United States President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris speak in Wilmington, Delaware, on Nov. 7, 2020, after being declared the winners of the presidential election. Both wear masks to help limit the spread of COVID-19.
Credit: © Andrew Harnik, AFP/Getty Images

Joe Biden became the 46th president of the United States on January 20. His inauguration looked different than inaugurations past. Because of the ongoing pandemic (global outbreak) of the coronavirus disease COVID-19, efforts were made to limit the size of crowds and prevent the spread of germs. Gone were the parades and balls. Instead, the country marked the transition of power with virtual parades and televised performances.

As is tradition, the chief justice of the Supreme Court of the United States swore in the incoming president. This year, that honor went to Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr. Biden then give his inaugural address and conducted a review of military troops. Celebrities were on hand to help celebrate the occasion. Lady Gaga performed the national anthem, and Jennifer Lopez gave a musical performance.

The events took place on the west front of the United States Capitol—which, only two weeks before, was raided by a violent mob intent on halting Biden’s certification as winner of the presidential election. President Donald Trump, under impeachment for inciting the mob, did not attend the inauguration ceremony, becoming one of only a handful of outgoing presidents to skip the inauguration.

A poem by Amanda Gorman drew particular attention. Gorman, a Black woman, became the youngest poet to read at a presidential inauguration. The poem, titled “The Hill We Climb,” was written for the occasion and referenced the January 6 Capitol attack.

Thousands of military troops and police officers had been stationed at the Capitol—and at state capitols around the country—in anticipation of further violence. Experts had warned of far-right extremist groups’ desire to stage attacks at such locations on or around Inauguration Day. In the weeks leading up to the inauguration, 15,000 troops—more soldiers than in Iraq and Afghanistan—had been stationed in Washington, D.C. The weekend before the inauguration, several groups of armed protesters showed up at the capitols of such states as Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. They were met with military vehicles and police barricades. In the end, however, the inauguration festivities went off without violence.

Another major threat to the United States—COVID-19—led officials to scale down inauguration celebrations. Biden’s inauguration schedule began Tuesday night, with a somber memorial to the 400,000 Americans who have died from the disease, held at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on the National Mall. To limit the spread of germs, tickets for the events were not made available to the general public. And, instead of a traditional parade down Pennsylvania Avenue, there was a virtual parade featuring music, poets, and dancers. The parade honored America’s frontline workers (workers likely to encounter COVID-19). In place of balls in honor of the new president, there was a star-studded television event on Wednesday night. Hosted by Tom Hanks, the event featured such entertainers as Demi Lovato, Justin Timberlake, and Kerry Washington. The television event ended a day filled with celebration and patriotism.

March 2, 2020

Yesterday, March 1, an exhibition on the French impressionist painter Edgar Degas opened at the National Gallery of Art (NGA) in Washington, D.C. The exhibition, called “Degas at the Opéra,” celebrates the artists’ many works set in the Paris Opéra. The exhibition includes about 100 of the artist’s most famous paintings, pastels, drawings, prints, and sculptures. “Degas at the Opéra” runs until July 5. Prior to its run at the NGA, the exhibition had been at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris since September 2019, shortly after the Opéra celebrated the 350th anniversary of its founding in 1669.

The Dancing Class by Edgar Degas
credit: The Dance Class 1874 by Edgar Degas. Oil on canvas/The Granger Collection

Like the other impressionists, Degas portrayed situations from modern life. However, he did not share his fellow impressionists’ concentration on light and color. Degas emphasized composition, drawing, and form more than did the other members of the movement. He is best known for his paintings of people in both public and unguarded private moments. He showed his figures in awkward or informal positions to free himself from what he felt were outmoded styles of portraying the human body. But, he composed his pictures carefully both for formal balance and to indicate the social interaction of his figures.

Hilaire Germain Edgar Degas was born on July 19, 1834, in Paris, of wealthy parents. From 1854 to 1859, he spent much time in Italy studying the great Renaissance painters to perfect his draftsmanship and style. Degas intended to become a painter of historical scenes, but he abandoned this career because he felt a need to paint modern subjects. Probably under the influence of the painters Gustave Courbet and Édouard Manet, Degas began to paint scenes from everyday life. He especially enjoyed painting pictures of race-track and theatrical life. Degas painted many pictures in oil, but he also excelled in pastel. In addition, he was a fine sculptor and made many clay or wax figurines. Degas died on Sept. 27, 1917.

July 8, 2019

Since prehistoric times, people have depicted animals in their artwork. Ancient paintings and drawings of horses, oxen, and other animals appear on the ceilings, walls, and entrances of caves and rock shelters around the world. In more modern times, animals have continued to be a source of artistic inspiration. Many cultures have shown animals in artistic representations of rural life, as livestock, prey, or pets, or to illustrate legends and myths. Many cultures, too, include animals in art simply for their beauty or for their intimate connections with humans. At the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., a new exhibition is detailing “The Life of Animals in Japanese Art.”

These wooden sacred foxes are part of the “Life of Animals in Japanese Art” exhibition at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. Credit: Sacred Foxes (Nanbokuch periods, 14th century), wood with pigments by unknown artist; National Gallery of Art

The Life of Animals in Japanese Art is the first exhibition devoted solely to animals at the National Gallery of Art. The exhibition shows animals—some real, some imaginary, some sacred, some merely beloved—in a wide variety of artistic mediums. The more than 300 works in block prints, ceramics, decorative arts, lacquerware, paintings, sculptures, and textiles span from the A.D. 400′s to the present day. The artworks—including seven designated as “Important Cultural Property” by the Japanese government—come from public and private collections in both Japan and the United States. The exhibition began on June 2, 2019, and runs through August 18.

These 1,000-year-old sacred monkeys are included in the “Life of Animals in Japanese Art” exhibition. Credit: Pair of Sacred Monkeys (Heian period, 11th century), wood with traces of pigment by unknown artist; Los Angeles County Museum of Art/National Gallery of Art

The sprawling exhibit occupies 18,000 square feet (1,700 square meters) of the National Gallery of Art’s East Building Concourse, and it is divided into various themed sections. The credited artists (many older works are unattributed) include the Zen Buddhist monk Sesson Shūkei (1504-1589), the painter Itō Jakuchū (1716-1800), and the painter and woodblock printer Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849). Such modern artists as Kusama Yayoi (1929-…), the clothing designer Issey Miyake (1938-…), and the painter and sculptor Murakami Takashi (1960-…) are also represented.

The Life of Animals in Japanese Art is part of a series of events included in Japan 2019, an initiative to promote Japanese culture in the United States. Earlier Japanese art exhibitions took place at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and the Cleveland Museum of Art. The animal art exhibition will move to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in September, and a number of Japan-themed concerts, festivals, and performances are taking place in the United States throughout 2019.

November 7, 2018

November is Native American Heritage Month in the United States. To celebrate the month, World Book looks at the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) in Washington, D.C. The NMAI is devoted to the histories and cultures of the native peoples of the Americas. The museum works in cooperation with Native American communities to present objects, exhibits, and artworks of historical significance. The museum’s collections also showcase modern Native American arts and cultures. The NMAI, which is part of the Smithsonian Institution, has three facilities: the main museum campus on the National Mall; the George Gustav Heye Center in New York City; and the Cultural Resources Center in Suitland, Maryland.

The National Museum of the American Indian is devoted to the history and culture of the native peoples of North, Central, and South America. The museum’s building, in Washington, D.C., has smooth, rounded forms that were inspired in part by windswept rock formations. Many Native American architects and designers worked on the design. Credit: Pixabay

George Gustav Heye, an American art collector, established the Museum of the American Indian in New York City in 1916. In 1989, the United States Congress created the NMAI and moved Heye’s collection to the Smithsonian. The museum opened in 2004.

November is Native American Heritage Month in the United States. Credit: © Native American Heritage Month

This November, the NMAI is featuring an exhibit called “Patriot Nations: Native Americans in Our Nation’s Armed Forces.” The exhibit details the sometimes-conflicted participation of Native Americans in the U.S. military since the days of the American Revolution (1775-1783). It also details the new National Native American Veterans Memorial that will soon grace the museum’s grounds.

Native American Heritage Month began as American Indian Day in 1916, when certain states began honoring Native Americans with a day each May. President George H. W. Bush approved a joint resolution of Congress designating the first Native American Heritage Month in November 1990. The month honors all the native peoples of the United States, including Alaskan natives and Pacific Islanders.

July 19, 2018

On Tuesday night, July 17, the American League (AL) topped the National League (NL) 8-6 in a homer-happy Major League Baseball (MLB) All-Star Game at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. It was the sixth consecutive win for the AL, which took the game with 10th-inning home runs by Houston Astros teammates Alex Bregman and George Springer. The All-Star Game features the best MLB players as a midseason interleague exhibition. Bregman, a first-time All-Star in just his second full MLB season, was named the game’s Most Valuable Player.

The 2018 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was played at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. Credit: © Major League Baseball All-Star Game

Washington Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer made his second-straight All-Star start for the NL—the first pitcher to do so since Randy Johnson of the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2000 and 2001. Lefty fireballer Chris Sale made his third-straight start for the AL. A Boston Red Sox All-Star in 2017 and 2018, Sale started the 2016 game as a member of the Chicago White Sox. The last pitcher to repeat three years in a row as an All-Star starter—in either league—was Philadelphia Phillies Hall of Famer Robin Roberts from 1953 through 1955. Fellow Hall of Famer Lefty Gomez, who started five of the first six All-Star games (1933-1935, 1937, and 1938), is the only other pitcher to have accomplished the feat.

Anaheim Angels outfielder Mike Trout, seen here hitting at San Francisco’s AT&T Park, hit his second career All-Star Game home run on July 17, 2018. Credit: Keith Allison (licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0)

Scherzer allowed a home run to New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge in the second, the first of a record 10 long balls during the game. Anaheim Angels superstar Mike Trout homered in the third for a 2-0 AL advantage, but solo dingers by Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras and Colorado Rockies shortstop Trevor Story evened the score. The AL surged ahead 5-2 in the top of the 8th as Milwaukee Brewers bullpen phenom Josh Hader surrendered a 3-run bomb to Seattle Mariners shortstop Jean Segura. The NL refused to give in, however. Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich notched a solo shot in the bottom of the inning, and with Mariners closer Edwin Díaz on the mound in the bottom of the ninth, Cincinnati Reds second baseman Scooter Gennett stunned the crowd with a 2-run homer to tie the game at 5-5.

The All-Star Game then went into extra innings for the second straight year, but the contest was only briefly prolonged. Back-to-back AL long balls in the 10th preceded the game’s only non-homer tally (on a sacrifice fly) to make it an 8-5 game. Reds first baseman Joey Votto signaled an NL pulse with the game’s 10th and final home run in the bottom of the inning, but it was the last gasp for the National Leaguers.

Major League Baseball (MLB) Logo.
Credit: © Major League Baseball

The AL squad was led by A.J. Hinch, manager of the 2017 World Series champion Astros. Dave Roberts, manager of last year’s NL champion Los Angeles Dodgers, led the NL side. Pregame ceremonies, always elaborate at All-Star Games, were heavily military themed in the nation’s capital. After the baseball lineups were introduced, actor Bradley Cooper narrated an homage to 29 Medal of Honor recipients before a community of choirs from the District of Columbia sang the nation anthem. The Medal of Honor is the highest award for courage given by the United States military.

This year’s AL victory gave it a one-game edge in the all-time series between the leagues. Since the first All-Star Game in 1933, the AL has now won 44 times and NL squads have won 43 (along with 2 ties). The AL has outscored the NL by a scant 2 runs (363-361) in All-Star play. There was no All-Star Game in 1945 because of World War II travel restrictions, and from 1959 through 1962, there were two All-Star games each year.

In other All-Star festivities, hometown Nationals’ favorite Bryce Harper out-slugged Cubs outfielder Kyle Schwarber to win the Home Run Derby on Monday night. On Sunday afternoon, the best of Minor League Baseball squared off in the All-Star Futures Game. The United States future stars downed the World Team, 10-6.

March 27, 2018

On Saturday, March 24, more than a million people around the world participated in March For Our Lives protests against gun violence, mass shootings, and school shootings in the United States. The U.S. protests centered on Washington, D.C., where people called on lawmakers to pass gun control legislation. The protests were planned and led by students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas (MSD) High School in the Miami, Florida, suburb of Parkland, where a mass shooting killed 17 students and faculty on February 14.

Hundreds of thousands of people crowd Washington, D.C., streets during the March For Our Lives protest against gun violence on March 24, 2018. Credit: © Nicole S. Glass, Shutterstock

MSD students and other gun crime survivors from across the country spoke to hundreds of thousands of people along Pennsylvania Avenue, with the White House and the U.S. Capitol looming in the background. The emotional speeches were punctuated with cheers, tears, and chants of “no more guns” and “no more NRA,” a reference to the powerful pro-gun group, the National Rifle Association. The NRA has been effective at persuading members of Congress to block the passage of gun control bills, arguing that such bills violate the Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. “Vote them out!” was another protesters’ chant aimed squarely at those NRA-influenced members of Congress. Many hand-painted signs carried among the crowds read “Graduations, not funerals,” “Protect kids not guns,” and “Am I next?”

Credit: © March For Our Lives

The most stirring moment came when 18-year old MSD student Emma González named her dead classmates and teachers and then paused in silence until she had used up 6 minutes and 20 seconds—the amount of time it took for the gunman to take 17 lives at her high school. Naomi Wadler, an 11-year-old speaker from Virginia, declared “Never again!” on behalf of black women and girl victims of gun violence. Never Again is the name of another student-led movement pushing for tighter gun regulations. Singers Miley Cyrus, Ariana Grande, Jennifer Hudson, and Lin-Manuel Miranda performed at the Washington rally, which was also attended and supported by thousands of parents and teachers as well as numerous Democratic politicians and entertainment celebrities.

“Sibling” March For Our Lives protests took place throughout the United States, with large events in such cities as Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York City. The nationwide rallies also encouraged voter registration, particularly for students about to turn 18 and vote for the fist time. Former president Barack Obama voiced his support for the protesters and the voting drive, saying “You’re leading us forward. Nothing can stand in the way of millions of voices calling for change.” Solidarity events also took place in such world cities as Berlin, London, Paris, Rome, Sydney, and Tokyo.

Saturday’s March For Our Lives followed a 17-minute school walkout (one minute for each MSD shooting victim) that took nearly a million U.S. high school students briefly out of classes on March 14. The massacre at MSD High School was the most recent in a long line of school shootings in the United States. The worst came at Sandy Hook Elementary in Connecticut in 2012, when 26 people were killed. Another national school walkout is planned for April 20 to commemorate the 1999 Columbine High School shooting in which 13 people died.

March 14, 2018

World Book’s celebration of Women’s History Month continues with a look at the National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA) in Washington, D.C. The museum, which opened in 1987, exhibits the work of women artists of all periods and nationalities. The NMWA collection of more than 4,500 works includes paintings by such celebrated artists as American Mary Cassatt and Mexico’s Frida Kahlo. The museum emphasizes, however, works by lesser-known women artists who have often gone overlooked by larger galleries. The NMWA occupies Washington’s old Masonic Temple, a building that dates from 1903 and appears on the National Register of Historic Places.

The National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C., is dedicated to celebrating women’s achievements in the literary, performing, and visual arts. Credit: U.S. Department of State

The NMWA is the only major museum in the world “solely dedicated to championing women through the arts.” It was founded by art collectors Wilhelmina Cole Holladay and her husband, Wallace Holladay. Inspired initially by a work by Flemish painter Clara Peeters (see below), the couple sought to collect and promote the works of women artists neglected by art museums as well as art history. After many years, the Holladay Collection became the core of the NMWA, which was incorporated in 1981. After giving private tours in the Holladay home, the NMWA purchased the Masonic Temple in 1983. After significant renovations, the museum opened there in 1987. The museum’s first exhibition was “American Women Artists, 1830-1930.”

Still Life of Fish and Cat by Flemish artist Clara Peeters caught the eye of collectors Wallace and Wilhelmina Holladay, and inspired them to create the National Museum of Women in the Arts. Credit: Still life with fish and cat (1620′s), oil on panel by Clara Peeters; National Museum of Women in the Arts

In addition to its permanent collections, the NMWA features temporary exhibitions each year. (Chinese-American artist Hung Liu is currently featured in “Hung Liu In Print,” an exhibition running through early July.) The museum also runs a public program highlighting the power of women in the arts as catalysts for artistic, political, and social change. The NMWA’s 17,500-volume Betty Boyd Dettre Library and Research Center serves as a leading resource on women artists as well as on gender disparity in the arts. The NWMA also publishes art history books and Women in the Arts magazine.

November 1, 2017

One hundred and twenty years ago today, on Nov. 1, 1897, the new Library of Congress opened its doors to the public for the first time. Previously, the library had been in the Congressional Reading Room of the United States Capitol. Two other buildings have since been added to the library complex, which stands near the Capitol in Washington, D.C.

The Library of Congress, located in Washington, D.C., provides research and reference assistance to the members of the United States Congress. This picture shows the Main Reading Room of the library. The Library of Congress also serves as the national library of the United States. Credit: © Sean Pavone, Shutterstock

The Library of Congress is one of the largest and most valuable research libraries in the world. It has about 160 million items in its collections, including about 40 million books, pamphlets, and other printed materials in 470 languages. There are about 125 million items in the special collections, including charts, engravings, manuscripts, maps, motion pictures, photographs, and recordings. In addition, the Library of Congress has digitized millions of items which can be seen on a website hosted by the library, American Memory. The vast collection of online materials includes millions of books, documents, sound recordings, still and moving images, and maps. The Library of Congress is a partner in UNESCO’s World Digital Library project, to which many of the world’s national libraries are contributing digitized material from their collections.

Congress established the library in 1800. In 1815, it purchased the private library of Thomas Jefferson, which had about 6,000 books. The Library of Congress continued to grow, although several fires—the most serious in 1851—damaged the collections. In 1897, the library moved to a new gray sandstone building east of the Capitol because it was too large to be kept in the Capitol. In 1938, an annex of white Georgia marble was built on an adjoining site. In 1980, the James Madison Memorial Building, the largest library building in the world, was constructed. At that time, the 1897 structure was renamed the Thomas Jefferson Building, and the 1938 annex was renamed the John Adams Building. Together, the three library buildings have about 71 acres (29 hectares) of floor space.

April 21, 2017

Tomorrow, on Saturday, April 22, thousands of scientists, teachers, researchers, and science advocates will take part in an unprecedented experiment of public protest to demonstrate the importance of science in society. The first ever March for Science will take place in Washington, D.C., and other cities across the United States. The march was organized to coincide with Earth Day, an annual observance to increase public awareness of environmental issues. The march is the result of a grass-roots campaign by scholars and scientists hoping to preserve and continue environmental and scientific research. President Donald Trump has strongly criticized such research; expressed doubts about, or rejected, the validity of its conclusions; and questioned its value to society.

The Women’s March in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 21, 2017, inspired a similar March for Science on Earth Day, April 22. 2017. Credit: Mark Dixon (licensed under CC BY 2.0)

The March for Science was inspired by the massive turnout of the Jan. 21, 2017, Women’s March, when millions of people in cities throughout the United States and the rest of the world protested the controversial policies and comments of the newly inaugurated President Trump. The idea of a March for Science began on social media as a suggestion for a science-based protest, but the scope quickly grew as the supporting Facebook page gained hundreds of thousands of followers. The event’s honorary cochairs are American science educator and activist Bill Nye and Mona Hanna-Attisha, a pediatrician who first discovered that high levels of lead in drinking water were poisoning children in Flint, Michigan.

American science educator Bill Nye, known for his educational television show “Bill Nye the Science Guy,” is an honorary cochair of the March for Science. Credit: © AP Photo

The March for Science represents an unusually vocal response from the otherwise temperate community of academic scientists and researchers. But many scientists who work in federal agencies or have their work funded by the government have recently expressed concern that their work is being ignored or threatened by the Trump administration. Scholars point to a strong antiscience stance by Trump-appointed officials at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Trump administration’s dismissal of scientific findings on climate change by government-funded scientists, and Trump’s proposed federal budget that would eliminate funding for many science programs ranging from basic cancer research, oceanography, and Earth-monitoring programs at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

The main March on Science will take place tomorrow in Washington, D.C., and satellite marches are planned for hundreds of cities across the United States. Large satellite marches are expected in such cities as Boston, Chicago, Houston, New York, and San Francisco, which are important hubs for computer, medical, technology, oil and gas, and alternative energy industries. These industries make up a large and fast-growing component of the U.S. economy, yet they depend on a scientifically literate and highly educated work force. Many researchers feel that science is becoming less important in the public sphere, when it is actually more important than ever in order to help prevent and solve global problems. In addition to the protests, the marches will feature programs of speakers to communicate the importance of science in the everyday lives of all people.

January 20, 2017

Today, the United States observes one of its most fundamental traditions—the peaceful transition of power—at the inauguration of its 45th president at 12 noon Eastern Standard Time in Washington, D.C. At the West Front of the U.S. Capitol—facing the National Mall—Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts will administer the presidential oath of office to Donald Trump.

Vice president-elect Mike Pence, right, watches as President-elect Donald Trump speaks during an election night rally on Nov. 9, 2016, in New York City. Credit: © Evan Vucci, AP Photo

Observers can expect to witness Trump, with his right hand raised and his left hand on the Bible, declare: “I, Donald Trump, do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

The Bible to be used in the ceremony is one of both spiritual and historic significance: it was the same Bible used to swear in both Presidents Abraham Lincoln in 1861 and Barack Obama in 2009. Trump also plans to have a cherished family Bible on hand, one given to him by his mother upon finishing primary school in 1955. Following the swearing-in, Trump is scheduled to deliver his inaugural address.

The peaceful transition of power this year is expected to be a little noisier than usual, however, as many thousands of protesters plan to demonstrate against the incoming administration. Among numerous protest events, the largest is expected to be the “Women’s March on Washington” scheduled for Saturday, January 21. Counter-protests backing Trump are expected as well, which will only add to the noise.