The Pentagon 75 Years: The Building. The People. The Institution. 1943 - 2018

U.S. MARINE CORPS PHOTO BY LANCE CPL. SHANNON DOHERTY

PENTAGON75YEARS

146

The Pentagon 75 Years: The Building. The People. The Institution. 1943 - 2018

Published on Jan 3, 2019

About

The Pentagon – the most iconic, recognized military building in the world – will celebrate its 75th anniversary in 2018. Ground was broken on September 11, 1941, and with the outbreak of war on December 7, 1941, construction rapidly accelerated. In a feat of American engineering and construction prowess, the building was completed in only 17 months, and was dedicated on January 15, 1943. All of this took place while the United States was fully engaged in World War II. The Pentagon is regarded as a national monument: when constructed it was seen as a modern engineering wonder – and still is. It is difficult to find a similar structure of such magnitude and functionality in the world built for such a purpose and on such a short timescale. The Pentagon’s influential standing stems from its position as headquarters of America’s military institutions; the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the four armed services. We invite you to learn more in this Faircount release.