7 ms·
I always assumed it was a reference to the pentagonal shape of many star forts (despite not being a star shape itself).
by taejo 10y ago
I always assumed it was a reference to the pentagonal shape of many star forts (despite not being a star shape itself).
- krallja 10y agoI assumed it was a reference to the five armed service branches, but I was wrong.
- azernik 10y agoNote that at the time of construction there were only four - the Air Force was established post-WWII.
- a3n 10y agoMy totally unresearched guess was that it referred to the five armed services: Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard. "Because that was the shape of its originally intended building site" is so delightfully mundane.
- chiph 10y agoThat's probably a side-benefit. If it had been an irregular pentagon (or any other shape), the inter-service rivalries would still be going on about who has the better office space (not kidding - you think vicious politics is only on capitol hill?)
- Shivetya 10y agoYet sometimes the simplest answer is the best if not correct one. My pot roast story tells it well, http://selfdefinedleadership.com/blog/?p=158 http://selfdefinedleadership.com/blog/?p=158 don't overlook the obvious
- kej 10y agoCounterpoint by H.L .Mencken: "Explanations exist; they have existed for all time; there is always a well-known solution to every human problem — neat, plausible, and wrong."
- VLM 10y agoConstruction complete Jan 43 Air force birthday Sept 47. Plausible to plan for it, but unlikely.
- SamBam 10y agoIndeed. I thought it was a reference to many pentagonal forts from the Middle Ages, like Castel Sant'Angelo on the banks of the Tiber. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/eb/Castel-Sant%27Angelo_-_nolli_plan.jpg https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/eb/Castel-S...
- cestith 10y agoThey didn't stop building pentagonal and star forts in the Middle Ages. Some of the most important fortifications in US history are pentagon plus bastion star forts. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Sumter#/media/File:Fort_Sumter_Aerial_View.jpg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Sumter#/media/File:Fort_S... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_McHenry#/media/File:Fort_McHenry_I.jpg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_McHenry#/media/File:Fort_...
- bbctol 10y agoI figured it was just in reference to how often the USA/Military uses 5-pointed stars on things.