The United States has 63 national parks, which are Congressionally-designated protected areas operated by the National Park Service, an agency of the Department of the Interior.[1] National parks are designated for their natural beauty, unique geological features, diverse ecosystems, and recreational opportunities. While legislatively all units of the National Park System are considered equal with the same mission, national parks are generally larger and more of a destination, and hunting and extractive activities are prohibited.[2] National monuments, on the other hand, are also frequently protected for their historical or archaeological significance. Eight national parks (including six in Alaska) are paired with a national preserve, areas with different levels of protection that are administered together but considered separate units and whose areas are not included in the figures below. The 423 units of the National Park System can be broadly referred to as national parks, but most have other formal designations.[3]

A bill creating the first national park, Yellowstone, was signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant in 1872, followed by Mackinac National Park in 1875 (decommissioned in 1895), and then Rock Creek Park (later merged into National Capital Parks), Sequoia and Yosemite in 1890. The Organic Act of 1916 created the National Park Service "to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and wildlife therein, and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations."[4] Many current national parks had been previously protected as national monuments by the president under the Antiquities Act or as other designations created by Congress before being redesignated by Congress; the newest national park is New River Gorge, previously a National River, and the most recent entirely new park is National Park of American Samoa. A few former national parks are no longer designated as such, or have been disbanded. Fourteen national parks are designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites (WHS),[5] and 21 national parks are named UNESCO Biosphere Reserves (BR),[6] with eight national parks in both programs.

Thirty states have national parks, as do the territories of American Samoa and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The state with the most national parks is California with nine, followed by Alaska with eight, Utah with five, and Colorado with four. The largest national park is Wrangell–St. Elias in Alaska: at over 8 million acres (32,375 km2), it is larger than each of the nine smallest states. The next three largest parks are also in Alaska. The smallest park is Gateway Arch National Park, Missouri, at 192.83 acres (0.7804 km2). The total area protected by national parks is approximately 52.2 million acres (211,000 km2), for an average of 829 thousand acres (3,350 km2) but a median of only 208 thousand acres (840 km2).[7]

The national parks set a visitation record in 2017, with more than 84 million visitors and set a further record in 2018 with a 0.1% increase.[8][9] Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina and Tennessee has been the most-visited park since 1944,[10] and had over 14 million visitors in 2021.[11] In contrast, only about 7,000 people visited the remote Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve in Alaska in 2021.

Cottage-style homes are often quaint and cozy — emphasizing charm and comfort over ornamentation. Cottage houses come in a variety of styles and can mimic bungalows, Tudor house styles, and more.

Look for these designs to identify a cottage:

• Asymmetrical exterior
• Typically one to one-and-a-half stories
• Traditional aesthetics that aren’t too rustic
• Open floor plans with wide halls and doorways

A cottage house style is extremely versatile, and its small size makes it great for small families or guest houses.

A college endowment refers to all the money that an institution receives in donations. However, endowment funds are not ‘no-questions-asked’ cash boosts for the college. Instead, endowments are tightly controlled investments that are supposed to be grown so that the interest can be used to upgrade facilities, hire new staff, provide scholarships or aid the college or its students in some way.

Over the past three decades, the total market value of the 20 largest college endowments has grown nearly tenfold — from $30.6 billion to $302.1 billion. As the size of college endowments has increased, so too has the debate over their purpose, management and ethical obligations.

To get a better idea of how college endowments have changed over the last 30 years, DegreeQuery looked at the market value of the 20 largest U.S. college endowments from 1990 to 2020.

30 Years of U.S. college endowments

Based on the most recent NACUBO survey of 810 universities, the total market value of endowments in 2018 was $624.3 billion. 48.3% of that is held by just 20 colleges. But why the huge growth in market value over the past 30 years? It might be something to do with how much of the endowment the university chooses to spend on operations or the return rates of the endowment’s investment portfolio. Due to their often wealthy donor base and long-term investment horizons, the largest university endowments can invest in a diverse array of asset classes, and often grow faster than the economy as a whole.

From 1990 to 2020, the market value of the 20 largest college endowments grew at an average annual rate of 8.5% — faster than the 6.6% average annual growth rate for the Fortune 500 over the same period. The universities with the fastest growth over the past 30 years include the University of Michigan, Duke University and the University of Notre Dame. Meanwhile, the endowments with the slowest growth include Emory University, Rice University and Washington University in St. Louis.

1. U.S. college endowments in the 1990s

From 1990 to 1999, the market value of the 20 largest U.S. college endowments grew at an average annual rate of 12.5% — the fastest of the last three decades. As you can see from our graph, over this period, the University of Michigan endowment rose from the 20th largest to the 17th largest, and the University of Pennsylvania rose from the 16th largest to the 12th largest. Meanwhile, the Columbia University endowment fell from the sixth-largest to the 11th largest. Although the University of Texas System endowment had the slowest growth of the 20 largest endowments over this period, it remained the second-largest endowment overall.

2. U.S. college endowments in the 2000s

Endowment growth is closely connected with the overall health of the economy. As of 2018, just 4% of endowment assets were held as cash, the rest invested in equities, fixed income instruments and alternative investment vehicles. In the lead up to the 2008 financial crisis — university endowments had increasingly invested in high-risk, illiquid investments like private equity, real estate and hedge funds. As a result, endowments lost tens of billions of dollars in value, with some schools losing more than 25% of their total endowment value. From 2008 to 2009, the total value of the 20 largest endowments fell 3.4%. Yale posted the largest percentage decline, losing 28.6% of its market value. Other university endowments that posted big losses from the recession include Harvard, Duke and Stanford.

3. U.S. college endowments in the 2010s

Endowment growth rates rebounded in the wake of the Great Recession, although growth was still slow compared to the 1990s. From 2010 to 2018, the market value of the 20 largest endowments grew at an average annual rate of 7.6%. This is more than the 3.5% average annual growth rate for 2000 to 2009, yet less than the 12.5% rate for 1990 to 1999. During this period, the biggest winners were the University of Pennsylvania, rising from 11th to 7th largest, and the Texas A&M University System, which rose from 10th to 8th largest. Lackluster performance at some of the wealthiest schools has prompted some universities to make major changes to their endowment management. In 2017, for example, Harvard announced it would lay off roughly half of its 230-person staff in the wake of poor investment performance.

As you can see, university endowments were big business over the past 30 years. Nowadays, students, policymakers and the general public are increasingly involved in the conversation surrounding their management, mission and societal impact. For example, the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which imposed a 1.4% tax on the net investment income of the wealthiest endowments, recently sparked a wave of criticism from university administrators. Elsewhere on campus, protesting students demanded their universities divest from fossil fuel companies.

As the debate rages on and endowments continue to grow, these visualizations help us see how we got to this point.

Methodology

To get a better idea of how college endowments have changed over the last 30 years, DegreeQuery looked at the market value of the 20 largest U.S. college endowments from 1990 to 2018. Data on endowment asset value by university came from the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) and is unadjusted for inflation. In years when certain universities did not participate in the NACUBO survey, we estimated the endowment value based on the compound annual growth rate for all available years. Estimated figures include the market value of the endowment assets for the Texas A&M University System for 1990, as well as the market value of the endowment assets for the University of California system for the years 1990 through 1992.

SOURCES
Fortune 500. (n.d.) Fortune 500 2018. fortune.com
NACUBO. (2019). Detailed Asset Allocations for U.S. College and University Endowments and Affiliated Foundations, FY18. nacubo.org
Miller, C. & Fabrikant, G. (2008). Universities retrench as endowments suffer from financial crisis. nytimes.com
Humphreys, J. et al. (2010). Educational Endowments and the Financial Crisis: Social Costs and Systemic Risks in the Shadow Banking System. tellus.org
Plender, J. (2014). There is a history lesson to be learnt from Yale endowment. ft.com
Fabrikant, G. (2017). Harvard Makes Changes in Managing a Lagging Endowment. nytimes.com
Tax Policy Center. (n.d.). What is the tax treatment of college and university endowments? taxpolicycenter.org

A French Country home has a rustic yet upscale charm. French Country architecture is designed after French chateaus and became popular with American soldiers returning from World War I.

French Country homes offer a unique house style featuring:

• Steep pitched or hipped roofs
• Tall ceilings and windows
• Traditional materials including clay, stone, and brick offer a rustic appeal
• Exposed wooden beams in ceilings and walls

French Country homes are designed with their environment in mind. They often feature neutral colors with soft, nature-inspired pops of color like sunshine yellows and grass greens.

Most Dutch Colonial homes you find today are actually from the Colonial Revival period of the early 20th Century. Original Dutch Colonial homes feature flared roof eaves and creative wood and brickwork. They are much more ornamental than classic Colonial homes, though the Dutch Colonial Revival style tends to be more subdued than the original Dutch Colonial homes.

Dutch Colonial Revival houses feature:

• Broad gambrel roofs that are visually similar to barn-style roofs
• Open-floor plans
• Flared roof eaves
• Split doors

The large barn-style roofs are the most identifiable feature of a Dutch Colonial home and even became known as “Dutch roofs.”

The Pueblo Revival was inspired by the indigenous Pueblo people’s architecture in the Southwestern US. Pueblo homes were made of adobe or stucco and designed to handle the extreme temperatures of the desert.

Architects in California began to explore the Pueblo style in the late 19th century and the Pueblo Revival style spread across New Mexico, Arizona, and Colorado.

The Pueblo Revival hit its peak in the 1930s in Santa Fe, and these Pueblo-style elements are still popular in the Southwest:

• Rounded corners and irregular shapes
• Earth tones that reflect the desert colors
• Stepped effects with higher floors becoming smaller
• Flat roofs with parapet trim
• Exposed roof beams extending past the walls

The Pueblo Revival style is also commonly called Adobe or Santa Fe style architecture.

There was a renewed interest in handcrafted art and design following the industrial revolution. This became the “Arts and Crafts” era and paved the way for the Craftsman home, or “arts and crafts” home.

Craftsman homes focus on simplicity to counter the ornate stylings of Victorian homes. They’re also designed to highlight the craftsmanship of its builders and include:

• A low-pitched roof with overhanging eaves
• A covered porch
• Woodwork including exposed beams and built-in features like shelving
• Natural tones to complement the warmth from woodworking

Craftsman homes are favored for their character and are another versatile style that may borrow common elements from other home styles.

American popular music has had a profound effect on music across the world. The country has seen the rise of popular styles that have had a significant influence on global culture, including ragtime, blues, jazz, swing, rock, bluegrass, country, R&B, doo wop, gospel, soul, funk, punk, disco, house, techno, salsa, grunge and hip hop. In addition, the American music industry is quite diverse, supporting a number of regional styles such as zydeco, klezmer and slack-key.

Distinctive styles of American popular music emerged early in the 19th century, and in the 20th century the American music industry developed a series of new forms of music, using elements of blues and other genres of American folk music. These popular styles included country, R&B, jazz and rock. The 1960s and 1970s saw a number of important changes in American popular music, including the development of a number of new styles, such as heavy metal, punk, soul, and hip hop. Though these styles were not in the sense of mainstream, they were commercially recorded and are thus examples of popular music as opposed to folk or classical music.

Despite the car initially being built in 1885 in Germany, American manufacturers completely dominated the automotive industry of the mid-twentieth century. Applaud be to Henry Ford, who established the first conveyor assembly line for his Model T on December 1, 1913. This creation reduced the production time of one vehicle from 12 hours to an hour and 33 minutes, making it a lot cheaper. Ford’s goal was to make automobiles accessible to everyone, and he achieved it. Nowadays, around 91% of American households own at least one car. 

Suburbanization

Before vehicles became widely available, people who lived in the city worked in the city, while most of those who settled in the country were farmers. Now that it was possible to travel vast distances in a short amount of time, the thought of dwelling away from the bustling downtown while still being able to work there looked tempting. After World War II, many soldiers received an opportunity to live on their property in a single-family home, resulting in a baby boom and a surge in demand for tract houses. Seventy-seven million children had been born by the end of 1964. At that time, the suburbs were booming, with over a third of the population residing there. 

The American Road Trip

Cars turned into a symbol of personal freedom and independence, allowing us to travel throughout the nation at will. For many families, the famous American road trip is a ritual. The destination itself, often overlooked, holds little value, as that feeling of liberty and the ability to travel to any desired location in the country alongside your family and friends is what brings immense joy. The complex infrastructure designed around your car makes this activity even better.

New Business Categories

Many new businesses started along with the development of automobiles. Getting hungry in the middle of the trip stopped being a problem. Just hit the local drive-in or drive-thru where carhops, sometimes on roller skates, will take care of the food orders, letting you stay inside the car. After everyone is full and satisfied, the desire to watch a good movie kicks in. So, our next destination is the drive-in theater. This gigantic outdoor screen with a parking area next to it was popular in the 1950s, romanticized by TV series such as Happy Days, American Graffiti, and Grease. Once again, there was no need to leave the vehicle unless you wanted to get some snacks from the concession stand. On the way home, let’s stop at a mall for some shopping. It is convenient to have many different stores gathered for us in one place. However, the distance from the downtown is reasonable. That is why we have cars; otherwise, such shopping centers wouldn’t exist. 

Hot Rodding, Drag Racing, and NASCAR

Coming back home from a heartwarming, peaceful family trip, it feels like there is a need for something more out of your car. What if it could go faster? Solely add an enormous engine and get a fancy paint job, turning it into a hot rod. Hot rodding and drag racing are motorsports that gained popularity in the 1950s and remain relevant. Another is NASCAR, where racers compete on slightly tilted speedways using stock cars. It is, by the way, the second most spectated sport in the USA behind the NFL (National Football League).

We could write a book on the tremendous impact cars made on American culture and society. However, a piece of paper could never fully convey all the experiences, as every automobile becomes unique in our hands. At Tempus Logix, we offer auto transportation across the nation, no matter if it is a hot rod, a family van, or a tractor: so that your motor vehicle can always stay by your side. (Quelle:tempuslogix.com)

The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the National Academy of Medicine (NAM).

As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research. Election to the National Academy is one of the highest honors in the scientific field. Members of the National Academy of Sciences serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation" on science, engineering, and medicine. The group holds a congressional charter under Title 36 of the United States Code.

Founded in 1863 as a result of an Act of Congress that was approved by Abraham Lincoln, the NAS is charged with "providing independent, objective advice to the nation on matters related to science and technology. … to provide scientific advice to the government 'whenever called upon' by any government department."[2]

The Academy receives no compensation from the government for its services.[3]

The Academy currently has 2,984 members and international members. Existing members elect new members for life. Up to 120 members are elected every year; up to 30 foreign citizens may be elected as international members annually. The election process begins with a formal nomination, followed by a vetting period, and culminates in a final ballot at the Academy's annual meeting in April each year. Members are affiliated with a section -- a specific scientific field -- in one of six so-called "classes": (1) Physical and Mathematical Sciences; (2) Biological Sciences; (3) Engineering and Applied Sciences; (4) Biomedical Sciences; (5) Behavioral and Social Sciences; and (6) Applied Biological, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences.[6] Since its founding, the Academy has elected 6,457 members. Harvard University is associated with the most members (329), some 5% of the all-time total. The top ten institutions, half of which are Ivy League universities, account for nearly 28% of all members ever elected.[11]

Mediterranean home styles are made of stucco, so they’re most common in warm climate states like Arizona and California. These homes grew in popularity in the 1920s and ‘30s after being featured as homes for the rich and famous on the silver screen.

Mediterranean-style homes include Spanish and Italian architectural elements. These key features make them easy to spot:

• Stucco walls painted white or brown
• Classic red tile roofs
• Arched doorways and windows
• Ornamentation including wrought iron, heavy doors, and decorative tiles

Mediterranean homes still carry the feelings of class and luxury they were built with over 100 years ago, with an added element of history and charm.