…(1732–99), American general and statesman, 1st President of the US 1789–97. Washington helped win the War of Independence by keeping his army together through the winter at Valley Forge and winning a decisive battle at Yorktown (1781). He chaired the convention at Philadelphia (1787) that drew up the American Constitution and subsequently served two terms as President, following a policy of neutrality in international affairs…
…(circa 1864–1943), US botanist. Born into slavery, he became the director of agricultural research at Alabama’s Tuskegee Institute in 1896 and developed many products from soybeans, sweet potatoes, and peanuts…
…(1858–1928), US army officer and engineer. As chief engineer and chairman of the Panama Canal Commission 1907, he oversaw construction of the Panama Canal, which was completed in 1914, and then served as the Canal Zone’s governor 1914–17…
