- Most aboveground nuclear test explosions happened during this decade.
- The United States CIA orchestrated the overthrow of the Guatemalan government.
- Hungarian revolution of 1956 brutally suppressed by Soviet Union's troops.
- Fidel Castro gains power in Cuba.
- Mahmoud Abbas becomes involved in Palestinian politics in Qatar.
- Decolonization: Algeria, Vietnam, and elsewhere.
- Early history of the People's Republic of China, of the state of Israel, and of the Indonesian state.

Economics


- "Economic miracle" in West Germany and Italy.

Culture, religion


- Traditional pop music reaches its climax; early rock and roll music was embraced by teenagers/youth culture while generally dismissed or condemned by older generations.
- Brylcreem and other hair tonics have a period of popularity
- Television replaces radio as the dominant mass medium in industrialized countries.
- In the West, the generation traumatized by the Great Depression and World War II creates a culture with emphasis on normality and calm conformity.
- Juvenile delinquency said to be at unprecedented epidemic proportions in USA, though some see this era as relatively low in crime compared to today. Continuing poverty in some regions during recessions later on in this decade.
- Fairly high rates of unionization, government social spending, taxes, and the like in the US and European countries. Mostly liberal or moderate Western governments, though communism/Cold War play a role in reaction to, and within, domestic politics.
- Beatnik culture/ The Beat Generation
- Optimistic visions of semi-Utopian technological future including such devices as the flying car.
- The Day the Earth Stood Still hits movie theaters.
- Along with the appearance of the sentence Kilroy was here across the United States, graffiti as an art form develops, especially among urban African Americans; graffiti eventually becomes one of the four elements of hip hop
- Considerable racial tension with military and schools desegregation in the US, though controversy never truly erupts as later on in the 1960s.
- The Catcher in the Rye
- The Twilight Zone premiers as the first major science-fiction show. Rise of evangelical Christianity including Youth for Christ (1943); the National Association of Evangelicals, the American Council of Christian Churces, the Billy Graham Evagelistic Association (1950), and the Campus Crusade for Christ (1951). Christianity Today was first published in 1956. 1956 also marked the beginning of Bethany Fellowship, a small press that would grow to be a leading evangelical press.
- Carl Stuart Hamblen religious radio broadcaster.

Others


- Wartime rationing ends in the United Kingdom.

People

World leaders


- Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent (Canada)
- Prime Minister John Diefenbaker (Canada)
- Chairman Mao Zedong (People's Republic of China)
- President Chiang Kai-shek (Republic of China on Taiwan)
- President Gamal Abdel Nasser (Egypt)
- Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru (India)
- Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion (Israel)
- Emperor Hirohito (Japan)
- Pope Pius XII
- Pope John XXIII
- Taoiseach John A. Costello (Ireland)
- Taoiseach Eamon de Valera (Ireland)
- Taoiseach Sean Lemass (Ireland)
- Joseph Stalin (Soviet Union)
- Nikita Khrushchev (Soviet Union)
- King George VI (United Kingdom)
- Queen Elizabeth II (United Kingdom)
- Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill (United Kingdom)
- Prime Minister Sir Anthony Eden (United Kingdom)
- Prime Minister Harold Macmillan (United Kingdom)
- Prime Minister Robert Menzies (Australia)
- Prime Minister George Borg Olivier (Malta)
- President Harry S. Truman (United States)
- President Dwight D. Eisenhower (United States)
- Chancellor Konrad Adenauer (West Germany)
- President Josip Broz Tito (Yugoslavia)

Entertainers


- Desi Arnaz
- Abbott and Costello
- Paul Anka
- Lucille Ball
- Jack Benny
- Chuck Berry
- Humphrey Bogart
- Marlon Brando
- Maria Callas
- Dalida
- James Dean
- Bo Diddley
- Margot Fonteyn
- Ava Gardner
- The Goons
- Cary Grant
- Tony Hancock
- Audrey Hepburn
- Charlton Heston
- Alfred Hitchcock
- Buddy Holly
- Grace Kelly
- Ernie Kovacs
- Mario Lanza
- Jerry Lewis
- Dean Martin
- Groucho Marx
- Marilyn Monroe
- Paul Newman
- Laurence Olivier
- Elvis Presley
- George Reeves
- Little Richard
- James Stewart
- Gale Storm
- Jerry Lee Lewis
- Jacques Tati
- Elizabeth Taylor
- John Wayne
- Jack Webb
- Ed Wynn

Sports figures


- Alberto Ascari (Italian racing driver)
- Roger Bannister (English track and field athlete)
- Yogi Berra (American baseball player)
- Maureen Connolly (American tennis player)
- Colin Cowdrey (England cricketer)
- Juan Manuel Fangio (Argentinian racing driver)
- Neil Harvey (Australian cricketer)
- Gordie Howe (Canadian ice hockey player)
- Len Hutton (England cricketer)
- Rocky Marciano (American boxer)
- Stanley Matthews (English soccer player)
- Willie Mays (American baseball player)
- Ferenc Puskás (Hungarian soccer player)
- Maurice Richard (Canadian ice hockey player)
- Sugar Ray Robinson (American boxer)
- Bill Russell (American basketball player)
- Gary Sobers (West Indies cricketer)
- Brian Statham (England cricketer)
- Frank Tyson (England cricketer)
- Frank Worrell (West Indies cricketer)
- Lev Yashin (Russian soccer player)

See also


- United States in the 1950s
- List of rock and roll albums in the 1950s

External links


- [http://www.fiftiesweb.com The FiftiesWeb]
- [http://vlib.iue.it/history/USA/ERAS/20TH/1950s.html WWW-VL: 1950s History] Category:1950s ko:1950년대 ja:1950年代 simple:1950s



Grammy Awards

The Grammy Awards (originally the Gramophone Awards), presented by the Recording Academy (an association of Americans professionally involved in the recorded music industry) for outstanding achievements in the recording industry, is one of four major music awards shows held annually in the United States (the Billboard Music Awards, the American Music Awards, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, make up the rest). However, the Grammys, usually held in February, (last of what are considered the "big three" music awards shows, including the BMA and AMA shows) are considered the approximate equivalent to the Oscars, in the music world. Like the Oscars, the Grammys, which currently have 105 categories within 30 genres of music (such as pop, gospel, and rap), are voted upon by peers - voting members of the Recording Academy - rather than being based upon popularity (as with the BMAs and the AMAs). The awards are named for the trophy which the winner receives - a small gilded statuette of a gramophone. Hand Crafted by Billings Artworks. The awards ceremony features performances by prominent artists, and some of the more prominent Grammys are presented in a widely-viewed televised ceremony. Some feel that because Grammy voters tend to vote conservatively, and are marketed to by record companies, the most widely-recognized Grammys tend to go to either well-established artists or those being hyped by the recording industry. Hence, the Grammys are not taken seriously by some musicians and music fans. In fact, many artists who are placed in high regard, artistically, by many fans and critics (such as Elvis Presley, Garth Brooks, Pink Floyd, Kenny Rogers, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Radiohead, Pixies and The Smiths) have only been awarded very few Grammys. Of the "big three" music awards shows, the Grammys are the highest rated. Unlike the Academy Awards, for which the eligiblilty period begins January 1, the eligibility period for the Grammys begins October 1, which results in September being considered the Christmas sales period for the music industry (in which artists generally release big albums to qualify for the next year's Grammy). So, for example, John Lennon & Yoko Ono's album Double Fantasy was released in November, 1980, a month-and-a-half too late to qualify for the 1981 Grammys, and thus eligible for the 1982 awards (it eventually won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year). The Grammys are currently broadcast on CBS.

Grammy Records

Pat Metheny and the Pat Metheny Group have won 16 Grammys in total, including six consecutive awards for six consecutive albums. Metheny, as of the 2004 Grammy Awards, holds the record for Grammy wins in the most different categories: # Best Jazz Fusion Performance (1983, 1984, 1985, 1988, 1990) # Best Instrumental Composition (1991) # Best Contemporary Jazz Performance/Album (1993, 1994, 1996, 1999, 2003) # Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Individual or Group (1998, 2000) # Best Rock Instrumental Performance (1999) # Best Jazz Instrumental Solo (2001) # Best New Age Album (2004) Session drummer Hal Blaine played on six consecutive records which won Record of the Year: # 1966 Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass - "A Taste of Honey" # 1967 Frank Sinatra - "Strangers in the Night" # 1968 5th Dimension - "Up, Up and Away" # 1969 Simon & Garfunkel - "Mrs. Robinson" # 1970 5th Dimension - "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" # 1971 Simon & Garfunkel - "Bridge Over Troubled Water" Legendary Opera Diva Leontyne Price has won 18 awards Soul and R&B legend Aretha Franklin has won 11 awards for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, including 8 consecutive (and the first 8 ever awarded) awards in the category: # 1968 - "Respect" # 1969 - "Chain of Fools" # 1970 - "Share Your Love With Me" # 1971 - "Don't Play That Song" # 1972 - "Bridge Over Troubled Water" # 1973 - Young, Gifted, and Black # 1974 - "Master of Eyes" # 1975 - "Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing" # 1982 - "Hold On, I'm Comin'" # 1986 - "Freeway of Love" # 1988 - Aretha Conductor Sir Georg Solti holds the record for most Grammys won, having won a total of thirty-eight awards before his death in 1997. The most Grammys won in a single night is eight -- a record shared by Michael Jackson (1984), and Carlos Santana (2000). Christopher Cross (Grammy Awards of 1981) and Norah Jones (Grammy Awards of 2003) are the only artists to receive the "Big Four" (Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best New Artist) in a single ceremony. Béla Fleck has been nominated in more categories than any other musician, namely country, pop, jazz, bluegrass, classical, folk, and spoken word, as well as composition and arranging.

Award categories


- Record of the Year
- Album of the Year
- Song of the Year
- Best New Artist
- Grammy Hall of Fame
- Grammy Legend Award
- Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award
- Grammy Tech Award
- Grammy Trustees Award Alternative
- Best Alternative Music Album Blues
- Best Traditional Blues Album
- Best Contemporary Blues Album Children's
- Best Album for Children
- Best Musical Album for Children
- Best Spoken Word Album for Children Classical
- Best Orchestral Performance
- Best Classical Vocal Performance
- Best Classical Performance, Operatic or Choral
- Best Opera Recording
- Best Choral Performance
- Best Classical Performance - Instrumental Soloist or Soloists (with or without orchestra)
- Best Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (with orchestra)
- Best Instrumental Soloist Performance (without orchestra)
- Best Small Ensemble Performance (with or without conductor)
- Best Chamber Music Performance
- Best Classical Contemporary Composition
- Best Classical Album
- Best Classical Crossover Album
- Best New Classical Artist Comedy
- Best Comedy Album
- Best Spoken Comedy Album Composing and arranging
- Best Instrumental Composition
- Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media (now in the "Film/TV/Media" field)
- Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media (now in the "film/TV/media" field)
- Best Arrangement
- Best Instrumental Arrangement
- Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s)
- Best Vocal Arrangement for Two or More Voices Country
- Best Female Country Vocal Performance
- Best Male Country Vocal Performance
- Best Country Performance, Duo or Group - Vocal or Instrumental
- Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal
- Best Country Collaboration with Vocals
- Best Country Instrumental Performance
- Best Country & Western Recording
- Best Country & Western Single
- Best Country Song
- Best Country Album
- Best Bluegrass Album
- Best New Country & Western Artist Dance
- Best Dance Recording (previously in "Pop")
- Best Electronic/Dance Album Disco
- Best Disco Recording Film/TV/Media
- Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media
- Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media (previously in the "composing and arranging" field)
- Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media (previously in the "composing and arranging" field) Folk
- Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording
- Best Traditional Folk Album
- Best Contemporary Folk Album
- Best Native American Music Album
- Best Hawaiian Music Album Gospel
- Best Gospel Performance
- Best Gospel Performance, Traditional
- Best Gospel Performance, Contemporary
- Best Gospel Vocal Performance, Female
- Best Gospel Vocal Performance, Male
- Best Gospel Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group, Choir or Chorus
- Best Soul Gospel Performance
- Best Soul Gospel Performance, Traditional
- Best Soul Gospel Performance, Contemporary
- Best Soul Gospel Performance, Female
- Best Soul Gospel Performance, Male
- Best Soul Gospel Performance, Male or Female
- Best Soul Gospel Performance by a Duo or Group, Choir or Chorus
- Best Inspirational Performance
- Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album
- Best Rock Gospel Album
- Best Traditional Soul Gospel Album
- Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album
- Best Southern, Country or Bluegrass Gospel Album
- Best Gospel Choir or Chorus Album Historical
- Best Historical Album Jazz
- Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Female
- Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Male
- Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Duo or Group
- Best Jazz Instrumental Solo
- Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group
- Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album
- Best Jazz Fusion Performance
- Best Original Jazz Composition
- Best Jazz Vocal Album
- Best Contemporary Jazz Album
- Best Latin Jazz Album Latin
- Best Latin Recording
- Best Latin Pop Album
- Best Traditional Tropical Latin Album
- Best Mexican/Mexican-American Album
- Best Latin Rock/Alternative Album
- Best Tejano Album
- Best Salsa Album
- Best Merengue Album
- Best Salsa/Merengue Album Musical Show
- Best Musical Show Album
- Best Sound Track Album or Recording of Original Cast From a Motion Picture or Television Music Video
- Best Short Form Music Video
- Best Long Form Music Video
- Best Concept Music Video
- Best Performance Music Video
- Video of the Year New Age
- Best New Age Album Packaging and notes
- Best Album Cover
- Best Album Cover - Classical
- Best Album Cover - Other Than Classical
- Best Album Cover, Graphic Arts
- Best Album Cover, Photography
- Best Recording Package
- Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package
- Best Album Notes
- Best Album Notes - Classical Polka
- Best Polka Album Pop
- Best Vocal Performance, Female
- Best Vocal Performance, Male
- Best Performance by a Vocal Group
- Best Performance by a Chorus
- Best Performance by a Vocal Group or Chorus
- Best Instrumental Performance
- Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
- Best Male Pop Vocal Performance
- Best Contemporary (R&R) Solo Vocal Performance - Male or Female
- Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal
- Best Contemporary Performance by a Chorus
- Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals
- Best Performance by an Orchestra - for Dancing
- Best Performance by an Orchestra or Instrumentalist with Orchestra - Primarily Not Jazz or for Dancing
- Best Pop Instrumental Performance
- Best Pop Instrumental Performance with Vocal Coloring
- Best Contemporary Song
- Best Pop Vocal Album
- Best Pop Instrumental Album Production and engineering
- Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical
- Best Engineered Album, Classical
- Best Engineered Recording - Special or Novel Effects
- Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical
- Producer of the Year, Non-Classical
- Producer of the Year, Classical
- Remixer of the Year, Non-Classical R&B
- Best Female R&B Vocal Performance
- Best Male R&B Vocal Performance
- Best R&B Solo Vocal Performance, Male or Female
- Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals
- Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance
- Best R&B Instrumental Performance
- Best Urban/Alternative Performance
- Best Rhythm & Blues Recording
- Best R&B Song
- Best R&B Album
- Best Contemporary R&B Album Rap
- Best Rap Performance
- Best Rap Solo Performance
- Best Female Rap Solo Performance
- Best Male Rap Solo Performance
- Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group
- Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
- Best Rap Song
- Best Rap Album Reggae
- Best Reggae Album Rock
- Best Female Rock Vocal Performance
- Best Male Rock Vocal Performance
- Best Rock Vocal Performance, Solo
- Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal
- Best Rock Instrumental Performance
- Best Hard Rock Performance
- Best Metal Performance
- Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance Vocal or Instrumental
- Best Rock Song
- Best Rock Album Surround Sound
- Best Surround Sound Album Spoken
- Best Spoken Word Album
- Best Spoken Comedy Album Traditional Pop
- Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album World
- Best World Music Album
- Best Traditional World Music Album
- Best Contemporary World Music Album

Awards by year

Years reflect the year in which the awards were presented, for music released in the previous year.

External links


- [http://www.grammy.com Official site] Category:Grammy Awards ja:グラミー賞

United States

:For alternative meanings, see the disambiguation page for US, USA, United States, or American. The United States of America is a federal democratic republic situated primarily in central North America. It comprises 50 states and one federal district, and has several territories. It is also referred to, with varying formality, as the United States, the U.S., the U.S.A., the States, or simply and most commonly, America. The official founding date of the United States is July 4, 1776, when the Second Continental Congress—representing thirteen British colonies—adopted the Declaration of Independence. However, the structure of the government was profoundly changed in 1788, when the states replaced the Articles of Confederation with the United States Constitution. The date on which each of the fifty states adopted the Constitution is typically regarded as the date that state "entered the Union" (became part of the United States). Since the mid-20th century, following World War II, the United States has emerged as a dominant global influence in economic, political, military, scientific, technological, and cultural affairs.

Geography and climate

The United States shares land borders with Canada (to the north) and Mexico (to the south), and territorial water boundaries with Canada, Russia, the Bahamas, and numerous smaller nations. It is otherwise bounded by the Pacific Ocean and the Bering Sea, in the west; the Arctic Ocean, in the northernmost areas; and the Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean Sea, in the eastern and southeastern areas. Forty-eight of the states are in the single region between Canada and Mexico; this group is referred to, with varying precision and formality, as the continental or contiguous United States, sometimes abbreviated CONUS, and as the Lower 48. Alaska, which is not included in the term contiguous United States, is at the northwestern end of North America, separated from the Lower 48 by Canada. The archipelago of Hawaii is in the Pacific Ocean. The capital city, Washington, District of Columbia is a federal district located on land donated by the state of Maryland. (Virginia also donated land, but it was returned in 1847.) The United States also has overseas territories with varying levels of independence and organization. When inland water is included in the total area, only Russia and Canada are larger than the United States; if inland water is excluded, China ranks third and the U.S. ranks fourth. The United States' total area is 3,718,711 square miles (9,631,418 km²), of which land makes up 3,537,438 square miles (9,161,923 km²) and water makes up 181,273 square miles (469,495 km²). The United States' landscape is one of the most varied among those of the world's nations: among its many features are temperate forestland and rolling hills, on the east coast; mangrove, in Florida; the Great Plains, in the center of the country; the Mississippi–Missouri river system; the Great Lakes, four of the five of which are shared with Canada; the Rocky Mountains, west of the Great Plains; deserts and temperate coastal zones, west of the Rocky Mountains; and temperate rain forests, in the Pacific northwest. Alaska's tundra, and the volcanic, tropical islands of Hawaii add to the geographic diversity. Hawaii The climate varies along with the landscape, from tropical in Hawaii and southern Florida to tundra in Alaska and atop some of the highest mountains. Most of the North and East experience a temperate continental climate, with warm summers and cold winters. Most of the South experiences a subtropical humid climate with mild winters and long, hot, humid summers. Rainfall decreases markedly from the humid forests of the Eastern Great Plains to the semi-arid shortgrass prairies on the high plains abutting the Rocky Mountains. Arid deserts, including the Mojave, extend through the lowlands and valleys of the southwest, from westernmost Texas to California and northward throughout much of Nevada. Some parts of California have a Mediterranean climate. Rainforests line the windward mountains of the Pacific Northwest from Oregon to Alaska.

History

American history started with the migration of people from Asia across the Bering land bridge approximately 12,000 years ago following large animals that they hunted into the Americas. These Native Americans left evidence of their presence in petroglyphs, burial mounds, and other artifacts. It is estimated that 2-9 million people lived in the territory now occupied by the U.S. before European contact, and the subsequent introduction of foreign diseases such as small pox that greatly diminished the native populations. Some advanced societies were the Anasazi of the southwest, who inhabited Chaco Canyon, and the Woodland Indians, who built Cahokia, located near present-day St Louis, a city with a population of 40,000 at its peak in AD 1200. Vikings first visited North America around 1000, but did not settle permanently. Following the discovery voyages of Christopher Columbus around 1492, other Europeans began to explore and settle there. During the 1500s and 1600s, the Spanish settled parts of the present-day Southwest and Florida, founding St. Augustine, Florida in 1565 and Santa Fe (in what is now New Mexico) in 1607. The first successful English settlement was at Jamestown, Virginia, also in 1607. Within the next two decades, several Dutch settlements, including New Amsterdam (the predecessor to New York City), were established in what are now the states of New York and New Jersey. In 1637, Sweden established a colony at Fort Christina (in what is now Delaware), but lost the settlement to the Dutch in 1655. This was followed by extensive British settlement of the east coast. The British colonists remained relatively undisturbed by their home country until after the French and Indian War, when France ceded Canada and the Great Lakes region to Britain. Britain then imposed taxes on the 13 colonies, widely regarded by the colonists as unfair because they were denied representation in the British Parliament. Tensions between Britain and the colonists increased, and the thirteen colonies eventually rebelled against British rule. British Parliament, George Washington (1789-1797).]] In 1776, the 13 colonies split from Great Britain and formed the United States, the world's first constitutional and democratic federal republic, after their Declaration of Independence of that year, and the Revolutionary War (1775 to 1783). The original political structure was a confederation in 1777, ratified in 1781 as the Articles of Confederation. After long debate, this was supplanted by the Constitution in 1789, forming a more centralized federal government. Prior to all these was the Albany Congress in 1754, in which a union was first seriously proposed. From early colonial times, there was a shortage of labor, which encouraged unfree labor, particularly indentured servitude and slavery. In the mid-19th century, a major division occurred in the United States over the issue of states' rights and the expansion of slavery. The northern states had become opposed to slavery, while the southern states saw it as necessary for the continued success of southern agriculture and wanted it expanded to the territories. Several federal laws were passed in an attempt to settle the dispute, including the Missouri Compromise and the Compromise of 1850. The dispute reached a crisis in 1861, when seven southern states seceded1 from the Union and formed the Confederate States of America, leading to the Civil War. Soon after the war began, four more southern states seceded. During the war, Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, mandating the freedom of all slaves in states in rebellion, though full emancipation did not take place until after the end of the war in 1865, the dissolution of the Confederacy, and the Thirteenth Amendment took effect. The Civil War effectively ended the question of a state's right to secede, and is widely accepted as a major turning point after which the federal government became more powerful than state governments. Thirteenth Amendment). The title of the painting, from a 1726 poem by Bishop Berkeley, was a phrase often quoted in the era of Manifest Destiny, expressing a widely held belief that civilization had steadily moved westward throughout history. [http://americanart.si.edu/t2go/1lw/1931.6.1.html (more)] ]] During the 19th century, many new states were added to the original 13 as the nation expanded across the continent. Manifest Destiny was a philosophy that encouraged westward expansion in the United States. As the population of the Eastern states grew and as a steady increase of immigrants entered the country, settlers moved steadily westward across North America. In the process, the U.S. displaced most American Indian nations. This displacement of American Indians continues to be a matter of contention in the U.S. with many tribes attempting to assert their original claims to various lands. In some areas American Indian populations were reduced by foreign diseases contracted through contact with European settlers, and US settlers acquired those emptied lands. In other instances American Indians were removed from their traditional lands by force. Though some would say the U.S. was not a colonial power until the Spanish-American War when it acquired Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippines, the dominion exercised over land in North America the United States claimed is essentially colonial. The Philippines became independent in 1946. During this period, the nation also became an industrial power. This continued into the 20th century, which has been termed "the American Century" because of the nation's overriding influence on the world. The US became a center for innovation and technological development; major technologies that America either developed or was greatly involved in improving include the telephone, television, computer, the Internet, nuclear weapons, nuclear power, aviation, and aeronautics. In addition to the Civil War, another major traumatic experience for the nation was the Great Depression (1929 to 1939). The nation has also taken part in several major foreign wars, including World War I and World War II (in both of which the US later joined the Allies). During the Cold War, the US was a major player in the Korean War and Vietnam War, and, along with the Soviet Union, was considered one of the world's two "superpowers". With the collapse of the Soviet Union, the US emerged as the world's leading economic and military power. Beginning in the 1990s, the United States became very involved in police actions and peacekeeping, including actions in Kosovo, Haiti, Somalia and Liberia, and the first Persian Gulf War driving Iraq out of Kuwait. After attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, the United States and other allied nations found themselves involved in what has come to be called the "War on Terrorism," which has primarily encompassed military actions in both Afghanistan and Iraq.

Government

Iraq of the United States.]]

Republic and suffrage

The United States is an example of a constitutional republic, with a government composed of and operating through a set of limited powers imposed by its design and enumerated in the United States Constitution. Specifically, the nation operates as a presidential democracy. There are three levels of government: federal, state, and local. Officials of each of these levels are either elected by eligible voters via secret ballot or appointed by other elected officials. Americans enjoy almost universal suffrage from the age of 18 regardless of race, sex, or wealth. There are some limits, however: felons are disenfranchised and in some states former felons are likewise. Furthermore, the national representation of territories and the federal district of Washington, DC in Congress is limited: residents of the District of Columbia are subject to federal laws and federal taxes but their only Congressional representative is a non-voting delegate.

Federal government

The federal government is the national government, comprising the Legislative Branch (led by Congress), the Executive Branch (led by the President), and the Judicial Branch (led by the Supreme Court). These three branches were designed to apply checks and balances on each other. The Constitution limits the powers of the federal government to defense, foreign affairs, the issuing and management of currency, the management of trade and relations between the states, and the protection of human rights. In addition to these explicitly stated powers, the federal government—with the assistance of the Supreme Court—has gradually extended these powers into such areas as welfare and education, on the basis of the "necessary and proper" clause of the Constitution.

The Congress

necessary and proper The Congress of the United States is the legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, comprising the House of Representatives and the Senate. The House of Representatives consists of 435 members, each of whom represents a congressional district and serves for a two-year term. House seats are apportioned among the states by population; in contrast, each state has two Senators, regardless of population. There are a total of 100 senators, who serve six-year terms. The powers of Congress are limited to those enumerated in the Constitution; all other powers are reserved to the states and the people. The Constitution also includes the necessary-and-proper clause, which grants Congress the power to "make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers."

The President

necessary-and-proper clause At the top level of the executive branch is the President of the United States. The President and Vice-President are elected as 'running mates' for four-year terms by the Electoral College, for which each state, as well as the District of Columbia, is allocated a number of seats based on its representation (or ostensible representation, in the case of D. C.) in both houses of Congress (see U.S. Electoral College). The relationship between the President and the Congress reflects that between the English monarchy and parliament at the time of the framing of the United States Constitution. Congress can legislate to constrain the President's executive power, even with respect to his or her command of the armed forces; however, this power is used only very rarely—a notable example was the constraint placed on President Richard Nixon's strategy of bombing Cambodia during the Vietnam War. The President cannot directly propose legislation, and must rely on supporters in Congress to promote his or her legislative agenda. The President's signature is required to turn congressional bills into law; in this respect, the President has the power—only occasionally used—to veto congressional legislation. Congress can override a presidential veto with a two-thirds majority vote in both houses. The ultimate power of Congress over the President is that of impeachment or removal of the elected President through a House vote, a Senate trial, and a Senate vote. The threat of using this power has had major political ramifications in the cases of Presidents Andrew Johnson, Richard Nixon, and Bill Clinton. The President makes around 2,000 executive appointments, including members of the Cabinet and ambassadors, which must be approved by the Senate; the President can also issue executive orders and pardons, and has other Constitutional duties, among them the requirement to give a State of the Union address to Congress once a year. Although the President's constitutional role may appear to be constrained, in practice, the office carries enormous prestige that typically eclipses the power of Congress: the Presidency has justifiably been referred to as 'the most powerful office in the world'. The Vice President is first in the line of succession, and is the President of the Senate ex officio, with the ability to cast a tie-breaking vote. The members of the President's Cabinet are responsible for administering the various departments of state, including the Department of Defense, the Justice Department, and the State Department. These departments and department heads have considerable regulatory and political power, and it is they who are responsible for executing federal laws and regulations. George W. Bush is the 43rd President, currently serving his second term.

The Courts

George W. Bush The highest court is the Supreme Court, which consists of nine justices. The court deals with federal and constitutional matters, and can declare legislation made at any level of the government as unconstitutional, nullifying the law and creating precedent for future law and decisions. Below the Supreme Court are the courts of appeals, and below them in turn are the district courts, which are the general trial courts for federal law. Separate from, but not entirely independent of, this federal court system are the individual court systems of each state, each dealing with its own laws and having its own judicial rules and procedures. A case may be appealed from a state court to a federal court only if there is a federal question; the supreme court of each state is the final authority on the interpretation of that state's laws and constitution.

State and local governments

supreme court of each state. Note that Alaska and Hawaii are shown at different scales, and that the Aleutian Islands and the uninhabited Northwestern Hawaiian Islands are omitted from this map.]] The state governments have the greatest influence over people's daily lives. Each state has its own written constitution and has different laws. There are sometimes great differences in law and procedure between the different states, concerning issues such as property, crime, health, and education. The highest elected official of each state is the Governor. Each state also has an elected legislature (bicameral in every state except Nebraska), whose members represent the different parts of the state. Of note is the New Hampshire legislature, which is the third-largest legislative body in the English-speaking world, and has one representative for every 3,000 people. Each state maintains its own judiciary, with the lowest level typically being county courts, and culminating in each state supreme court, though sometimes named differently. In some states, supreme and lower court justices are elected by the people; in others, they are appointed, as they are in the federal system. The institutions that are responsible for local government are typically town, city, or county boards, making laws that affect their particular area. These laws concern issues such as traffic, the sale of alcohol, and keeping animals. The highest elected official of a town or city is usually the mayor. In New England, towns operate directly democratically, and in some states, such as Rhode Island and Connecticut, counties have little or no power, existing only as geographic distinctions. In other areas, county governments have more power, such as to collect taxes and maintain law enforcement agencies.

Poli