Presidential Trivia for the Presidential inauguration
While the Presidential inauguration ceremony is constitutionally mandated for January 20th at the start of each election term, this year, the date has been pushed back a day so that it will fall on a Monday (Jan 21st). Actually, the President will be officially sworn in (in private) on Sunday, but the public ceremony will be held on Monday. Consequently, Monday is also Martin Luther King Day. So, for everyone that has the day off of school or work, you can take that time to celebrate (both Obama and Dr. King) and participate in all the excitement. Oh, you weren’t invited to any inauguration balls or galas? Yeah, neither were we. So, if you’re not braving the cold to witness in person, as our 44th President takes his oath of office, we’ve prepared a US President’s “Fun Facts Quiz” for you… you know, to refresh your American History and get you in the spirit! We’ve also prepared a map of presidential birth places for reference. Enjoy!
1. Q: who was the first president to be born outside of the original 13 Colonies/States? (Hint: you can use the map for answers – just click on the stars.)
2. Q: What day was inauguration originally, before it was changed to January 20th?
3. Q: Who made the shortest and longest inauguration speech?
4. Q: Who was the first president to serve in the White House; first to be inaugurated in Washington?
5. Q: How much money did George Washington receive as his salary?
6. Q: Adjusted to 2012 dollars, what is the highest salary paid to any President?
7. Q: Who was the only president to serve 2 nonconsecutive terms?
8. Q: What is the greatest number of former presidents alive at the same time?
1. A: Abraham Lincoln was born in Hodgenville, KY in 1809.
2. A: March 4th; ratified in 1933, FDR was the first President to be sworn in on Jan 20th for his second term in 1937.
3. A: George Washington had the shortest at less than two minutes long; William Henry Harrison had the longest at more than an hour and a half.
4. A: John Adams was the first to live in the White House; Thomas Jefferson was the first to be inaugurated in Washington, DC.
5. A: He was offered $25,000 but refused to accept it.
6. A: Between 1909 and 1949 the salary was $75,000 per year, which at the time it was established would be equivalent to $1,954,850 when adjusted to today’s dollars.
7. A: Grover Cleveland was elected as the 22nd and 24th President, and is officially counted twice, meaning there were actually only 43 men to even serve as president (even though Barack Obama is recognized as the 44th President).
8. A: 5, plus the current president. During Lincoln’s Presidency, there were five former presidents alive until 1862: John Tyler, Jr., James Buchanan, Millard Fillmore, Franklin Pierce, Sr., Martin Van Buren; five at the time of Clinton’s 1993 inauguration: Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, and George H.W. Bush; five at the time of G.W. Bush’s 2001 inauguration: Ford, Carter, Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and Clinton. There are currently four former living Presidents: Carter, George H.W. Bush, Clinton, and George W. Bush