In the United States, bricks have been manufactured since the early 1600s, before the nation was officially born. Today brick is manufactured all over the world. And the material is more popular than ever. Architects and builders worldwide use brick for everything from decorative arches to homes, buildings, and entire communities. Nothing else can match the classic style and elegance of brick. And nothing else says solidity so quickly. Just as when a character in Shakespeare's Henry VI cried, "He make a chimney in my father's house, and the bricks are alive to this day to testify to it," brick is still the natural choice for strength and endurance.