Eisenhower excelled at sports and played football his first two years at West Point. After suffering a knee injury, he dedicated himself to his studies as a cadet. His classmates regarded him as a natural leader who had a knack of saying the right thing to gain others’ cooperation and his good nature inspired trust.

Upon graduation from West Point, he was stationed at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. There he met Mamie Doud in October of 1915. After a whirlwind courtship they were married on July 1, 1916. They had two children, the first of whom died of scarlet fever in infancy.

While at Fort Sam Houston, Eisenhower was promoted several times. He became First Lieutenant on July 1, 1916; Captain on May 15, 1917; Major (temporary) on June 17, 1918; and Lieutenant Colonel (temporary) on October 14, 1918. He reverted to the permanent rank of Captain on June 30, 1920 and was then promoted to Major on July 2, 19

20. He would hold this position for the next sixteen years of peacetime duty in the Army.

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. The launching of Sputnik caused the United States to step up their efforts to launch a satellite into space and Eisenhower directed the Army to make a launch effort. In January 1958 the US successfully launched a satellite into orbit. Both the US and the USSR had advanced into space and the race was on. The US was hoping to be the first to land an unmanned probe on the Moon. Eisenhower signed legislation creating the national Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). He had originally opposed the transfer of the space program from Pentagon, but conceded and the final legislation contained a provision excluding military space activities from NASA control.

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