Interesting facts about the Pentagon. The Pentagon: the most mysterious building on earth K pop group pentagon

The US Department of Defense, located in Virginia in a building called the Pentagon, coordinates all the country's facilities related to defense against external threats and national security. The annual official budget that the American government spends on combat operations, maintaining the army and other expenses associated with this department exceeds $650 million. The Pentagon's unofficial budget is more than one trillion US dollars.

This is a complex system that regulates military chain of command, the relationship between various branches of the military, and has a large number of units.

The Pentagon is the headquarters of the US Department of Defense

The famous Pentagon is the largest office building in the world, where more than 25 thousand people work simultaneously. It has the shape of a regular pentagon, and the word “pentagon” itself is translated from Greek as “pentagon”. The length of each side of this structure is more than 280 meters.

Construction of the building that later housed the Ministry began in 1941, under the direction of architect George Bergstrom. The unusual shape of the Pentagon was dictated by the layout of transport arteries in the area. The fact is that at the site of the future construction, five roads converged into a large intersection, forming an almost perfect pentagon. In order not to change urban transport communications, this particular form was chosen for a large-scale architectural structure. True, some time later, the President personally decided to move the construction a little lower along the Potomac so as not to spoil the view of the American capital, but the architectural project remained unchanged.

The total area of ​​the building's interior is more than 600,000 square meters, and the total length of the building's corridors is almost 30 kilometers. The Pentagon is equipped with a helipad, a hall for ceremonies, and a metro station opens to it. According to official data, the US Department of Defense has 7 floors, 2 of which are underground.

Interesting fact about the Pentagon: the number of toilets with which the Pentagon is equipped is twice the required sanitary standards. When construction was completed in 1943, it was discovered that the architects had taken care to separate restrooms for white employees and African-American employees. But by order of Franklin Roosevelt, the “for whites” and “for coloreds” signs on the Pentagon grounds were abolished.

History of the creation of the US Department of Defense

The need to create a single department that would take over the management of army, navy, defense and national security issues became obvious to the American government after the end of World War II, in 1945. It was then that Harry Truman first introduced a proposal to Congress to create such a ministry. This proposal, however, did not receive unequivocal support, since the army and navy did not see any prospects in the idea of ​​​​concentrating the leadership of all armed forces in one department. The law establishing the Ministry of Defense was passed only in 1947.

The ministry united several departments created in the 18th century and outdated. The first Secretary of Defense was James Forrestal, the former head of the Navy Department.

Interesting fact: the US Department of Defense was originally called the National Military Establishment, but was soon renamed due to the fact that the acronym NME, pronounced out loud, sounds exactly like the English word “enemy”, which means “enemy, enemy".

Structure and divisions of the US Department of Defense

This one of the largest government institutions in the country today combines the following divisions:

• Ground Forces (US Army);
• Navy;
• Aviation and airborne troops;
• Intelligence structures and special forces (MTR);
• The Coast Guard Service also falls under the jurisdiction of the Ministry.

Structure of the US Department of Defense

The current structure of the Department of Defense was determined in 1986 by a special law on the highest ranks of the American army. According to this law, the main command belongs to the President of the United States, the step below is the Secretary of Defense. Next come the commanders of military units in different regions of the country. At the same time, the Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff has the status of an adviser to the President on military issues.

The Office of the Secretary of Defense consists of 4 divisions: the Defense Advisory Committee, the Office of Military Assessments, the Office of Oversight, and the Investigative Committee.

The directorates of the three branches of the military form the Main Directorate of the Armed Forces.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff includes the directorates of transport troops, as well as strategic and special forces. The Joint Forces Operations Division consists of the heads of US military headquarters in different regions of the world. The Department of Defense also includes the Intelligence Directorate, functional and technical services, including the Pentagon Security Service.

The press service, personnel department, commission for prisoners of war, and the department of medical institutions are among the Auxiliary Services.

The development of Internet technologies and mass communications also influenced the structure of the Ministry of Defense. In 2003, the national communications system came under his jurisdiction. In 2009, the Pentagon created a department known as the US Cyber ​​Command. This relatively new unit serves on the fronts of the information war, repels hacker attacks, and is responsible for the safety of military networks and Internet resources. The creation of this military unit provoked the active introduction of similar units in other countries of the world. Cyber ​​troops have already been created in South Korea, China and Russia.

The Department of Defense's highest award (which can be earned during peacetime) is the Distinguished Service Medal. As a rule, it is awarded only to representatives of the highest military ranks; it is awarded personally by the US Secretary of Defense. In the compositional center of the award is a blue pentagon, symbolizing simultaneously the five branches of the US Army, and the Pentagon building. On top of it is an eagle with three arrows clutched in its paws, and the composition is crowned with an arc of 13 stars, symbolizing the 13 first American states that defended American independence.

Interesting fact: The first US Secretary of Defense, James Forrestal, was a man endlessly devoted to military service, but suffering from an unhealthy workaholism, from which members of his family often suffered. As he entered into the most responsible position of his career, his two sons were one day forced to fly alone, unaccompanied, from England to America. The boys missed their connecting flight in Paris, and when they called their father, they were severely reprimanded for disturbing him during work hours and ordered to resolve the situation themselves. The boys were 6 and 8 years old.

The mention of the US military and Department of Defense always evokes thoughts about the combat power of this country. And the main symbol of America's entire military complex is the Pentagon.

This building, recognizable all over the world, is located very close to the capital - the city of Washington. Officially, the building belongs to Arlington County in the state, but the District of Columbia (where the capital of the country is located) is visible from the building with the naked eye, and to get there you just need to cross the Potomac River.

History of the building

The Pentagon is a unique building not only for the United States, but for the whole world. According to researchers, this building is the largest of its kind (in the class of office buildings).

The area of ​​the structure is more than 600 thousand m2, the total length of all passages is 28 kilometers. The perimeter of the building is 1400 meters, despite the fact that it has the shape of a regular pentagon (each side is exactly 281 meters long).

The architects did their best when creating the project, so that now employees can get to any place in the building in no more than 7 minutes. This is facilitated by a system of corridors and passages: there are 5 concentric paths and 11 interconnected corridors.

The chief architect was George Bergstrom, through whose efforts the construction was completed in less than 2 years (construction dates: 09/11/1941 - 01/15/1943). The initiator of the construction of such a complex was General B.B. Sommerwell - he conceived the Pentagon as a temporary headquarters of the armed forces.

Due to a shortage of traditional building materials (the United States was busy preparing for war), sand from the bottom of the Potomac River and reinforced concrete (instead of steel) were used in the construction.

The construction itself was carried out at an accelerated pace. The construction site involved multiple shifts with tens of thousands of workers. The schedule was tight - they worked seven days a week and with short breaks.

Ministry of Defense employees were already starting to work in the completed sectors while other parts of the building were still being constructed. At the same time, the Pentagon acquired sewerage and water supply, as well as a helicopter pad and bus and metro stops (opened recently).

In 1993, the building began to be renovated. Work was carried out to replace communications, windows, and build new offices and elevators. A terrorist attack in 2001 caused serious damage to the building, employees and reconstruction plan.

9/11 terrorist attack

During the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the most resonant of which was the destruction of the World Trade Center towers in, the Pentagon was also attacked. Al-Qaeda operatives hijacked a passenger plane and flew it into the building (two more planes crashed into the Twin Towers that day, and a fourth crashed in Pennsylvania).

According to researchers, the Boeing 757-200 plane flew towards the building so low that it demolished street lamps. This situation was planned by terrorists with the aim of causing maximum damage.

The plane crashed into the Pentagon in part of the Naval Forces headquarters. 125 people died, not including the 64 passengers on the plane. Dozens of supports collapsed, and a hole 5 meters in diameter was made in the façade.

Now in this part of the building there is a memorial museum with a chapel, and a memory park is open in the adjacent territory.

1. The building owes its shape and name to the original plan of the surrounding area. At the point where it was planned to build the Pentagon, several highways converged, and the angle of their intersection was as close as possible to the angle of construction of the pentagon.

Therefore, the construction project fit perfectly into the road junction of the area. However, later the President of America decided to build the facility in another place, downstream of the river. But the project and the name were not changed.

2. The courtyard with a lawn with an area of ​​21 thousand square meters, according to unofficial information from the employees of the complex, is called “Epicenter” (the English version is untranslatable - “Ground Zero”).

The public associates this name with the ironic attitude of the Ministry of Defense towards the Soviet Union. Allegedly, during the Cold War, America independently indicated to the USSR the point at which nuclear missiles should be aimed - the center of the Pentagon.

3. The complex has exactly twice as many restrooms as the employees' needs require. The fact is that when designing the Pentagon, separate toilets for white and black employees were laid out as a matter of course.

During the construction of the building, there was still a prevailing mood in the country that did not deny such discrimination. But President F. Roosevelt intervened in time, so there are no signs with explanations in the toilets of the complex.

Watch the film “Inside the Pentagon”:

Korean music performers are confidently gaining leading positions in song charts not only in their homeland, but also far beyond its borders: in Europe, America, the CIS countries - all over the world. Thus, recently the South Korean boy band BTS scored a record number of views in the first 24 hours after the release of their IDOL video on YouTube video hosting. Views have crossed the 45 million mark! However, the Korean pop industry is rich in other, less popular, but no less talented performers. So let's meet a group called PENTAGON. Who are these guys? What kind of music can they offer their listeners? Find out in the article!

Who are Pentagon?

Pentagon is a Korean boy band consisting of 10 trainees under Cube Entertainment. The group consists of 8 Korean guys, 1 Chinese and 1 Japanese. They debuted with the title song Gorilla on October 10. So, a detailed biography of the Korean group Pentagon is in the article below!

They were originally scheduled to debut in early 2016, but before that, 10 members had to pass a TV selection test. Pentagon Maker was the name of the show, in which the trainees tried to prove their right to be members of the group. They had to finish "Pentagraph" to secure their place in the group during the non-debut period. Luckily, all the members debuted together in the end. A more detailed biography of Pentagon, the history of the formation of the group and its development is below.

Pre-debut: Pentagon Maker

On April 26, 2016, music agency Cube Entertainment released a trailer for Come into the World - this was the first trailer since the company hinted at the creation of a new boy band back in December 2015.

What is interesting in the biography of the Pentagon group? The final lineup was decided during South Korean television channel Mne's reality show Pentagon Maker, which was also broadcast online. Jinho, Hui, Hongseok, Yenan, Yuto, Kino and Wooseok made it to the end of the show; their status as official members of the group was confirmed. In addition, the group also includes E'Dong and Yewon.

The biographies of the members of the Pentagon group are interesting and special in their own way, because each of them has overcome a huge path on the way to success and debut.

Thus, the official start of the group’s career came on July 9, when Pentagon released the songs Young and Find Me. A music video was released in support of the first song.

Pentagon's biography indicates that the group originally planned to hold their debut concert on July 23, 2016. It was supposed to be a performance at Jamsil Indoor Stadium. However, Cube Entertainment had to postpone the date of the concert and the group's debut - they explained this by problems within the company.

Biography Pentagon: 2017 and Japanese debut

Already on January 22, 2017, the guys from the group released a special music video for Pretty Pretty, a track from their second Korean EP called Five Senses.

The first Japanese EP was the mini-record Gorilla: shortly after its release, on March 29, the track debuted at number three on the Oricon chart. The album consists of six tracks, including Japanese versions of previously released tracks Gorilla, Can You Feel It, Pretty Pretty and You Are, and two new Japanese tracks.

On May 18, the group released a new single: the ballad Beautiful. From June 8 to 10, the group held a concert at the Shinhan Card Fan Hall. It was called Tentastic Vol. 2 and was divided into three days P, T and G, symbolizing the abbreviated name of the group - PTG. During the concert, the boy band demonstrated various concepts and amazed the audience with their performances.

On June 12, the group released their third Korean EP, which included the title track Critical Beauty (예뻐죽겠네). It became their first EP, which entered the Billboard world music chart at number 14. An interesting fact from the biography of the Pentagon members: Yan An was unable to take part in promotions and events dedicated to promoting the album due to a hand injury. On July 24, Pentagon released a surprise music video for their fans, Precious Promise.

On September 6, the group released their fourth Korean EP, which included the title track Like This. They held their third solo concert, Pentagon Mini Concert Tentastic Vol. 3, Promise at Yes24 Hall in Seoul.

On November 23, the group released their fifth Korean EP. Its title track was the song Runaway. The group subsequently held their fourth solo concert, Pentagon Mini Concert Tentastic Vol. 4, Dream at the Blue Square IMarket music hall in Seoul.

Changes in group composition

Pentagon biography: 2018

On January 17, 2018, Pentagon released their second Japanese EP Violet, which included the title track of the same name. They held their last solo concert, Pentagon Mini Concert Tentastic Vol. 5, Miracle on April 1 at Blue Square I-Market Hall in Seoul.

On April 2, Pentagon released their sixth Korean EP Positive with six tracks, including the single 빛나리 (Shine).

The start of sales of the Japanese version of the song SHINE fell on August 29. The song became the theme song for the August episodes of the late-night music series Break Out.

On September 10, Pentagon released their seventh Korean EP Thumbs Up, which features five tracks including the single 청개구리 (Naughty boy).

Triple H - what is it?

Triple H (트리플 H in Korean) is a South Korean group created by the music agency Cube Entertainment. The group consists of Korean singer Hyuna and Pentagon members Hui and E'Dawn. As a group, they have released two EPs, 199X (2017) and Retro Futurism (2018).

The trio Triple H received this name because HyunA and members of the Pentagon group - Hui (Hui) and E-Dawn - have the English letter H in their names (E-Dawn's real name is Hyojong). Nevertheless, the trio members admitted that the choice of the group's name was also influenced by an American professional wrestler and champion named Triple H - his personality seems to reflect the mood of the Korean group..

Interesting facts from the biography of EDawn (Pentagon): after E"Dawn and Hyuna announced their relationship in August, on September 13, Cube Entertainment announced the termination of contracts with these two performers, citing that the company could no longer trust them. However, After the fall in the organization's stock prices and the revolt of fans, the company's management decided to postpone the dismissal of HyunA and E'Dawn.Cube Entertainment representatives said that they will have to carefully consider everything before announcing a final decision on this issue.

The life of Korean stars is very interesting. Fans are most attracted to the part of celebrity life that occurred before their debut. So, what interesting things do we know about the guys from the Pentagon group?

Hong Seok is a former member of the group formed by television auditing organization MIX & MATCH (2014). At the time of his participation in Pentagon Maker, the guy already had many fans.

Jinho was an SM Entertainment trainee, but after refusing to debut with SM Entertainment, he transferred to Cube Entertainment to audition for Pentagon Maker.

Hui is the leader of the group. Interestingly, during the first mission in the Pentagon Maker program, he received the highest score among all participants.

In the Pentagon Maker program, Kino showed the least stability in positions. Before becoming an official member of Pentagon, Kino was among the leaders, and then lost ground, showing average results.

Yuto is Japanese. He's incredibly good at rapping, which is why he's on the group's rap line. Pentagon members call him "Prince Takoyaki".

Yenan was born and raised in China. He is considered a ladies' heartbreaker: all thanks to his good figure and radiant white skin!

Wooseok is the youngest member of the group (in Korean show business these are usually called maknaes).

E'Dawn has tattoos and considers himself the most charming member of the group.

In general, I still remember my parents’ vocabulary from Soviet times, where they called the Pentagon any large, awkward building. As a child, I didn’t even know the real meaning of this name, but the word was already in use.

But in fact, this is the largest office building in the world; the building is impressive not only for its size, but also for its shape. Today it is a symbol of the US Armed Forces, and the word itself - Pentagon - is often used as a synonym for the US Department of Defense.

Let's find out some interesting facts about this building...

1. Initially, the building was not built for the Ministry of Defense, but by the time the work was completed, the military department had outgrown the offices it housed and needed new premises.

Somewhere in 1940, the American administration had a crazy idea - to place the entire US Department of Defense in one building. And this is no less than 26 thousand employees scattered in 17 separate buildings in the District of Columbia. Moreover, according to the technical specifications, the future citadel was supposed to comfortably accommodate 40 thousand people at the same time! In Europe, the Second World War was gaining momentum, which the Americans could join at any time, but here is such an idea! It seems somehow illogical that all the key military commanders are under one roof. Even top managers of Coca-Cola, who know the soda recipe, do not fly on the same plane.

However, immediately after the president’s go-ahead, architects began to look for territory to build a citadel. In Arlington, a suburb of Washington, they chose a place that had once been expropriated. Feng Shui masters would probably envy them. What was most captivating was that the plot of land was outlined by five roads, some of them intersecting at an angle of 108 degrees. To most, of course, this could mean little, but the architects were strong in geometry, and they knew very well that the straight lines converge at such a degree in an equilateral pentagon, which the ancient Greeks called the “pentagon.”

It will remain a mystery to us what came first - the place that the searchlights discovered, or the project for which the territory was specially selected. It must be said that the place was quite swampy, and very close to it was the famous Arlington Cemetery, where American soldiers were buried - not the best place for construction. Feng Shui masters would hardly have approved, but the US President probably knew more than Chinese geomancers - the land for construction was agreed upon. The only thing is that Roosevelt ordered - at the request of his wife - to move the future building slightly, by half a mile, so that it would not block the view from Arlington Cemetery to Washington.

2. The area of ​​the Pentagon is 474,300 square meters, which is twice the size of the Empire State Building.

3. The Pentagon was built on the site of a slum for blacks called “Lower Hell.”

4. During the Cold War, the Pentagon was called “Point Zero”, because if a war with the USSR had broken out, the first strike would have been directed there.

5. The length of the Pentagon corridors is 28 km, and they are a tangled labyrinth.

Although, on the other hand, it is argued that the Pentagon is still the most optimal in ergonomics. The building is intersected by ten corridors in the center, which connect five pentagons extending from the center. Thus, an employee of the American military department can get to any point of the building along the perimeter, spending no more than seven minutes.

Natural ergonomics is associated with the properties of the geometric figure itself. Thus, the diagonals of the pentagon form a pentagram, and the points of intersection of the diagonals in a regular pentagon are always the points of the “golden ratio”. At the same time, they form another pentagon, which, when drawing diagonals, will certainly form another one. And so on ad infinitum. Thus, the pentagon seems to consist of an infinite number of pentagons, which are formed by the points of intersection of the diagonals. This endless repetition of the same geometric figure creates a sense of rhythm and harmony that is unconsciously recorded by our minds.

However, it was probably not only ergonomic advantages that prompted the American military to opt for a regular pentagon shape. The symbolism itself played a big role. Let us turn again to Plato. The famous philosopher called the most perfect geometric body the dodecahedron - a dodecahedron made up of twelve pentagons. Plato claimed that it was he who "God used as a model for planning the Universe." In 2003, when analyzing data from the WMAP spacecraft launched by NASA, it was hypothesized that the Universe is a dodecahedral Poincaré space. According to the modeling data, the results of observations indicated that the Universe is a set of infinitely repeating dodecahedrons - regular polyhedra, the surface of which is formed by 12 pentagons. It is curious that a hypothesis has arisen among conspiracy theorists that the Pentagon building is only a visible part of the structure. They say that the entire structure is shaped like a dodecahedron, although the rest of the geometric body is hidden from view underground. Of course, there is no way to check this. Any unknown excites the imagination.

6. The building has been in operation since 1943, and during this time there was only one renovation, which lasted 17 years - from 1994 to 2011.

7. The building has only five floors, since the period of its construction occurred during the Second World War and steel was saved for the needs of the army. For the same reason - saving steel - there are no elevators in the building. P.S. But this fact has not been confirmed, although everyone writes about it. Look at the photo here: A man presses a button in an elevator reserved for the Pentagon's most senior officers and its guests. The Pentagon has 13 elevators, 19 escalators, and 131 stairwells. Myron Davis—TIME & LIFE Pictures/Getty Images

8. It took 17 years to repair the building, but its construction was completed in record time - in just two years.

9. The number of restrooms in the building exceeds all imaginable limits. There are actually twice as many of them as needed for such an area. This is due to the fact that during its construction it was required to have separate toilets for white and black workers.

10. Many experts in the field of astrology argued that the construction of the Pentagon could not have happened without consulting astrologers. Construction was planned to begin on September 11, 1941 and end on January 15, 1943. It is curious that the builders met the deadlines, as they say, second by second, which in itself is an exceptional case - especially for wartime. Astrologers noticed a certain “star” pattern in the start and end dates of construction. Their attention was drawn to the “planet of war” - Mars. Construction began when this celestial body was in its sign - Aries, and ended when Mars was in its exaltation (maximum strength) - Scorpio. It is curious that after commissioning the Pentagon, the American army carried out only successful military operations in World War II.

11. This date mysteriously accompanies the Pentagon. On this day in 1941, construction of the building began, in 2001 the Pentagon was attacked by Boeing, and on September 11, 2002, the entire Pentagon territory came back into use. One of the main improvements was the complete renovation of the building's windows, replacing them with armored ones. The outer walls of the building were reinforced and made blast-resistant. The elevators leading to the metro station were closed and general security measures were significantly increased. Conspiracy theorists are trying to look for patterns in this coincidence, but no one has yet succeeded in unlocking the mystery of the “September 11” factor. It is curious that some hotheads, fascinated by the mysteries of the Pentagon, predict that two more September 11ths will have to happen in the “biography” of the object - in order to symbolically complete the regular pentagon.

12 But the main mystery, at least the one that has become public knowledge, is the terrorist attack on the Pentagon building on September 11, 2001. According to official data, on this day, at 9:37:46, the left wing of the US military building was rammed by a Boeing 757-200. This wing houses the naval command. Part of the building collapsed and was seriously damaged. Interestingly, at the time of the strike, this particular wing of the Pentagon was undergoing redevelopment, and most of its employees were transferred to other offices. Almost immediately after the attack, dozens of comments appeared claiming that no plane crashed into the Pentagon. According to doubters, damage to the building is minimal after an attack by an aircraft weighing 100 tons, moving at a speed of at least 300 km per hour. “On the site in front of the wall, not only is there no debris, but there are also no traces of combustion on the grass from the huge volume of flaming fuel from the (presumably) destroyed aircraft tanks,” the experts write. In addition, after any plane crash, even the most terrible, there are always recognizable remains of parts of the fuselage.

In the case of the Pentagon, according to official information, all the remains of the Boeing were melted down in a fire. Miraculously, only the black box survived, the records of which proved that the board was captured by terrorists. Some analysts have put forward a version that the nature of the destruction of the Pentagon is more consistent with an attack by a Tomahawk cruise missile without a warhead, which does not have a warhead (explosives) - a ramming aircraft with almost full tanks, they say, should have almost completely destroyed the Pentagon. However, department officials do not comment on the opinions of amateurs. What can people, even explosives experts, know about the supernatural properties of the geometric figure of an equilateral pentagon? “Let no geometrician enter!” And then, how can these doubters explain, where did the passengers of the plane that allegedly did not crash go?

13. While the Pentagon is stewing in the confined space of an infinite number of internal pentagons, pentagrams, “flavored” with golden ratios, people outside are trying in vain to solve their mysteries. Sometimes those who are dissatisfied with the official information of the US military department have to be content with cunning numerological calculations that give interesting results. Thus, the Pentagon was built in 491 days. If, according to the Pythagorean method, we add these numbers (4+9+1), then we get - 5 (the number of sides of the pentagon). If we go further, using the same Pythagorean method, and decide to multiply the numbers (4X9X1), we will get - 36. If we do not rest on this number, we count the sum of all integers from 1 to 36, then we will get - 666. Conspiracy theorists claim that it was for this number that the builders worked day and night, so as not to miss the deadline. But this way you can agree on anything. By the way, the pentagon with a pentagram enclosed in it was a symbol of the famous Pythagorean mystical union, founded by the ancient Greek thinker. So, the Pythagoreans believed that their emblem not only symbolized the harmony of the universe, but was also capable of having a harmonious effect on the surrounding space. The limits of influence, of course, depend on the size of the regular pentagon. Thus, the perimeter of the Arlington geometric figure is about 1405 meters - today this is enough to influence the whole world.

Well, some more interesting information about the construction of this building and more details about the above facts. At the outbreak of World War II, the US War Department, with its 26,000 personnel, was located in 17 separate buildings throughout Washington, DC. Once it became obvious that the United States would also be involved in this global conflict, an urgent need was not only for a gigantic increase in the number of warheads and equipment, but also in human resources. The buildings of the War Ministry were overcrowded, there was a catastrophic lack of space. US Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson considered such a situation unacceptable, so in May 1941 he turned to US President Franklin Roosevelt with a request to allocate additional territories for his Department. During debates in Congress, it was decided that the new War Department building would be located in Arlington, Virginia (i.e., across the Potomac River from the District of Columbia), since there simply was not enough space in Washington for such a structure. It was also noted that the future building should be wide, but not high (no more than 4 floors in height), and in war conditions - also with minimal use of steel structures. The new Military Department was supposed to accommodate about 40 thousand people, and the parking lot was supposed to accommodate about 10 thousand cars! At the construction of the new US War Department building, 1941 (The name "Department of Defense" was not used until 1947.) Thomas D. McAvoy—TIME & LIFE Pictures/Getty Images

$35 million from the federal budget was allocated for the implementation of such a project. During the discussions, contractors were also identified; these included companies such as John McShain Inc., Wise Contracting Company Inc., and Doyle and Russell. The design of the project was entrusted to the American architect George Bergstrom, and the project manager was John McShane, thanks to whom the Washington National Airport (now named after Ronald Reagan) in Arlington and the Jefferson Memorial in Washington were already built.

The site chosen for construction, known as Arlington Farms, was located near Arlington National Cemetery, the site of the former Hoover Airport, adjacent to the Arlington Memorial Bridge over the Potomac River. This was a heavily swampy area, which required additional funds for its improvement: 680 thousand tons of sand and 5 million cubic meters of earth were additionally brought into the territory. However, the proposed territory also turned out to be insufficient. About 150 plants and factories were demolished to make way for the future home of the country's Military Department. Part of the cleared territory (1.1 km 2) was given for the construction of the Pentagon, while the other - 1.2 km 2 was transferred to Arlington National Cemetery. The resulting territory, bordered by roads, was very similar to a geometric figure - the Pentagon. The project designers decided to make the most of the territory provided to them, so the building itself will correspond to this form. Actually, this is how it got its official name - the Pentagon. 2. Architects and planners work on plans for the Pentagon in a building partially completed in 1942. Myron Davis—TIME & LIFE Pictures/Getty Images. First published outside of LIFE. 3. The Master Plan provides an overview of the Pentagon's road network. In a housing development with approximately 23,000 workers and 16 parking lots for more than 8,000 vehicles, new roads were a necessary part of the construction to accommodate traffic.

Once the project received presidential approval, construction began around the clock on September 11, 1941, especially accelerating after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Surprisingly, the largest building of the 20th century was erected in just 16 months and was ready by mid-January 1943. The monolithic building was erected in the neoclassical style. Simplicity of construction in war conditions was of fundamental importance. The Pentagon was built from sand and reinforced concrete, supported by 41,492 concrete piles. Indiana limestone was used as a siding material. They decided not to use marble, since its supplier was fascist Italy, cooperation with which was excluded during the war.

Ultimately, the construction of the Pentagon cost American taxpayers more than $83 million. The perimeter of the building is 1405 m, the length of one side of the pentagon is 281 m. The total floor area is 604,000 m². The total area of ​​the complex is approximately 2.5 million km 2. There are 7,754 windows within the walls of the Pentagon. Despite the impressive size of the building, getting from one part of the building to another will take no more than 7 minutes, because... The entire complex is crossed by numerous corridors, the length of which is 30 km. The concentric rings of the Pentagon are connected by 21 bridges. The height of the above-ground part of the building is 23.5 meters. In addition to the above-ground floors, the Pentagon also has 2 underground floors. Also built inside the Pentagon were: 131 stairs, 19 escalators and 13 elevators. In total, about 26 thousand employees, both military and civilian, work in the building. To ensure convenient access to the building, about 50 km of roads were specially laid. Interestingly, each concentric ring of the building has its own name from A (inner ring) to E (outer ring). Underground floors have 2 more rings, respectively, and are designated from A to G. Each floor also has its own identifier: basement floors are designated by the letter “B”, and above-ground floors are numbered from 1 to 5.

4. In its May 1943 issue, LIFE noted that the Pentagon's exterior "has a gray limestone exterior, although more than half the building itself is composed of sand, gravel and soil from the bottom of the Potomac River." Myron Davis—TIME & LIFE Pictures/Getty Images 5. An officer talks to a worker on one of the large exhaust fans at the Pentagon, 1940. Myron Davis—TIME & LIFE Pictures/Getty Images

Today, the building also houses many cafes and restaurants, such well-known retail chains as McDonald's, Starbucks, Subway, Sbarro, KFC, Panda Express, Pizza Hut, etc. Pentagon employees consume about 804 liters of milk, 5 thousand cups of coffee and 7 thousand bottles of drinks. Inside the building there are also office offices, a fitness center, 284 recreation rooms, and many shops, in particular pastry shops, jewelry and florists. It is believed that their location helps military husbands brighten up the loneliness of their wives, since they themselves are often late at work. There are 4,200 electronic clocks installed in the building, and 250 light bulbs are replaced daily. 200,000 calls and 1,200,000 messages are received daily at the Pentagon.

By the way, the Pentagon has twice as many toilets as are needed. The fact is that at the time of construction, segregation laws were still in force in Virginia, according to which toilets for blacks and whites had to be separate. When President Franklin Roosevelt visited the Pentagon in May 1942, he was extremely outraged by the waste of space. As a result, signs “for whites” and “for blacks” were never installed.

In the early 90s, for the first time since its construction, a program to modernize the building was launched. In particular, new ventilation, heating and energy supply systems were installed, new computer servers were installed, and the security system was improved.

Exactly 60 years after construction began, the Pentagon was subjected to a terrorist attack. On September 11, 2001, a Boeing 757 (American Airlines Flight 77) crashed into the west wing of the Department of the Army building. As a result, 125 employees died and the building itself suffered significant damage. To restore it, 200 km 2 of structures had to be demolished and everything rebuilt. The restoration lasted more than a year.

However, attempts to attack the Pentagon have been made before. For example, in the mid-90s, bombs came along with parcels. One of them destroyed the delivery department, as a result of which the entire mail delivery system was modernized. Recently, due to the growing number of cyber attacks and terrorist threats, increasing attention is being paid to the security of the Pentagon.

This year the Pentagon turned 74 years old. During this time, he managed to become the personification of the highest power in the country. Most Americans associate major military decisions with the Pentagon. The Department of the Army, the Department of the Navy, the Department of the Air Force, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and other departments are located here.

On the 200th anniversary of the founding of the United States, the Pentagon began conducting tours for the general public. However, they were interrupted after the 9/11 attack. Currently, visiting the Pentagon is only possible with a pre-planned tour. About 100,000 people visit the Pentagon every year.

10. The Pentagon was built in just 16 months, for about $83 million. Myron Davis—TIME & LIFE Pictures/Getty Images. Not originally published in LIFE. 11. Some interesting facts about the Pentagon: the building contains approximately 4,200 clocks - all working, presumably, with military precision. Myron Davis—TIME & LIFE Pictures/Getty Images. Not originally published in LIFE. 12. Guards in the corridors under construction. The Pentagon boasts 17.5 miles of corridors. Myron Davis—TIME & LIFE Pictures/Getty Images. Not originally published in LIFE. 13. The Pentagon has 284 rest rooms. Myron Davis—TIME & LIFE Pictures/Getty Images. Not originally published in LIFE. 14. View of one of the five sides of the military department at that time. Today the Pentagon is surrounded by 200 hectares of lawns. Thomas D. McAvoy—TIME & LIFE Pictures/Getty Images 15. Men at work in the Pentagon, 1941. Myron Davis—TIME & LIFE Pictures/Getty Images. Not originally published in LIFE. 16. Paperwork has long been an important part of the Pentagon's operations. The postal department produces about 1.2 million pieces of mail per month. Myron Davis—TIME & LIFE Pictures/Getty Images. Not originally published in LIFE. 17. A serviceman talks to a receptionist in the new Pentagon building in 1941. The Pentagon has a private sector: for example, restaurant services are provided through private civilian operations, under contract with the Pentagon. Thomas D. McAvoy—TIME & LIFE Pictures/Getty Images 18. Transferring Pentagon Documentation Files Using Pneumatic Pipeline. This is an old-fashioned delivery method that, as in the late 1980s, still handles more top-secret information than what is entrusted to Department of Defense computers. Myron Davis—TIME & LIFE Pictures/Getty Images. Not originally published in LIFE. 19. War Department official seal on china used for private meals at the Pentagon. Myron Davis—TIME & LIFE Pictures/Getty Images. 20. Part of the furnishings required for senior officers in the Pentagon, circa 1942. As LIFE wrote in the December issue of that year, the Secretary of War "has a spacious office with carpets and comfortable, soft leather chairs. He sits at a handsome desk, handed down from each Secretary of War, just as Robert Todd Lincoln did in 1883. He has access to a direct line to the White House." Myron Davis-TIME & LIFE Pictures/Getty Images 21. Separate kitchen, built to serve senior Pentagon officials and their guests if they do not wish to resort to the services of one of the six dining rooms. Myron Davis—TIME & LIFE Pictures/Getty Images 22. Part of the furnishings for the Secretary of War. LIFE wrote in December 1942: "The only truly happy man in the huge reinforced concrete new building of the War Department is the civilian chief of the army, Henry L. Stimson." (Stimson was Secretary of War at the time. This post would later be eliminated when the Army and Navy were split into separate departments. The post of Secretary of Defense was added to ensure cooperation between them.) Myron Davis—TIME & LIFE Pictures/Getty Images 24. In a private restroom, which was reserved for the highest ranks of the Pentagon. LIFE noted in May 1943: "A first aid kit, toilet and shower are provided, but no bath." Myron Davis—TIME & LIFE Pictures/Getty Images

The article talks about what the Pentagon is, when this building was created, what roles it performs and who is its head.

Services

With the development of human society, the need for various kinds of government services and organizations gradually appeared. And probably the greatest attention has always been paid to those services that ensure the security of the country and its citizens, for example, the army, law enforcement agencies, etc. And the organization of their work, control and everything else is usually handled by the Ministry of Defense. In the US, this is the Pentagon.

This uniquely shaped building became very recognizable over time, and its name became firmly established in the everyday speech of military personnel as a designation for the Ministry of Defense. But what is the Pentagon, when was it built? This is what we will talk about.

Story

As already mentioned, the Pentagon is the headquarters. This name comes from a peculiar form. And metonymically, it has long come to mean the Department of Defense both among the American military and among foreign journalists, observers, military specialists and others. So now we know what the Pentagon is.

This building is also the largest office in the world, and its construction was completed in 1943. If we talk about dimensions, the length of each side is 281 meters, the total perimeter is 1405 meters, and the total length of the corridors is 28 kilometers.

It was designed by architect Bergstrom, and the plan for the new, very spacious and carefully thought out building was commissioned directly from the US Department of Defense. So we looked at the question of what the Pentagon is.

Construction features and interesting facts

Despite everyone’s conviction, the pentagonal shape of the building does not have any sacred meaning; it’s just that the place where it was originally going to be built had its own characteristics of the terrain, relief, location of roads and everything else, which led the architects to create a building of this shape. However, before the actual start of construction, they decided to change the location of the future building of the Ministry of Defense. And although there were no restrictions in the new location in the form of third-party objects, they still decided to leave the pentagonal shape the same, and this is how the modern Pentagon turned out. This building is probably recognizable all over the world.

The central lawn of the courtyard has the informal name "Ground Zero". This name was given to it by Ministry workers during the Cold War, and it is somewhat ironic, designating a target for nuclear missiles of the Soviet Union.

You can also often come across the question of where the Pentagon is located. And it is located in the USA, near Washington.

And by the way, the layout of the building was created during the time of racial segregation, and the final stages of construction were created after the abolition of this law. And so the number of toilet rooms ended up being doubled, since some of them were intended exclusively for the use of blacks. And this fact is probably the most frequently mentioned in stories about the Pentagon. This building is famous for its history.

Terrorist attack of September 11, 2001

Almost everyone probably knows about the tragic events of this date. However, it is primarily associated with the way planes crashed into skyscraper buildings. But few people remember that another of the planes hijacked by terrorists rammed the Pentagon.

On September 11, the plane crashed into the left outer wing of the building, where at that time the headquarters of the Navy command was located. Part of the wall collapsed, and severe damage was also caused by the fire. As a result of all this, the number of victims was 125 people, 64 of them were passengers on the hijacked plane.

About 20 minutes after the actual collision, another part of the wall collapsed, severely hampering fire and rescue efforts. But still, despite all the tragedy, there could have been much more victims. The thing is that shortly before the terrorist attack, renovations had barely been completed in that section of the building, and there were few workers there.

Later, after all the restoration work, a memorial was erected in the newly rebuilt wing in memory of those who died on that fateful day.

Head of the Pentagon

The head of the Pentagon is Ashton Baldwin Carter. He took this post on February 17, 2015. Carter is the twenty-fifth Secretary of Defense of the United States; Barack Obama himself nominated him for this position.

Carter has a bachelor's degree in theoretical physics, and many of his rivals said he would be a better scientist than a politician.

Since the outbreak of the military conflict in eastern Ukraine, Carter has repeatedly stated that various types of pressure need to be put on Russia, since, in his opinion, it is the reason for inciting the war and the unstable situation in Kyiv.