Posts Tagged Founding Fathers

(Image via Barnes & Noble)

History By Zim was contacted by Smithsonian Books (they publish material in collaboration with the Smithsonian Institute) to see if I was interested in doing a book review/feature on an upcoming release. The book, The Smithsonian Book of Presidential Trivia, seemed to be right in History By Zim’s wheelhouse. Because of that reason, as well as the Smithsonian connection, I immediately agreed. However, I should state that as excited as I am about this, I made a point of looking through the book as unbiased as I can be. 

The Smithsonian Book of Presidential Trivia
AMY PASTAN
Washington D.C.: Smithsonian Books, 2012
240 pp. $12.95/$15.95 CAN
ISBN: 978-1-58834-325-3

Cover:

Book covers are one of the main selling points of a book, they help set the mood for what the reader can expect. President Theodore Roosevelt’s enthusiastic smile is just one of the many faces and objects popping out of the White House roof. The seemingly random array of things assures the reader that this book is full of all things presidents. Since random trivia play a large role in History By Zim, this is a very good sign.

Standard information dominates the back cover and reads on the textbook side.* It’s important to mention that it states that the book is “[f]ully updated with presidential information to 2013.”

Book Structure:

Coming in around 240 pages, The Smithsonian Book of Presidential Trivia  is substantial enough to appease presidential history experts but not too long to scare off the average history buff.

A short forward by Marc Pachter (Director Emeritus, National Portrait Gallery and Interim Director, National Museum of American History) details the perception of the presidency and how the presidency is as an iconic symbol of the country.

Divided into eleven chapters, The Smithsonian Book of Presidential Trivia deals with every part of the presidency from political campaigns to life in the White House to particular low moments for some. Chapter Eleven, “The Quotable President,” gives quips and soundbites from those who held the nation’s highest office.

Following the chapters is a helpful presidential timeline that lists the order of presidents, their birth/death, term years and vice presidents.

(Photo by Zim)

Content:

I have looked at my fair share of presidential trivia books for here and this one follows the standard Question and Answer format. However, that seems to be the only major similarity between them. This one varies because, not only do they tell you which president[s] is the answer to the question, they give more information about the person, event, object, etc…. in question. It is very helpful to have the additional information on hand and not just the president’s name.

Another big difference between The Smithsonian Book of Presidential Trivia and other related trivia books is that this one pairs questions with photographs of historic artifacts (from Smithsonian’s collections). There are 115 black-and-white photographs in the book.

The Smithsonian Book of Presidential Trivia includes trivia about some First Ladies and children of presidents as well. Hillary Clinton and Lucy Hayes are the most discussed First Ladies with about four to five mentions each.

The most discussed presidents include: Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt (without including mentions about wives and children). James Monroe, Millard Fillmore, Franklin Pierce, James Buchanan, Herbert Hoover and George H.W. Bush are the least mentioned with 2-3 entries (including mentions about wives and children).

Things I liked:

• Discussion on each trivia answer.
• Numerous photographs of objects from Smithsonian’s collections.
• Presidential Timeline at the end of the book.
• Includes trivia on some First Ladies and children.
• Many questions/answers I had never heard of before. For example: “Which president popularized the term “OK”?” or “Which president wore a ring containing a lock of Lincoln’s hair to his inauguration?”

Things I prefer to have:*

• An index at the end to where the reader could find information on a specific president. If you are looking for fun facts about Millard Fillmore you would have to page through over half of the book to find anything about him.
• Colored photographs of the physical objects from Smithsonian’s collections. I find that you can lose some of the details with black-and-white photographs.

Overall Impression:

I enjoyed reading through The Smithsonian Book of Presidential Trivia. It was put together very well. It had a little bit of something about everything and there were some things I had not known about. I would highly recommend this book to any history/trivia buff and even to general/presidential historians as well. The Smithsonian has a high reputation of preserving and sharing history, this book reflects that quality.

Where to find The Smithsonian Book of Presidential Trivia:

Here are a few places you can find the book (it will be released on January 1, 2013)
Amazon
Barnes & Nobles
Smithsonian Books (I assume it will be available here once it is released)

[* I should note that my copy is a proof copy and, therefore, I assume the final copies will vary slightly.]

A list of random Presidential facts

• Only 1 president, James A. Garfield, was ambidextrous.
• 5 Presidents who sported a beads: Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, Benjamin Harrison and James Garfield
• 4 Presidents who were assassinated: Abraham Lincoln (1865), James A. Garfield (1881), William McKinley (1901) and John F. Kennedy (1963)
• 8 Presidents were born in Virginia: Thomas Jefferson, William H. Harrison, James Madison, James Monroe, Zachary Taylor, John Tyler, George Washington and Woodrow Wilson.
• Of the 50 states, 29 have never been the birthplace of a president.
• William Henry Harrison had the longest inaugural address at 8,578 words, while the average number of words used in the 54 inaugurals was 2,364 words.
• Only 1 president, William Henry Harrison, had a grandchild who became president.
• Only 2 presidents had children that became presidents: John Adams and George H.W. Bush.
• Ronald Reagan, at the age of 69, was the oldest president to take office.
• John F. Kennedy was the youngest president on taking office at the age of 43. Additionally, at the age of 46, was also the shortest-lived president.
• The longest-lived president, at the age of 93 years and 165 Days, was Gerald Ford.
• William Henry Harrison had the shortest presidency at 32 days. Franklin Delano Roosevelt was in office for 12 years, 1 month and 8 days, making his presidency the longest.
•  At 335lbs, William Howard Taft was the heaviest president.
• The shortest president, at 5’4”, was James Madison, while 6’4” Abraham Lincoln was the tallest.
• Of the 44 presidents, only 31 graduated from college.
• 34 presidents had sisters.
• 42 were married and John Tyler had 15 children, the most out of all the presidents.
• 15 presidents served as wartime presidents.

Abby Haglage, “By The Numbers: Presidential first and mosts-from tallest to fattest,” Newsweek, Fall 2012, 56-57.

Small Town, U.S.A. (Photo by Zim)

I hope everyone has a happy and safe 4th of July! It’s one of my favorite holidays. Whether it’s the flag-lined streets, the abundance of red, white and blue, fireworks or the overall patriotic sentiment, it’s also a good time to think about all those serving overseas and their families, both now and in the past, and to remember that our freedom was far from cheap. Additionally, I think it’s a good time to remember that America was founded not just on those fighting but also on the working class. On the farmers, teachers, truck drivers, factory workers, secretaries, gas station attendants, nurses, etc…. Those that put food on our plates, technology in our hands and bandages on our skinned knees as well as those fighting on the country’s behalf. America is the “Land of the Free” because farmers picked up pitchforks to defend it. The ideals that we defend so adamantly today. This day marks the anniversary of the Second Continental Congress’ adoption of The Declaration of Independence. That document holds some of the famous and well-known words ever written. Words that still resonate in the hearts of all Americans and I hope that as you celebrate today, you feel as lucky as I feel about living in the “Land of the Free.”

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

Fourth of July Fun Facts in a Flash

“The Star-Spangled Banner” was actually a poem – Francis Key Scott wrote the poem after the War of 1812. Only later were his words put to music, and then in 1931, the song became our national anthem.

Three of our founding fathers died on July 4. John Adams and Thomas Jefferson passed away in 1826 on the 50th anniversary of our independence. Five years later, James Monroe died on the same day.

The United States Congress made the Fourth a federal holiday in 1870.

Ben Franklin wanted a turkey as the U.S. animal stating that it was a “bird of courage.” However, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson outvoted him and chose the bald eagle.

Before hot dogs became the popular food, the go to summertime specialty was turtle soup. It was a must-have on any July 4 menu in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Philadelphia held the first large-scale public display of fireworks in honor of our independence in 1777. Fireworks originated in tenth-century China, when a cook mistakenly added various chemicals together. What resulted was the first man-made explosion of sparks.

In 1776, 2.5 million people lived in the United States. Since then, the population has grown to more than 313 million. The Census Bureau projects that 439 million Americans will celebrate July 4 in 2050.

Declaration of Independence Pop Quiz:

• Who was the oldest signer of the Declaration of Independence?
• Who was the youngest signer of the Declaration of Independence?
• How many of the signers were born in Great Britain?
• Which two future Presidents signed the Declaration of Independence?
• Who was the longest-lived (and last surviving) signatory of the Declaration of Independence?
• How many men signed the Declaration of Independence?
• How many of the signers were clergymen?

Photo Credit: National Archives

The United States Constitution is the oldest written constitution in the world that is still in use. It was adopted on September 17, 1787 and has been amended 27 times to deal with issues such as freedom of speech and slavery.

• It has 4,440 words making it the shortest written constitution.
• Pennsylvania was misspelled as “Pensylvania.”
• The word “democracy” does not appear on the document.
• At 26-year-old, Jonathan Dayton was the youngest signatory while Benjamin Franklin was 81 years old, making him the oldest.
• Both Thomas Jefferson and John Adams were out of state and did not sign the Constitution.
• “Bundle of Compromises” is another name for this document.
• Rhode Island was the only “original colony” that did not take part in the Constitution’s writing.
• Thirty-four out of the fifty-five signatories were either lawyers or studied the law.

Smithsonian Institution, Timelines of History, New York: Dorling Kindersley, 2011, 272.
National Archives website

George Washington grew marijuana as one of the crops on his farm.

Lowe, Charlote. History Fact-O-Pedia. New York: Skyhorse Publishing, 2011, 10.

Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin played a pivotal role in the founding of this country, but he was a lot more than just a figurehead for colonial revolution.

• His love of literature persuaded him to create the first public lending library in 1731.
• Fires were always a constant threat and possibility. Because of this, Franklin formed Pennsylvania’s first fire department in 1736 along with the Philadelphia Contributionship, the colonies’ first successful fire insurance company.
• Franklin became the first US Postmaster General in 1775 when the Second Continental Congress elected him.
• When writing, he has used both male and female pseudonyms such as Richard Saunders, Silence Dogood, Harry Meanwell, Alice Addertongue and Timothy Turnstone.
• He was considered the first American international celebrity, having visited 10 countries during his time as a diplomat.  
• Other inventions attributed to Franklin include the following: swimming fins, bifocal glasses, odometer and lightning rods.
• While Franklin was a strong patriot, his son (illegitimate) William was loyal to England. Scholars have stated that William even spied on his father and reported his activities to the royal crown.
• He also uttered the following popular quote:

“In this world nothing is certain but death and taxes”

[Information found at pbs.org, photo via America's Library]

John Adams, the second president of the United States

John Adams died on July 4, 1826. 

Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States

Thomas Jefferson also died on July 4, 1826, just hours before Adams.

James Monroe died five years later on July 4, 1831. 

James Monroe, the fifth president of the United States