The Flag of Tennessee
Tennessee ( TEN -iss-EE , TEN -iss-ee ), officially the State of Tennessee , is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States . It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina to the east, Georgia , Alabama , and Mississippi to the south, Arkansas to the southwest, and Missouri to the northwest. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. Tennessee is geographically, culturally, and legally divided into three Grand Divisions of East , Middle , and West Tennessee . Nashville is the state's capital and largest city, and anchors its largest metropolitan area. Other major cities include Memphis , Knoxville , Chattanooga , and Clarksville . Tennessee's population as of the 2020 United States census is approximately 6.9 million.
Tennessee is rooted in the Watauga Association , a 1772 frontier pact generally regarded as the first constitutional government west of the Appalachian Mountains . Its name derives from Tanasi (ᏔᎾᏏ ), a Cherokee town in the eastern part of the state that existed before the first European American settlement. Tennessee was initially part of North Carolina, and later the Southwest Territory , before its admission to the Union as the 16th state on June 1, 1796. It earned the nickname "The Volunteer State" early in its history due to a strong tradition of military service. A slave state until the American Civil War , Tennessee was politically divided, with its western and middle parts supporting the Confederacy and the eastern region harboring pro -Union sentiment. As a result, Tennessee was the last state to secede and the first readmitted to the Union after the war.
During the 20th century, Tennessee transitioned from a predominantly agrarian society to a more diversified economy. This was aided in part by massive federal investment in the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and the city of Oak Ridge , which was established during World War II to house the Manhattan Project 's uranium enrichment facilities for the construction of the world's first atomic bombs . After the war, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory became a key center of scientific research. In 2016, the element tennessine was named for the state, largely in recognition of the roles played by Oak Ridge, Vanderbilt University , and the University of Tennessee in its discovery. Tennessee has also played a major role in the development of many forms of popular music , including country , blues , rock and roll , soul , and gospel . (Full article... )
Entries here consist of Good and Featured articles, which meet a core set of high editorial standards.
Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon (born March 22, 1976) is an American actress and producer. She is the recipient of various accolades , including an Academy Award , a Primetime Emmy Award , and two Golden Globe Awards . Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2006 and 2015, and Forbes listed her among the World's 100 Most Powerful Women in 2019 and 2021. In 2021, Forbes named her the world's highest earning actress , and in 2023, she was named one of the richest women in America with an estimated net worth of $440 million.
Witherspoon began her career as a teenager, making her screen debut in
The Man in the Moon (1991). She drew attention in 1996 with her performances in the
cult films,
Freeway and
Fear . Her breakthrough came in 1999 with a supporting role in
Cruel Intentions , and for her portrayal of
Tracy Flick in the black comedy
Election . She gained wider recognition for playing
Elle Woods in the comedy
Legally Blonde (2001) and its
2003 sequel , and for starring in the romantic comedy
Sweet Home Alabama (2002). She won the
Academy Award for Best Actress for portraying
June Carter Cash in the musical biopic
Walk the Line (2005). Following a career downturn, during which her sole box-office success was the romantic drama
Water for Elephants (2011), Witherspoon made a comeback by producing and starring as
Cheryl Strayed in the drama
Wild (2014), which earned her a second Academy Award nomination. (
Full article... )
List of recognized articles
Lorraine Motel in 2022. The wreath marks King's approximate location at the time of his assassination.
Martin Luther King Jr. , an African-American clergyman and civil rights movement leader, was fatally shot at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee , on April 4, 1968, at 6:01 p.m. CST . He was rushed to St. Joseph's Hospital , where he died at 7:05 p.m. He was a prominent leader of the civil rights movement and a Nobel Peace Prize laureate who was known for his use of nonviolence and civil disobedience .
James Earl Ray , a fugitive from the
Missouri State Penitentiary , was arrested on June 8, 1968, at
London 's
Heathrow Airport , extradited to the United States and charged with the crime. On March 10, 1969, he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 99 years in the
Tennessee State Penitentiary . He later made many attempts to withdraw his guilty plea and to be tried by a jury, but was unsuccessful. Ray died in prison in 1998. (
Full article... )
List of selected articles
History of Tennessee List of Tennessee state symbols Nashville, Tennessee List of governors of Tennessee Governor of Tennessee East Tennessee Middle Tennessee West Tennessee Knoxville, Tennessee Tennessee River Memphis, Tennessee Chattanooga, Tennessee Clarksville, Tennessee Cleveland, Tennessee Dolly Parton Tennessee State Guard University of Memphis Toqua (Tennessee) Great Smoky Mountains Great Smoky Mountains Interstate 40 in Tennessee Old Crow Medicine Show Swaggerty Blockhouse Unicoi Mountains Old City, Knoxville Nashville Americans Valerie June Battle of Fort Donelson Battle of Fort Henry Collierville, Tennessee Vanderbilt University Tennessee whiskey Jack Daniel's Grand Ole Opry Battle of Nashville Nashville Superspeedway Johnny Cash Carl Perkins Tennessee Waltz Morristown, Tennessee Fainting goat Bessie Smith Cookeville, Tennessee Murfreesboro, Tennessee Bob Corker Edgar Evins State Park Graceland Bledsoe Creek State Park Dollywood Tennessee Valley Authority Black Patch Tobacco Wars Great Smoky Mountains National Park
The following are images from various Tennessee-related articles on Wikipedia.
Image 1 The Hermitage , plantation home of President
Andrew Jackson in Nashville (from
Tennessee )
Image 2 Map of counties in Tennessee by racial plurality, per the 2020 U.S. census
Non-Hispanic White 50–60%
60–70%
70–80%
80–90%
90%+
Black or African American 50–60%
(from
Tennessee )
Image 3 Fall Creek Falls , the tallest waterfall in the eastern United States, is located on the Cumberland Plateau (from
Tennessee )
Image 4 Chart showing poverty in Tennessee, by age and gender (red = female) (from
Tennessee )
Image 5 The Hermitage , plantation home of President
Andrew Jackson , now a museum in
Davidson County (from
History of Tennessee )
Image 6 Reconstruction of
Fort Loudoun , the first British settlement in Tennessee (from
Tennessee )
Image 8 Mount Le Conte in the
Great Smoky Mountains is the tallest mountain in eastern North America, measured from base to summit (from
Tennessee )
Image 9 Köppen climate types of Tennessee, using 1991-2020
climate normals . (from
Tennessee )
Image 10 Memphis became known as the "Cotton Capital of the World" in the years following the Civil War (from
Tennessee )
Image 12 A geomap showing the counties of Tennessee colored by the relative range of that county's median income. (from
Tennessee )
Image 13 The Southwest Territory in 1790 (from
Tennessee )
Image 15 The
Battle of Franklin , November 30, 1864 (from
Tennessee )
Image 16 Offices of
The Tennessean in Nashville (from
Tennessee )
Image 17 Reconstruction of
Fort Loudoun , the first British settlement in Tennessee (from
Tennessee )
Image 18 Cedar glades are an ecosystem that is found in regions of Middle Tennessee where limestone bedrock is close to the surface (from
Tennessee )
Image 19 Vanderbilt University in Nashville is consistently ranked as one of the top research institutions in the nation (from
Tennessee )
Image 21 Calutron operators at the
Y-12 Plant in Oak Ridge during the
Manhattan Project (from
Tennessee )
Image 22 A
Nissan Leaf , one of six models manufactured at the
Nissan Smyrna Assembly Plant , the largest automotive assembly plant in North America (from
Tennessee )
Image 23 The
Ocoee River was home to the
1996 Summer Olympics whitewater slalom events, the only Olympic sporting event ever held in the state. (from
Tennessee )
Image 25 Surveyor
Daniel Smith's "Map of the Tennassee State" (1796) (from
Tennessee )
Image 26 The
Ocoee River was home to the
1996 Summer Olympics whitewater slalom events, the only Olympic sporting event ever held in the state. (from
Tennessee )
Image 27 Interstate 40 traverses Tennessee from east to west, and serves the state's three largest cities. (from
Tennessee )
Image 28 The
Grand Ole Opry , which was recorded in
Nashville 's
Ryman Auditorium from 1943 to 1974, is the longest-running
radio broadcast in US history. (from
Tennessee )
Image 29 A geomap showing the counties of Tennessee colored by the relative range of that county's median income. (from
Tennessee )
Image 30 Cedar glades are an ecosystem that is found in regions of Middle Tennessee where limestone bedrock is close to the surface (from
Tennessee )
Image 31 A View of Memphis, Tennessee , 1871 (from
History of Tennessee )
Image 32 Al Gore served as a
United States Senator from Tennessee (1985–1993) and as
Vice President of the United States (1993–2001) (from
Tennessee )
Image 33 The
Ryman Auditorium , home of the "Grand Ole Opry" in Nashville (from
History of Tennessee )
Image 35 Memphis became known as the "Cotton Capital of the World" in the years following the Civil War (from
Tennessee )
Image 38 Chart showing poverty in Tennessee, by age and gender (red = female) (from
Tennessee )
Image 39 Interstate 40 traverses Tennessee from east to west, and serves the state's three largest cities. (from
Tennessee )
Image 40 Köppen climate types of Tennessee, using 1991-2020
climate normals . (from
Tennessee )
Image 42 Map of counties in Tennessee by racial plurality, per the 2020 U.S. census
Non-Hispanic White 50–60%
60–70%
70–80%
80–90%
90%+
Black or African American 50–60%
(from
Tennessee )
Image 44 Memphis International Airport , the hub of
FedEx Corporation , is the busiest cargo airport in the world (from
Tennessee )
Image 46 Surveyor
Daniel Smith's "Map of the Tennassee State" (1796) (from
Tennessee )
Image 47 The Tennessee at Chattanooga , 1872, by
Harry Fenn (from
History of Tennessee )
Image 48 Vanderbilt University in Nashville is consistently ranked as one of the top research institutions in the nation (from
Tennessee )
Image 50 A
Nissan Leaf , one of six models manufactured at the
Nissan Smyrna Assembly Plant , the largest automotive assembly plant in North America (from
Tennessee )
Image 51 Mount Le Conte in the
Great Smoky Mountains is the tallest mountain in eastern North America, measured from base to summit (from
Tennessee )
Image 52 Calutron operators at the
Y-12 Plant in Oak Ridge during the
Manhattan Project (from
Tennessee )
Image 53 Howard Baker served as
Senate Minority and Majority Leader from 1977 to 1985, and was known as "The Great Conciliator" (from
Tennessee )
Image 54 in 1946 the U.S. Post Office issued a
commemorative stamp celebrating the 150th anniversary of Tennessee statehood. (from
Tennessee )
Image 55 Offices of
The Tennessean in Nashville (from
Tennessee )
Image 56 Established in 1942,
Oak Ridge National Laboratory is the largest national laboratory in the Department of Energy system (from
Tennessee )
Image 57 The
Grand Ole Opry , which was recorded in
Nashville 's
Ryman Auditorium from 1943 to 1974, is the longest-running
radio broadcast in US history. (from
Tennessee )
Image 58 The
1982 World's Fair in Knoxville (from
Tennessee )
Image 59 The Hermitage , plantation home of President
Andrew Jackson in Nashville (from
Tennessee )
Image 60 Nashville's replica of the
Parthenon (built 1897) (from
History of Tennessee )
Image 61 Workers at the
Norris Dam construction camp site in 1933 (from
Tennessee )
Image 62 Workers at the
Norris Dam construction camp site in 1933 (from
Tennessee )
Image 64 The Southwest Territory in 1790 (from
Tennessee )
Image 65 Conquistador Hernando de Soto , first European to visit Tennessee (from
History of Tennessee )
Image 66 John Bell (from
History of Tennessee )
Image 67 The
1982 World's Fair in Knoxville (from
Tennessee )
Image 68 The
resort city of
Gatlinburg borders the
Great Smoky Mountains National Park , which is the most visited national park in the United States. (from
Tennessee )
Image 69 The
resort city of
Gatlinburg borders the
Great Smoky Mountains National Park , which is the most visited national park in the United States. (from
Tennessee )
Image 70 The
Battle of Franklin , November 30, 1864 (from
Tennessee )
Image 71 1861 Bank of Tennessee 1 dollar banknote (from
History of Tennessee )
Image 73 Fall Creek Falls , the tallest waterfall in the eastern United States, is located on the Cumberland Plateau (from
Tennessee )
Image 75 Established in 1942,
Oak Ridge National Laboratory is the largest national laboratory in the Department of Energy system (from
Tennessee )
Image 76 in 1946 the U.S. Post Office issued a
commemorative stamp celebrating the 150th anniversary of Tennessee statehood. (from
Tennessee )
Image 77 Howard Baker served as
Senate Minority and Majority Leader from 1977 to 1985, and was known as "The Great Conciliator" (from
Tennessee )
Image 78 Memphis International Airport , the hub of
FedEx Corporation , is the busiest cargo airport in the world (from
Tennessee )
Image 79 Al Gore served as a
United States Senator from Tennessee (1985–1993) and as
Vice President of the United States (1993–2001) (from
Tennessee )
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