Naomi,
Thanks for the car picture. A friend of mine and I are always very interested in unusual vehicles. It’s amazing at times what’s out there in the world.
I don’t have any unusual tidbit facts yet except for maybe a West Virginian hot dog. I’d never seen it before until I moved to West Virginia in Jr. High, but West Virginians put cole slaw on their chili dogs. It’s actually quite delicious.
Since I once worked at the Pentagon, here are some interesting facts about the building:
The Pentagon was conceived at the request of Brigadier General Brehon B. Sommervell, Chief of the Construction Division of the Office of the Quartermaster General, on a weekend in mid-July 1941. The purpose was to provide a temporary solution to the War Department’s critical shortage of space. The groundbreaking ceremony took place on September 11, 1941. The building was dedicated on January 15, 1943, nearly 16 months to the day after the groundbreaking.
Prime contract awarded 11 August 1941
Mechanical engineering contract awarded 3 September 1941
Construction began 11 September 1941
Grading contract awarded 24 September 1941
First occupants move in 29 April 1942
Construction completed 15 January 1943
Total Land Area (acres) 583
Government Owned (acres) 296
Purchased or condemned (acres) 287
Cost $2,245,000
Area covered by Pentagon bldg (acres) 29
Area of center court (acres) 5
Area of heating and refrigeration plant (acres) 1
Area of sewage structures (acres) 1
Access highways built (miles) 30
Overpasses and bridges built 21
Parking space (acres) 67
Capacity (vehicles) 8,770
Cost of building $49,600,000
Total cost of project (including outside facilities) $83,000,000
Gross floor area (sq. ft.) 6,636,360
Net space for offices, concessions and storage (sq. ft.) 3,705,793
Cubic contents (cu. ft.) 77,015,000
Length of each outer wall (ft.) 921
Height of building (ft.) 77’ 3.5"
Number of floors, plus mezzanine and basement 5
Total length of corridors (miles) 17.5
At the Time of Construction Number of:
Stairways 131
Escalators 19
Elevators 13
Fire hose cabinets 672
Rest Rooms 284
Fixtures 4,900
Drinking fountains 691
Electric clock outlets 7,000
Clocks installed 4,200
Light fixtures 16,250
Lamp replacements (daily) 250
External Windows 7,754
Glass area (equals 7.1 acres)(sq. ft.) 309,276