In the long history of man, countless empires and nations have come and gone,” President Lyndon B. Johnson told Congress upon signing the Arts and Humanities Bill on September 19, 1965, which created the National Endowment for the Arts. “Those which created no lasting works of art are reduced today to short footnotes in history’s catalog.” In more than five decades, the National Endowment for the Arts has used federal funding to create some of the finest contributions to contemporary American culture. Many Grammy, Tony, Oscar, Emmy, and Pulitzer Prize-winning artists started their artistic careers thanks to funding from the NEA. Some of the most proud works and creators in American history were bankrolled partially or entirely by federal funds. To read more, click here.