Monday, February 20, 2012

In Honor of Presidents' Day...

It’s Presidents’ Day, but whom the holiday is meant to honor depends on whom you ask. Even the placement of the apostrophe is open to question! To the U.S. government and Virginia, the home state of George Washington, the holiday is recognized as “Washington’s Birthday.” Some states jointly celebrate the birthdays of George Washington, born Feb. 22, and Abraham Lincoln, born Feb. 12, while others honor Washington and Thomas Jefferson but not Lincoln. In some Southern states, all of the presidents are commemorated on Presidents’ Day.

So in honor of Presidents' Day (since I do live in one of those Southern states that commemorate the day as such), I have two specials for you guys. First I have reposted just prior to this post two earlier posts about Presidents that may or may not have been gay.


and I can't forget the Senator from Alabama, who was also for a brief time, Vice President of the United States:


Also, in honor of the day, here is a little presidential trivia quiz from the Washington Post:

1. What is the birth state of the most presidents?
  • Virginia
  • Massachusetts
  • New York
  • Illinois
2. How many U.S. presidencies have there been?
  • 42
  • 44
  • 45
  • 49
3. Who was the first president to live in the White House?
  • George Washington
  • John Adams
  • Thomas Jefferson
  • James Madison
4. Which is NOT true about Lincoln's Gettysburg Address?
  • Lincoln was not the main speaker on Nov. 18, 1863, at the dedication of Soldiers' National Cemetery in Pennsylvania.
  • He wrote out the address on the back of an envelope on the train to Gettysburg.
  • Now regarded as one of the greatest speeches ever, at the time it got mixed reviews.
  • It took about three minutes to deliver.
5. Fill in the missing words in the president's oath of office: "I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, ---, --- and --- the Constitution of the United States."
  • Preserve, promote and defend
  • Support, protect and uphold
  • Preserve, promote and uphold
  • Preserve, protect and defend
6. True or false: George Washington owned many slaves but decided to free them in his will.
  • True
  • False
7. Who was the only president to serve two nonconsecutive terms?
  • John Quincy Adams
  • Theodore Roosevelt
  • Grover Cleveland
  • Abraham Lincoln
8. Lincoln was virtually unknown in the Republican Party in 1858 when he challenged the powerful U.S. Sen. Stephen Douglas of Illinois. The two debated seven times between July and October of that year. Which is NOT correct?
  • Lincoln and Douglas ignored key issues of the day, such as immigration and bank regulation, and spoke almost exclusively about slavery.
  • As a result of the debates, Lincoln beat Douglas but was only in the U.S. Senate for a short time because he beat him again to become president in 1860.
  • The debates are sometimes depicted as being civil, but both Douglas and Lincoln hurled personal insults at each other.
  • The format of the debates involved one candidate speaking for an hour and then the other speaking for one and a half hours, with no real interaction.
9. Four presidents were assassinated in office, and four others died from other causes. What killed William Henry Harrison?
  • Heart attack
  • Acute gastroenteritis
  • Cerebral hemorrhage
  • Pneumonia and pleurisy
10. What was Woodrow Wilson's nickname?
  • The Boss
  • The Little Magician
  • The Rail Splitter
  • The Professor

The answers will be published this evening, so stay tuned. 

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

1.Correct answer:Virginia
2.Correct answer: 44
3. Correct answer: John Adams
4. Correct answer: He wrote out the address on the back of an envelope on the train to Gettysburg.
5. Correct answer: Preserve, protect and defend
6. Correct answer: True
7. Correct answer: Grover Cleveland
8. Correct answer: As a result of the debates, Lincoln beat Douglas but was only in the U.S. Senate for a short time because he beat him again to become president in 1860.
9. Correct answer: Pneumonia and pleurisy
10.Correct answer: The professor
Twitter @papostolova

Anonymous said...

1. Virginia
2. 44
3. John Adams
4. It only lasted just over 2 minutes.
5. Preserve, protect, defend
6. True, it was when Martha died, but she freed them about a year after his death.
7. Grover Cleveland
8. I think "b"..."As a result of the debates..."
9. Complications of pneumonia.
10. Some sources list "The Professor", others lsit "The Phrasemaker", "The Schoolmaster of Politics", "The Coiner of Weasal Words".

Peace <3
Jay

fan of casey said...

1. Virginia
2. 44 presidencies, 43 different persons
3. James Madison
4. I'd like to buy a vowel Vanna -- "O"
5. Preserve, protect and defend
6. True
7. Cleveland
8. I'd like to use one of my lifelines
9. Pneumonia and pleurisy
10. The Professor