Category Archives: History

The US Presidents

History

Recently my sister and I have been very into the US Presidents.  We hauled two huge books about them home from the library and have been devouring them ever since.  We have learned a ton.

The tallest president was Abraham Lincoln, who stood at 6’4″.  The shortest president was James Madison, who was 5’4″, a whole foot shorter than Abraham Lincoln and the same height as me.  The heaviest president was William Howard Taft, who weighed 332 lbs, and the lightest president was again James Madison, who weighed 122 lbs.

George Washington, 1st president.  President from 1789 to 1797. george-washington-38

  • Washington never had any children.  The children he raised were his stepchildren.
  • Washington was the only president elected by a unanimous electoral vote – none of the 69 electoral votes were against him.
  • However, Washington only carried ten of the thirteen states.

Abraham Lincoln, 16th president.  President from 1861 to 1865.220px-Abraham_Lincoln_O-77_matte_collodion_print

  • When accused of being two-faced, Lincoln said:  “If I had another, why do you think I’d be showing you this one?”  He also said:  “Common-looking people are the best in the world: that is why the Lord makes so many of them.”
  • Lincoln was the first president to be assassinated.
  • Lincoln only grew a beard because he received a letter from a girl saying he’d look better with one.

Theodore Roosevelt, 26th president.  President from 1901 to 1909.theodore-roosevelt-biography

  • Roosevelt was climbing down a mountain as vice president when he got a message that the president – McKinley – was dying.  As soon as he got down, he took the oath of office and became president.
  • Roosevelt was the youngest president in the nation’s history, starting when he was 42.
  • Roosevelt disliked the name Teddy, preferring to be called Colonel.

Franklin D. Roosevelt, 32nd president.  President from 1933 to 1945.franklin-roosevelt-9463381-1-raw

  • FDR was the only president who served for four terms.
  • FDR didn’t have polio – he more likely had Guillain-Barre Syndrome.  Polio affects the body asymmetrically, but FDR was paralyzed on both sides.  Polio mainly affects infants, whereas FDR was 39 when he was diagnosed.
  • FDR collected stamps – he had more than forty large albums and more than 25,000 rare stamps.

I hope this got you interested in the presidents, too.  See you next time!!!