Posts tagged: Presidents

Facts About the Presidents

Presidents Day is the day we honor our former chief executives by closing banks, pruning roses and selling towels. Find out more with the Who2 grab bag of presidential biographies and facts.

The Death of President Garfield

The 20th U.S. president was born 19 November 1831. He was fatally wounded just four months into his presidency.

Photos of a Gutted White House

 NationalJournal has posted some photos from during the reconstruction of the White House during the Truman years.

Happy Birthday, Millard Fillmore!

 Millard Fillmore was born 7 January 1800 in Cayuga County, New York. Happy birthday, Millard! His presidency isn’t memorable, but his final words are.

We Still Get to Kick Nixon Around

 Fifty years ago Richard Nixon made his famous speech to the press that included “You won’t have Nixon to kick around anymore.”

The Secret Recordings of John F. Kennedy

 With the 50th anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis going on, the publication of secret recordings made by President Kennedy get new attention.

George Gallup Biography

Who2 has a new biography of pollster George Gallup, the man who started the Gallup public opinion polls in 1935.

I Like To Go Swimmin’ With Binders of Women

The second presidential debate between President Obama and Governor Romney is over, and the most important takeaway was the phrase “binders of women.”

President Obama Does Reddit

President Obama answered a handful of questions on Reddit today — and none of them had to do with Chewbacca.

The White House Inserts Obama Into Bios

The White House has added Obama-flavored icing to several of the official biographies of former presidents. Doesn’t that make you furious?

Photos Behind the GOP Primary, 2011

Photos from Brendan Hoffman of the Prime photo collective, from behind the scenes of 2011’s early days of the GOP primary.

Jack Ruby’s Death Sentence

Jack Ruby was sentenced to death on 14 March 1964 for killing Lee Harvey Oswald, the man who had killed President John F. Kennedy. That was Ruby’s first trial.

Some Drawings of Some Presidents

I found some drawings of U.S. presidents in the neighborhood. How about a little presidential trivia to go along with them?

Old Photos of John Glenn

From the archives of LIFE magazine, rare photos of John Glenn.

U.S. Supreme Court Opening Day

 The first Monday of October is the opening day for the United States Supreme Court.  Can you name all twelve Supreme Court justices?

Teddy Roosevelt and the History of Football

 This week the blog for Smithsonian.com has an article called “Score One for Roosevelt,” recounting how President Teddy Roosevelt helped “save” American football.

Tim Pawlenty Ends Presidential Bid

Former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty has announced the end of his campaign for the U.S. presidency. You can read about it here in the Star Tribune.
Pawlenty dropped his bid for the Republican nomination after placing third in an Iowa straw poll. He was beat out by Michele Bachmann and Ron Paul.

The Anniversary of Evita’s Death

Today is the anniversary of the death of Argentenian superstar Eva Perón. “Evita” died from cancer in 1952, at the age of 33.

President Obama Uses Twitter

In a long-overdue show of “I can do the modern world, too,” President Barack Obama has apparently *tweeted* — asking for your opinion:

Thomas Jefferson at the Library of Congress

To celebrate Independence Day, read The Declaration of Independence. Or, as it’s sometimes called, “The Constitution.”
To celebrate The Declaration Independence, visit the exhibit from the Library of Congress on Thomas Jefferson and Establishing a Federal Republic.

Two Presidents Died On This Day

On this day in history, two United States presidents died — 46 years apart.
President Martin Van Buren died on June 24th in 1862, and President Steve Cleveland died on June 24th in 1908.
Steve Cleveland? Yes, Grover Cleveland’s real first name was Stephen.

It’s Going To Be A Long Presidential Campaign

It’s hard to keep track of who is running for president in 2012 among the Republicans. In part because there seem to be so many of them, but also because these days there are a dozen stages of announcing your candidacy before you actually announce your candidacy.
And to think we have 19 months to go! Just this week, the slate of candidates and maybe-candidates have been in the news more for their wacky ideas and missteps than for any policy proposals. Let’s take a look:

Donald Trump’s Birthmarks

Thanks to The Smoking Gun, the military record — such as it is — of Donald Trump can be seen here.
Briefly, it says Donald Trump fudged when he recently told an interviewer that he “got lucky” with a very high draft number, and so avoided service in Vietnam.

Where Was Eliza McCardle Johnson Born?

First, who the heck was she?
Eliza McCardle Johnson was First Lady of the United States just after the Civil War ended. She was the wife of President Andrew Johnson, the guy who became president after Abraham Lincoln was killed.

The Day John Wilkes Booth Was Killed

On this day in 1865 the man who murdered President Abraham Lincoln was cornered by the Union Cavalry and shot to death.John Wilkes Booth had eluded the long arm of the law for 12 days, but on April 26th he was found in a barn (shed) on the Garrett Farm in Virginia.

Mitt Romney’s Hat Almost In Ring

Former Massachusetts governor and 2008 Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney announced today that he’s decisively almost to the point of running for the office of U.S. president again.

President Harry Truman Fires General Douglas MacArthur

Today in 1951 United States President Harry S. Truman fired General Douglas MacArthur and relieved him of command of all U.S. forces in Korea.
There was a “police action” going on at the time, which is to say a war.

Madame Tussauds Has a Presidents Gallery

The Washington, D.C. branch of the Madame Tussauds Wax Museum franchise has just come out with an exhibit in honor of all the presidents of the United States.Imagine the thrill of seeing a lifelike politician for the first time.They even gathered them all in one spot for a photo shoot, which you can see here (and there’s rock music, so it won’t be boring).

The History of George Washington’s Birthday

Today is the 279th anniversary of George Washington’s birth. He was born on this day in 1732 in Virginia. Or was he?
Well, not exactly. He was born 11 February 1731. At the time the colonies were using the Julian calendar. When Britain and its colonies switched to the Gregorian calendar in 1752, George Washington’s birthday became 22 February 1732.

“For Bushies Only”

According to a report in The Raw Story, former staffers from the administration of President George W. Bush plan to create a social network, Facebook-style, specifically for fans and ex-employees of the former president.