Christopher Bright is an independent scholar of twentieth century American history. Although he is interested in a variety of diplomatic, political, and business history topics, this website features information about two particular subjects:
 
 
 
From 1957 until the mid-1980s, the United States deployed antiaircraft weapons with nuclear warheads across the nation. These Army Nike-Hercules and Air Force BOMARC surface-to-air missiles and Air Force Genie and Falcon air-to-air weapons were intended to counter a surprise Soviet bomber attack. They comprised as much as one-fifth of the US nuclear arsenal during the Cold War. Click Here for more information about this subject.
 
 

U.S. Air Force BOMARC nuclear antiaircraft missile at launch facility in French River, Minnesota, approximately 12 miles northeast of downtown Duluth, 1967. Photograph courtesy of National Atomic Museum.
 
 

U.S. Army Nike-Hercules nuclear antiaircraft missile in Chicago, Illinois, 1959. Photograph courtesy of National Atomic Museum.
 
 
 
 
In the past one hundred years, Fairfax County, a city-like jurisdiction in the northeastern part of Virginia a few miles from the nation’s capital, transitioned from a sparsely populated, rural farming community to a largely suburbanized area which is the tenth-most populous municipality in America. This is one of the most dramatic community transformations in twentieth century America. While just twenty years ago, Fairfax County was a commuter suburb of Washington, today most who live in Fairfax County work there as well. With hundreds of thousands of high technology and professional service jobs, cultural amenities, and shopping venues, it has become largely commercially and civically independent of the District of Columbia and its immediate environs. Click Here for more information about this subject.
 
 

The Accotink area of Fairfax County, near present-day Fort Belvoir, in 1918. Photograph courtesy of Virginia Room, Fairfax County Public Library.
 
 


Virginia’s Fairfax County, once a rural farming community, is today the nation’s tenth most-populous city-like municipality. While suburban development predominates, there are several urbanized areas, including Tysons Corner. In addition, one-third of the county remains semi rural.

Not the right Christopher Bright?
There are several other individuals named Christopher Bright who maintain websites: The attorney who attended George Washington University Law School; the World Watch environmentalist from Virginia; the English lawyer; or the professional drummer.