George,river, c.345 mi (560 km) long, rising in a lake on the Quebec-Labrador boundary, E Canada. It flows N through Indian Lake (125 sq mi/324 sq km) to Ungava Bay (an arm of Hudson Strait).
In Great Britain:
George I. Born Mar. 28, 1660, in Hanover; died June 11, 1727, in Osnabriick. Became king in 1714 (elector of Hanover beginning in 1698), first representative of the Hanoverian dynasty. The culture and national interests of Great Britain were alien to George. He showed little interest in British politics, which helped the Whigs (the party in power) to strengthen the independence of Parliament in its relations with the Crown.
George III. Born June 4, 1738, in London; died Jan. 29, 1820, in Windsor. Became king in 1760 (during the years 1760-1815 he was elector, then king of Hanover). Relying on the Tory group in Parliament, George III attempted to remove the Whigs from power and to take the direction of policy into his own hands. He was one of the instigators of British colonial policy and of the struggle against the insurgents in the North American colonies. He took an active part in the struggle of European reactionaries against the Great French Revolution and in the organization of the coalition against Napoleon. Owing to George III’s mental illness, the Prince of Wales was made regent in 1811; he became George IV in 1820.
George IV. Born Aug. 12, 1762, in London; died June 26, 1830, in Windsor. Became king in 1820 (at the same time he was king of Hanover; from 1811 to 1820 he was prince regent). George IV supported the antidemocratic course of the Tory government of Lord Liverpool. He was also an active adherent of the reactionary policy of the Holy Alliance.
George V. Born June 3, 1865, in London; died Jan. 20, 1936, in Sandringham. Became king in 1910; a representative of the Saxe-Coburg-Gotha dynasty, which was renamed the Windsor dynasty in 1917 during World War I. George V did not play a significant role in the political life of Great Britain.
George I. Born Dec. 24, 1845, in Copenhagen; died Mar. 18, 1913, in Thessaloniki. King between 1863 and 1913. A member of the Glucksburg dynasty, he acceded to the throne at the insistance of Britain, supported by France and Russia. George I endeavored to establish a “Great Greece” by annexing territories from neighboring states.
George II. Born July 20, 1890, in Dekeleia; died Apr. 1, 1947, in Athens. King; member of the Glucksburg dynasty. He acceded to the throne after a military coup in 1922. In December 1923, after the victory of the republicans in the elections, George II was forced to leave Greece and settle in London. He was restored to the throne by monarchists in 1935. He collaborated in the establishment on Aug. 4, 1936, of the reactionary dictatorship of Metaxas. In 1941, when the fascist Germans occupied Greece, George II emigrated first to Egypt and later to Britain. He returned to Greece in September 1946, after the monarchy was restored as the result of a rigged plebiscite (Sept. 1, 1946).
Washington's (George) Birthday Celebration (Alexandria, Virginia)
Celebrations of Washington's birthday have been held in Alexandria since the president's lifetime. The first parade to honor him was in 1798, when he came from his Mt. Vernon home to review the troops in front of Gadsby's Tavern.
The present-day festivities get off to an elegant start over the weekend with a banquet followed by the George Washington Birthnight Ball in Gadsby's Tavern, a duplication of the birthday-eve parties held in Washington's lifetime. People wear 18th-century dress, and the banquet toasts to Washington are usually delivered by people who are prominent in current events and who reflect Washington's military background. In 1991, former chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Colin Powell (later Secretary of State under President George W. Bush) proposed the toast. His name and face became widely known during the Persian Gulf War of 1991.
On Monday is the big parade. It lasts two hours and usually draws about 75,000 spectators. George and Martha Washington are depicted, along with other colonial personages. The paraders include a number of Scottish bagpipe groups (the city was founded by Scots), Masonic units, equestrian groups, color guards, fife and drum corps, and horse-drawn carriages.
Washington's (George) Birthday Celebration (Los Dos Laredos)
Washington's birthday events include dances, fireworks, mariachi music, a fun run, a jalapeno-eating contest, and parades with lavishly decorated floats.