The Complete Book of Presidential Trivia Book

Introduction 11

Chapter 1 Presidential Potpourri

The One and Only 15

Famous Firsts 18

Assassinations, and Some Attempts at It 22

Naming the Presidents 25

Nicknaming the Presidents 29

Mr. President, Mr. Author Holidays, Holy Days, and Other Special Days 38

Famous Firsts (Part 2) 40

The One and Only (Part 2) 44

Chapter 2 Mixing and Mingling

Pre- and Extramarital Flings 49

Joining the Club 53

Hobnobbing with the Famous 55

Chapter 3 Quote, Unquote

Presidents on Presidents 61

Some Memorable Phrases 65

Presidents on the Presidency 68

Those Catty Critics 71

Presidents on Themselves 76

What the Foreigners Said 80

Praising the Presidents, Sometimes Sincerely 83

Death Sentences: Their Last Words 87

The Presidential Wit 90

Four Quotes on War 94

Their Occasional Eloquence 95

Inaugural Moments 100

Some Memorables Phrases (Part 2) 104

Presidents on Presidents (Part 2) 107

Presidents on the Presidency (Part 2) 111

Chapter 4 Family Ties

Even Presidents Had Parents 115

My Mom and Dad Were 120

Getting Born: Log Cabins, and All That 124

The Birth Order Questions 127

Brothers and Sisters 128

Presidential Progeny 130

Who Was My Dad? 134

Presidential Progeny (Part 2) 137

Chapter 5 Before They Were Presidents

So Many Lawyers 141

"No Experience Needed": The Unpolitical Presidents 144

Soldiers into Politicians 145

Men of the House 149

States' Men: Governors into Presidents 152

From Mr. Secretary to Mr. Prez 155

Senators Who Got Promoted 157

It's a Living 159

Whose Colorful Career Was This? 161

At Loose and Abroad: Foreign Service 165

While They Were Vice Presidents 167

Educating the Presidents 169

What School Graduated Us? 173

Educating the Presidents (Part 2) 174

Chapter 6 The Man in Private

Booze and Tobacco-Pleasure and Pain 179

The Presidential Look 182

Things of the Spirit 187

Medical Matters 191

Food Fixations 195

Hobbies, Pastimes, and R and R 196

Jock Presidents 200

Things of the Spirit (Part 2) 203

Chapter 7 Campaigns, Victories, Defeats, Etc.

Slogans and Slurs: Campaigning, in Brief 209

They're Playin' My Song 214

The Men I Beat 216

The Men Who Beat Me 219

"I Want a Rematch!": Those Who Both Won and Lost 220

Chapter 8 Cabinet, Congress, Court

Presidential Furniture: The Cabinet 225

The Men and Women in My Cabinet 229

Adding Furniture: New Cabinet Positions 232

Presidential Furniture: The Cabinet (Part 2) 234

The Quarrelsome (and Sometimes Cooperative) Congress 239

The Prez and the Court 245

Chapter 9 The Political Life

Who Were My Vice Presidents? 251

Meeting the Press 254

Making Amendments 260

Money Matters 262

Taxation Good and Bad (Mostly Bad) 265

Pardon Me: The Sometimes Merciful Presidents 266

Westward Ho!: Getting More Land 268

Adding More States 271

Chapter 10 Events, Earth-shaking and Trivial

Key Events, For Better or Worse 275

U.S. Events: Who Was President When 278

World Events: Who Was President When 281

Foreign Affairs, Mostly Biggies 284

Bits and Pieces, Connected with 286

Key Events. For Better or Worse (Part 2) 290

Chapter 11 The First Ladies

First Encounters 293

Courtship, Wooing, and So Forth 296

My Maiden Name Was 300

Weddings and Honeymoons, Grand and Modest 304

Married When and Where 308

The Grand Role, White House Hostess 311

First Ladies as Authors (and Subjects) of Books 316

Married Life: Heaven and … Purgatory 318

Pet Causes, Projects, Etc. 324

Chapter 12 Domestic Tranquility: Home Life

Where We Lived: Presidential Homes 329

The White House: Beautifying, Renovating, Etc 334

Barks, Purrs, and Such: Presidential Pets and Other Critters 340

"I'm Outta Here": Post-Presidential Life 342

Chapter 13 Remembering the Presidents

Monuments, Memorials, and So Forth 347

Real to Reel: Presidents on Film and Video 351

Named in Honor of 354

Grave Matters 358

Monuments, Memorials, and So Forth (Part 2) 362

Such Intriguing Titles for Books 365

Named in Honor of … (Part 2) 368

Chapter 14 Twenty Questions (About Each Man)

George Washington 371

John Adams 373

Thomas Jefferson 375

James Madison 378

James Monroe 380

John Quincy Adams 382

Andrew Jackson 384

Martin Van Buren 386

William Henry Harrison 388

John Tyler 391

James K. Polk 393

Zachary Taylor 395

Millard Fillmore 398

Franklin Pierce 400

James Buchanan 402

Abraham Lincoln 404

Andrew Johnson 406

Ulysses S. Grant 409

Rutherford B. Hayes 410

James A. Garfield 413

Chester A. Arthur 415

Grover Cleveland 416

Benjamin Harrison 419

William McKinley 421

Theodore Roosevelt 423

William Howard Taft 425

Woodrow Wilson 428

Warren Harding 430

Calvin Coolidge 432

Herbert Hoover 434

Franklin D. Roosevelt 436

Harry S. Truman 438

Dwight Eisenhower 440

John F. Kennedy 442

Lyndon Johnson 444

Richard Nixon 446

Gerald Ford 448

Jimmy Carter 450

Ronald Reagan 452

George H. W. Bush 454

Bill Clinton 456

George W. Bush 458

Barack Obama 461