ANSWERS

A quiz, by George!
From George Washington to George W. Bush, the 42 men who have held the nation’s highest office have some of the most familiar names and faces in American history. You see them every day on U.S. currency and coins, attend schools that bear their names, and drive on streets and highways named in their honor. But how well do you really know the American presidents? Do you know which man owned a haberdashery before ascending to the presidency? (Harry S. Truman) Do you know who survived an assassination attempt when a metal eyeglass case deflected the bullet? (Theodore Roosevelt) Do you know who used the words “I affirm” instead of “I swear” when taking his oath of office? (Franklin Pierce) Here’s your chance to meet the men behind the office.

1 This president — our nation’s first — was the only one inaugurated in two cities: New York and Philadelphia.

2 After losing his re-election bid, this president spent 17 years serving in the House of Representatives.

3 He died July 4, 1826, the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, which he wrote.

4 He became president when William Henry Harrison died. Because he was the first president not actually elected to the office, he was referred to as “His Accidency.”

5 The first president to live in the White House, he said of it, “May none but honest and wise men ever rule under the roof.”

6 This president, credited with writing the Bill of Rights, helped found the University of Virginia.

7 Three of our first five presidents died on July 4. This man, our fifth president, died on that date in 1831.

8 On a trip to England in 1855, this president turned down an honorary degree from Oxford University, which was written in Latin. He said one shouldn’t accept a degree one couldn’t read.

9 Under this president, the Mexican War ended with the annexation of California.

10 Our seventh president was the first to be born in a log cabin — though not the last to make that claim.

11 As the extremely influential vice president under Andrew Jackson, this eighth president was called the Little Magician.

12 After giving the longest inaugural address in history (105 minutes), this president caught pneumonia and died exactly one month later.

13 This president was the only one who was never married. His niece served as White House hostess.

14 Our 20th president was shot by Charles Guiteau on July 2, 1881, just a few months after he took office in March. He died Sept. 19, the second president to be killed in office.

15 The initial “B” stands for Birchard in this president’s name.

16 Called “Old Rough and Ready,” he had never voted in a presidential election when he ran for the office.

17 He supported the controversial Kansas-Nebraska Act, which left the question of slavery in those two territories to popular vote.

18 His given name was Hiram Ulysses, but when he entered West Point in 1839, it was put down as Ulysses Simpson, and he adopted it.

19 The only president to serve two non-consecutive terms. According to a State Department ruling, he should be counted as the 22nd and 24th presidents.

20 He had received all his political jobs prior to the presidency because of his loyalty to the Republican Party. But to his party’s surprise, this president signed major civil service reform legislation.

21 His son, Tad, sold refreshments to White House visitors to raise money for Civil War charities.

22 He was the first president to be impeached, but he was spared removal from office by one vote.

23 A portrait of our 25th president is on the front of the $500 bill.

24 “Silent Cal” liked to sit on the front porch of the White House after dinner and watch people go by.

25 This president was obsessed with germs and wore gloves when shaking hands. He was so cold on a personal level that he was nicknamed the “Human Iceberg.”

26 In 1919, this president was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his work on the League of Nations.

27 He was the only president to serve as chief justice of the United States.

28 A strong believer in racial equality, he was the first president to dine with an African American in the White House when educator Booker T. Washington joined him for dinner.

29 He was the first president to ride to his inauguration in an automobile.

30 His family argued whether his middle name should be Shippe or Solomon, after his two grandfathers, so he used only the middle initial “S.”

31 He was the last president inaugurated on March 4 (1933), and the first inaugurated Jan. 20 (1937).

32 This president was the first to be born west of the Mississippi River — in West Branch, Iowa.

33 He lived in 27 different homes during his 38 years in the U.S. Army.

34 This president served exactly 1,000 days in office before he was assassinated in 1963.

35 He is the only president not to have been elected to either the presidency or the vice presidency.

36 This president was the first to visit all 50 states.

37 His wife’s real name was Claudia Alta Taylor, but she was known as Lady Bird.

38 He was sworn into the presidency using his nickname, “Jimmy,” instead of his full name, James Earl.

39 This president changed his last name from Blythe when he was 16.

40 In November 1958 — 22 years before he was elected president — he had a role in an episode of “General Electric Theater” called “A Turkey for the President.”

41 He lost two bids for a seat in the U.S. Senate — in 1964 and 1970.

42 This president and his father became the second father and son to hold the nation’s highest office — preceded only by John Adams and John Quincy Adams.

— Compiled by Becky Sher, Knight Ridder/Tribune
Sources: Internet Public Library (www.ipl.org); 2002 World Almanac ; 2002 World Almanac for Kids; National Museum of American History (americanhistory.si.edu/presidency); Bureau of Engraving and Printing (www.moneyfactory.com); American Presidents Life Portraits (www.americanpresidents.org); Internet Movie Database (www.imdb.com); KRT.

credits

TCU Daily Skiff © 2002