Dwight D. Eisenhower

His integrity and his reputation for honesty helped to get him elected and he served two terms as President of the United States from 1953-1961. His presidency is remembered as a period of relative calm in the United States.
             Eisenhower volunteered to participate as a Tank Corps observer in the First Transcontinental Motor Convoy from July 7, 1919 to September 6, 1919. This made him realize the value of a good highway system. During World War II, he saw Germany's advantages as a result of the autobahn network and noticed the Allies enhanced mobility when they fought their way into Germany. These experiences shaped his views on highways. Eisenhower stated, "The old convoy had started me thinking about good, two-lane highways, but Germany had made me see the wisdom of broader ribbons across the land." As President, he was instrumental in developing a better highway system. When he took office in 1953 the United States had completed 10,327 kin of system improvements at a cost of $955 million. Only 24 percent of the interstate roadway was adequate for present traffic. His 1956 his Federal-Aid highway Act called for uniform interstate design standards to accommodate traffic forecast in 20 years with four lane segments. In 1957 the numbering scheme for the interstate highways was announced and the red, white, and blue interstate shield was unveiled. .
             In 1994 the American Society of Civil Engineers designated the Dwight D. Eisenhower System of Interstate and Defense Highways as one of the "Seven Wonders of the United States." (Other wonders include the Golden Gate Bridge, Hoover Dam, and the Panama Canal). The system has often been called the "greatest public works project in history". It not only linked the nation, but it boosted productivity and helped sustain a more than tenfold increase in the gross national product since the start of the program in 1956.
             In October 1957, the USSR launched the first artificial satellite into Earth's orbit.