Past Presidents And Other Historical Figures

Discussion in 'History & Geography' started by Yvonne Smith, Jan 31, 2021.

  1. Yvonne Smith

    Yvonne Smith Senior Staff
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    The thread about Harriet Tubman started me thinking that it might be a good thread topic to be able to learn more about some of our past presidents, and other people who we were supposed to have learned about in our history classes.
    This thread will be for stories and pictures about some of these famous historical people.

    These pictures are of President Teddy Roosevelt, and he was visiting in Idaho. The town he was going through was the tiny town of Wallace, Idaho, which has never had more than a few thousand people living there.
    Aside from being a mining town, it has no claim to fame, so I have no clue why the president of the United States would have been there. Obviously, it was planned, because you can see the banners and people cheering to see their president.
    I looked at this, and then thought of our presidential motorcades nowadays, and how many differences, but still similarities with the banners and crowds.
    An interesting thing is the flag with only 46 stars. I wonder which two states had not been added at that time ?
    I looked it up, it was New Mexico and Arizona, who joined in 1912, making our well-known 48 star flag that most of us grew up saluting.


    8FDF5223-77D1-4B08-9C74-F39950AA2868.jpeg 8A23389D-6ED5-4119-B632-C0D1552AE8BF.jpeg
     
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    Last edited: Jan 31, 2021
  2. Susan Paynter

    Susan Paynter Very Well-Known Member
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    What made the headlines in the home country when I was a child was the President John F. Kennedy. His assassination and the life and times of JFK and Jacqueline K./O.
     
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  3. Hal Pollner

    Hal Pollner Veteran Member
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    I cast my first vote in the Presidential Election of 1960, and all succeeding elections.

    I was 24 at the time.

    Harold I. Pollner
     
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  4. Shirley Martin

    Shirley Martin Supreme Member
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    When I was a librarian, I often helped kids find information on famous black people during February, black history month. Many of us would be surprised to find out how much blacks have contributed to our society. So, in honor of black history month which begins tomorrow, ......... one that I personally am thankful for.


    Otis Boykin’s most notable contribution to science was likely the circuit improvements he made to pacemakers after losing his mother to heart failure — a contribution that has saved countless lives since. But this single improvement was among a long list of achievements.

    Boykin had 26 patents in his name and is famed for the development of IBM computers, burglar-proof cash register, chemical air filters, and an electronic resistor used in controlled missiles and other devices.


    [​IMG]
     
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  5. Susan Paynter

    Susan Paynter Very Well-Known Member
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    @Hal Pollner

    It must have been a good feeling to be able to cast your vote for the first time.

    From what I understand, the Kennedys were considered, at one point, to be America’s Royal Family – a powerful dynasty that was also beloved and admired by the public. The rest is history .
     
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  6. Peter Renfro

    Peter Renfro Veteran Member
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    Harriet Tubman, Lived and died in Auburn NY. She was a very close friend of William Seward, Senator for NY and Lincoln Secratary of State who was stabbed as part of the Lincoln assassination plot.
    Seward sold her land for her farm about a mile or so from his mansion in Auburn,
    tubman house.jpg

    Seward House
    Seward House.jpg
     
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  7. Shirley Martin

    Shirley Martin Supreme Member
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    @Peter Renfro is that the same Seward who was responsible for US buying Alaska?
     
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  8. Shirley Martin

    Shirley Martin Supreme Member
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    The first woman president of the US.

    On the evening of Sept. 25, 1919, Edith Wilson, wife of President Woodrow Wilson and First Lady of the United States of America, found her husband on the floor of his bathroom, in the middle of a stroke.

    Within a few weeks, he was completely bedridden, unable to take meetings or attend to his daily duties.
    Unwilling to hand the presidency over to Wilson’s vice president, Thomas Marshall, for fear that it would crush her fragile Woodrow, Edith Wilson decided she would serve as proxy for the president until he was well enough to resume his duties.

    For the next several months, Edith Wilson went from FLOTUS to POTUS, becoming the de-facto president, and essentially running the country in her husband’s absence.

    Almost his entire left side had been paralyzed, and he had become partially blind in his right eye. A few weeks after the stroke, he’d come down with a urinary tract infection. After that, it was an attack of the flu, worsened by his already weakened immune system.

    However, at the time, the president’s health was a complete mystery to the people. For all they knew, things in the White House were running smoothly, and according to schedule. And, for the most part, they were.

    There was just one problem with Edith’s stewardship – while the country had elected Woodrow Wilson, they had not elected Edith Wilson, the woman who was now, effectively, in charge. But, at the time, the legislation in place that detailed presidential succession was vague, and only really outlined what to do in the event of a presidential death.

    Woodrow wasn’t dead, Edith argued, he was simply minorly incapacitated, and just needed a hand – a hand she was more than capable of giving, so why go through all the fuss to inaugurate the Vice President.

    Eventually, roughly one year and five months later, Woodrow Wilson recovered enough to take his duties back. The country, thankfully, had not passed through any particularly trying times while he was out, and no major crisis had come up. He was able to finish out his reign without consequence, and hand over a country, still in one piece, to his successor.

    That is not likely to happen again, is it? With todays news media, it would be difficult to hide a president's incapacity. Wouldn't it?
     
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  9. Peter Renfro

    Peter Renfro Veteran Member
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    Yes
     
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  10. Peter Renfro

    Peter Renfro Veteran Member
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    Didn't Nancy Reagan have a pretty good grip on the Gipper for the last little while?
     
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  11. Beth Gallagher

    Beth Gallagher Supreme Member
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    Yes. There is an excellent documentary about Reagan on Showtime or Netflix.

     
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  12. Shirley Martin

    Shirley Martin Supreme Member
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    Four presidents were assassinated (Abraham Lincoln, James A. Garfield, William McKinley and John F. Kennedy)
     
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  13. Richard Joseph

    Richard Joseph Active Member
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    I have visited the graves of 18 U.S. Presidents total, 5 are buried in Ohio.

    You might find this interesting also.

     
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