presidential facts: june sucks

Bush family has so much influence, they actually went back in time to assure no other president was born in the same month as george h. w. bush. so here goes:

George Herbert Walker Bush: his dog Spotty holds the distinction of being the only pet to live in two White Houses. While he was in office, Bush's dog Millie gave birth to Spotty, then Spotty moved in with the next President Bush's family.

Holy crap, i forgot May

sorry guys, may was a hectic month. i totally forgot to post this month's president fun time learning corner. luckily, there were only two presidents born in may.

Harry S Truman: His mother was such a supporter of the Confederacy that she refused to sleep in the Lincoln bedroom during her visits.

Speaking of Lincoln--

John Fitzgerald Kennedy: the following information is relatively well known, at least in concept, but i've always found it really cool:

--Abraham Lincoln was elected to Congress in 1846. John F. Kennedy was elected to Congress in 1946.
--Abraham Lincoln was elected President in 1860. John F. Kennedy was elected President in 1960.

--The names Lincoln and Kennedy each contain seven letters. Both presidents' wives both lost children while living in the White House.

--Abraham Lincoln died in 1865. Andrew Johnson died in 1875.
--John F. Kennedy died in 1963. Lyndon Johnson died in 1973.

--Both presidents were shot on a Friday. Both presidents were shot in the head. Both presidents were shot while seated next to their wife. Both presidents were assassinated by Southerners. Both were succeeded by Southerners named Johnson.

--Andrew Johnson, who succeeded Lincoln, was born in 1808. Lyndon Johnson, who succeeded Kennedy, was born in 1908. Both successors left the presidency in disgrace without running for reelection.

--John Wilkes Booth was born in 1839. Lee Harvey Oswald was born in 1939. Both assassins were known by three names, both names contain fifteen letters.

--Booth ran from the theater and was caught in a warehouse. Oswald ran from a warehouse and was caught in a theater. Booth and Oswald were assassinated before their trials.

--Lincoln was shot in the Ford Theatre and Kennedy was shot in a Ford Lincoln.

After reading, remember these men were President

Apparently Presidents born in April are eccentric, untrustworthy, wildly stupid, and likely to incur the wrath of over zealous New Englanders. This Saturday, it was eighty degrees and sunny at my apartment, then overcast and sixty at the beach. Being born in that kind of weather would probably fuck me up too.

Thomas Jefferson: Owned a pet parrot named Dick, whom he trained to sit on his shoulder during dinner and eat his food, and follow him up the stairs.

James Buchanan: At one time had the chance to buy Cuba for only $900,000, but Congress refused, thinking he would take the money and run.

Hiram Ulysses Simpson Grant: Once owned a business trying to sell ice in San Francisco. it failed when the ice all melted in transit.

James Monroe: Came one vote shy of being re-elected unanimously. A delegate from New Hampshire felt only Washington should have the distinction of unanimous election.

March is when the cool presidents are born

March is when two of my favorite minor presidents were born. To clarify, by minor, I mean not Lincoln, Washington, or Jefferson. There are some minor presidents who come close to joining that list. These are presidents who changed the face of American politics by just being the men they are. I'd put on that list Kennedy, both Roosevelts, John Adams, and our first March birthday:

Andrew Jackson -- I think Aaron Sorkin nailed the best part of Jackson.
LEO
Andrew Jackson, in the main foyer of his White House had a big block of cheese... The block of cheese was huge--over two tons. And it was there for any and all who might be hungry... Jackson wanted the White House to belong to the people, so from time to time, he opened his doors to those who wished an audience.

The next president has special significance to me because he's the first president I ever did a book report about.

John Tyler -- fathered 15 children, was never an official member of a political party, and is a grand-uncle to Harry Truman.

and the other two March presidents were pretty cool

James Madison -- was only 5'4," which makes him both the shortest president and still taller than Sandy :-)

Stephen Grover Cleveland -- before becoming president he was a public executioner, which makes him the coolest president ever, having personally hanged two men. take that TR

Presidents Day: Shared No More

What a shit holiday. I'm coming right out there and saying it. Forty-two men have put aside their personal lives in service of our country. These men weren't one of a hundred senators or one of fifty governors. These men were the single, lone guy in charge of and responsible for everything that happened on their watch. In our infinite wisdom, we as a country have condensed all forty-three of their birthdays into a single holiday.

I say fuck that.

If you look at my calendar, you will see I have marked down the birthday of every single president, from George W. to George W. I intend to celebrate every single one, at least until I get bored with this. In honor of the seven presidents who have already had birthdays this year, I give you fun facts about each of them

Millard Fillmore: Refused an honorary degree from Oxford University, stating a person shoudln't accept a degree if he couldn't read.

Richard Milhouse Nixon: The first president to visit all 50 states.

William McKinley, Jr.: According to his doctors, had he been in better shape, he may have survived the assassin's bullet that killed him; however, he holds the record for presidential hand shaking: 2,500 per hour.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt: His mother made him wear a dress until he was five years-old.

Ronald Wilson Reagan: Starred in "Bedtime for Bonzo" where he acted opposite a monkey.

William Henry Harrison: Gave the longest inaugural address in history, resulting in the shortest presidency in history. He died of pneumonia.

Abraham Lincoln: He chose to grow a beard because a little girl once told him it looked dignified. (thank you Jenni for that one)

These facts must all be true, I found them on the internet.