44 Presidential Facts for President's Day

[Raffine]

It was rumored Warren Harding was murdered by his wife.

Gaston Means wrote a book in the early thirties titled The Strange Death of President Harding in which he announced the first lady Florence Harding, know as 'The Duchess', more or less admitted to him she had poisoned Harding on his ill-fated cross country train ride.

The idea was Mrs. Harding killed her husband to stave off the upcoming scandals about to be revealed about his administration and because she caught him schtumping his mistress Nan Britton in the Oval Office closet. Means cast himself in the role of a determined investigator who was gonna blow the lid off the whole sorid mess.

Conveniently Florence Harding had been dead several years when the book was published. Mean's theories have since been proven to be so much hog wash... or have they?!?  

As late as the early 80s our local library still had a copy of Means' book and I actually read it! I just checked and Means' astonishing book is still in print and available to order.


The Duchess tries to determine how much arsenic it would take to
knock off a big man like her hubby, President Warren G. Harding

[BTM]

I want to go back to talking about how badass Roosevelt was!

[Flick James]

I want to go back to talking about how badass Roosevelt was!

I'll vote for that. We could make it a "Teddy Roosevelt Facts" thing.

Fact: When Teddy Roosevelt goes swimming, he doesn't get wet, the water gets Teddy Roosevelt.

[Raffine]

I want to go back to talking about how badass Roosevelt was!

Bully!

Only 42 when McKinley died, Roosevelt was the youngest man ever to hold the office of president.

Roosevelt was permanently blinded in one eye during a White House boxing match.

While president Roosevelt invented a steam-powered jet pack and often was seen buzzing political opponents and dropping bags of moose crap on their heads.

[lester1/2jr]

Roosevelt was unfortunately an early supporter of the income tax which was eventiually established under Wilson. nothing baddass about that.

[indianasmith]

Oh hush, Lester, we're having fun here!

Actually true:  TR was so heartbroken when his first wife died that he erased every trace of her from his life - destroyed all her pictures and letters, and never publicly spoke her name again.  For him to acknowledge grief would have been a weakness.


He also shot a Spaniard in the face at point blank range on San Juan Hill.

TR Quote:  "Never hit someone if you can honorably avoid doing so.  But if you must hit, never hit soft!"

[Allhallowsday]

It was rumored Warren Harding was murdered by his wife...
...to stave off the upcoming scandals about to be revealed about his administration and because she caught him schtumping his mistress Nan Britton in the Oval Office closet. Means cast himself in the role of a determined investigator who was gonna blow the lid off the whole sorid mess.
Conveniently Florence Harding had been dead several years when the book was published. Mean's theories have since been proven to be so much hog wash... or have they?!?  
As late as the early 80s our local library still had a copy of Means' book and I actually read it! I just checked and Means' astonishing book is still in print and available to order...

NAN BRITTON supposedly had her baby in the front bedroom, north, of a house in Asbury Park, NJ.  My friend had owned that house for many years and everybody used it to go to the beach in the summer.  Many times I slept in the "birthing room" as my friend called it.    HARDING apparently stirred up a lot of dirt, BRITTON wrote a book too called "The President's Daughter" ...    

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_President%27s_Daughter_%28book%29

[Raffine]

NAN BRITTON supposedly had her baby in the front bedroom, north, of a house in Asbury Park, NJ.  My friend had owned that house for many years and everybody used it to go to the beach in the summer.  Many times I slept in the "birthing room" as my friend called it.      HARDING apparently stirred up a lot of dirt, BRITTON wrote a book too called "The President's Daughter" ...   

That's about the coolest thing I've ever read! 

[Allhallowsday]

I'm sure my friend still has the copy of "The President's Daughter" that he tracked down.  He also had a large framed article about his house from the Asbury Park Press.  He sold that house nearly 20 years ago; it's on Bond Street. 

[lester1/2jr]

Oh hush, Lester, we're having fun here

the idea of republican praising the father of modern big government is a little shocking. Then again, not really 

[Flick James]

Oh hush, Lester, we're having fun here

the idea of republican praising the father of modern big government is a little shocking. Then again, not really 

That's one thing we have in common lester: a shared realization of the twin evils of the two-party system. Just two sides of the same damn coin, my friend. Rock on. 

[Flick James]

Oh hush, Lester, we're having fun here

the idea of republican praising the father of modern big government is a little shocking. Then again, not really 

That's one thing we have in common lester: a shared realization of the twin evils of the two-party system. Just two sides of the same damn coin, my friend. Rock on. 

That having been said, from a purely non-partisan stance, I have to agree that the persona of the man, at the very least, is indeed badass.

[Raffine]

Which 20th century President did not live in The White House during much of his term?

[Rev. Powell]

39.  Jimmy Carter was chased by a "killer rabbit" while out jogging one day.  At least, that's what he told the Secret Service.

Get yer facts straight!  Carter was canoeing when he was attacked by an amphibious "swamp rabbit."  http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/950/what-was-the-deal-with-jimmy-carter-and-the-killer-rabbit

[Rev. Powell]

Which 20th century President did not live in The White House during much of his term?

Well, JFK reportedly slept quite a few nights outside the White House... he took a personal interest in "polling the constituency."