Warwickshire \'war-ik-,shir\ Administrative (pop., 2001: 505,885) and historic county, central England. As an administrative and geographic unit, the county dates from the 10th century, with the historic county town of Warwick lying roughly at its centre. In Saxon times Warwickshire
formed a border zone between the kingdoms of Wessex and Mercia. Dur¬ ing the Middle Ages two major centres grew up in the county, at Warwick and Kenilworth. Historical structures surviving in the area include Nor¬ man and early English churches, along with buildings at Stratford-upon- Avon associated with William Shakespeare. The Battle of Edgehill (1642), the first serious clash of the English Civil Wars, was fought in Warwick¬ shire near the Oxfordshire border. Farming, dairy farming, fruit growing, market gardening, and coal mining are important economic activities.
Wasatch \'w6-,sach\ Mountains Range of the south-central Rocky Mountains. They extend about 250 mi (400 km) from southeastern Idaho to central Utah, U.S. The highest peak is Mount Timpanogos (12,008 ft [3,660 m]). The Timpanogos Cave National Monument is within the range.
Washington State (pop., 2000: 5,894,121), northwestern U.S. Wash¬ ington is bounded by the Canadian province of British Columbia to the north, Idaho to the east, Oregon to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It covers an area of 68,139 sq mi (176,479 sq km); its capital is Olympia. The state contains the Cascade Range, which includes Mount Rainier and Mount Saint Helens, and the Olympic Mountains. The Strait of Juan de Fuca and Puget Sound extend inland into the state from the Pacific Ocean. Cape Alva, the most westerly point of the coterminous U.S., is in Washington, as is the Columbia River. The area was inhabited by Pacific Coast Indians, including the Chinook and Nez Perce, when the region was visited by Spanish, Russian, British, and French explorers (1543-1792). Claimed by the Spanish and British, it was crossed by the Lewis and Clark Expedition in 1805. Spain surrendered to the U.S. its territories north of California in 1819. Until the 1840s, international agreement permitted citizens of both the U.S. and Britain to settle in what was known as Oregon Country. An 1846 treaty with Great Britain set the present Washington- Canada boundary; the Oregon Country was added to the U.S. and renamed the Territory of Oregon in 1848. Washington received territorial status in 1853 and was reduced to its present size in 1863. It was admitted to the Union as the 42nd state in 1889. In the late 1890s it was the main stag¬ ing point for gold miners going to the Alaskan and Yukon strikes. The greatest stimulus to its 20th-century progress came with the development of hydroelectric power and the work on the Bonneville and Grand Cou¬ lee dams. Its important manufactures include aircraft building and ship¬ building. Expanding trade with Pacific Rim countries, high technology, and tourism add to the economy.
Washington, Booker T(aliaferro) (b. April 5, 1856, Franklin county, Va., U.S.—d. Nov. 14, 1915, Tuskegee, Ala.) U.S. educator and reformer. Born into slavery, he moved with his family to West Virginia after emancipation. He worked from age nine, then attended (1872-75) and joined the staff of the Hampton (Va.) Normal and Agricultural Insti¬ tute. In 1881 he was selected to head the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute, a new teacher-training school for African Americans, and he successfully transformed it into a thriving institution (later Tuskegee Uni¬ versity). He became perhaps the most prominent African American leader of his time. His controversial conviction that African Americans could best gain equality in the U.S. by improving their economic situation through education rather than by demanding equal rights was termed the Atlanta Compromise. His books include Up from Slavery (1901).
Washington, D.C. City (pop., 2000: 572,059), capital of the U.S. It is coextensive with the District of Columbia. Situated at the navigational head of the Potomac River, between Maryland and Virginia, it has an area of 69 sq mi (179 sq km). The site was chosen by George Washington in 1790 as a political compromise that satisfied both Northern and Southern states. Designed by Pierre-Charles V Enfant, it is one of the few cities in the world planned expressly as a national capital. The federal government occupied it in 1800. British troops burned the city (1814) during the War of 1812. With the annexation of Georgetown in 1878, the city became coterminous with the District of Columbia. Significant buildings include the Capitol, White House, and Library of Congress. The Washington Monu¬ ment, Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, and Vietnam Veterans Memo¬ rial are among the most famous of the city’s more than 300 memorials and statues. The Smithsonian Institution is in Washington, as are numer¬ ous other cultural and educational institutions and foreign embassies. The economy is based on national and international political activities, scien¬ tific research, and tourism.
Washington, Denzel (b. Dec. 28, 1954, Mount Vernon, N.Y., U.S.) U.S. film actor. A graduate of Fordham University, he began his career as a stage actor. Featured in the television series St. Elsewhere (1982-88),
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he also appeared in movies from 1981 and won acclaim for his roles in Cry Freedom (1987), Glory (1989, Academy Award), and Mississippi Masala (1991). Praised for his portrayal of the title character in Spike Lee’s Malcolm X (1992), he became one of the most popular leading men of the 1990s in films such as Philadelphia (1993), Devil in a Blue Dress (1995), and He Got Game (1998). For his performance in Training Day (2001), Washington became only the second African American to win an Oscar for best actor. In 2002 he made his directorial debut with Antwone Fisher.
Washington, Dinah orig. Ruth Lee Jones (b. Aug. 29, 1924, Tus¬ caloosa, Ala., U.S.—d. Dec. 14, 1963, Detroit, Mich.) U.S. singer. Wash¬ ington sang in church choirs as a child. She joined Lionel Hampton’s band in 1943, embarking on a solo career in 1946. Her recordings encompassed a wide variety of idioms including rhythm and blues, jazz, and country music; her “What a Difference a Day Makes” (1959) was a pop hit. Known as “Queen of the Blues,” she combined precise diction and intonation with an alternately gentle and brassy vocal timbre, and her voice was remark¬ able for its clarity and projection. She had remarkable vocal control. Even after she crossed over to the popular (pop) music market, in which she had her greatest commercial success, Washington retained many of her earlier fans because of her passionate, supple style.
Washington, George (b. Feb. 22, 1732, Westmoreland county, Va.—d. Dec. 14, 1799, Mount Vernon, Va., U.S.) American Revolution¬ ary commander-in-chief (1775-83) and first president of the U.S. (1789— 97). Born into a wealthy family, he was educated privately. In 1752 he inherited his brother’s estate at Mount Vernon, including 18 slaves; their ranks grew to 49 by 1760, though he disapproved of slavery. In the French and Indian War he was commissioned a colonel and sent to the Ohio Ter¬ ritory. After Edward Braddock was killed, Washington became commander of all Virginia forces, entrusted with defending the western frontier (1755- 58). He resigned to manage his estate and in 1759 married Martha Dan- dridge Custis (1731-1802), a widow. He served in the House of Burgesses (1759-74), where he supported the colonists’ cause, and later in the Con¬ tinental Congress (1774-75). In 1775 he was elected to command the Continental Army. In the ensuing American Revolution, he proved a bril¬ liant commander and a stalwart leader, despite several defeats. With the war effectively ended by the capture of Yorktown (1781), he resigned his commission and returned to Mount Vernon (1783). He was a delegate to and presiding officer of the Constitutional Convention (1787) and helped secure ratification of the Constitution in Virginia. When the state electors met to select the first president (1789), Washington was the unanimous choice. He formed a cabinet to balance sectional and political differences but was committed to a strong central government. Elected to a second term, he followed a middle course between the political factions that later became the Federalist Party and the Democratic Party. He proclaimed a policy of neutrality in the war between Britain and France (1793) and sent troops to suppress the Whiskey Rebellion (1794). He declined to serve a third term (thereby setting a 144-year precedent) and retired in 1797 after delivering his “Farewell Address.” Known as the “father of his coun¬ try,” he is universally regarded as one of the greatest figures in U.S. his¬ tory.