Election Day + Tuesday = Presidential Trivia!

At Project Grownup, Tuesdays are reserved for one of 5 “T”s: Tips, Tricks, Tools, Treats, or Trivia.

And what fits today better than trivia? So here are some fun facts about past Presidents, followed by a themed quiz (U.S. Currency) at the end. And, best of all? No political commentary ;-).

Have any other crazy presidential facts? Share them in the comments!

Fun Facts About Past Presidents

Elections

• Twice in history, neither candidate received the majority of electoral college votes. A case which leaves the House selecting the presidents. The two elected thusly? Thomas Jefferson and John Quincy Adams.
• George Washington was elected unanimously by the Electoral College. James Monroe would have had the same success, but for one New Hampshire delegate who held out in order to preserve Washington’s lone achievement.

Persons

• President William Howard Taft was a pretty thick dude, weighing in at over 300 pounds during his time in office. According to National Geographic, he got stuck in the White House bathtub, after which he had it replaced with a tub big enough for four grown men.
• Ironically, it was Taft who started the Presidential “first pitch” of the baseball season tradition. Since then, every President has thrown a first pitch except Jimmy Carter.
• Harry S. Truman didn’t have a middle name (as such). “S” was his given middle name/initial, a nod to his two grandfathers. His name is still printed both with and without a period after the “S,” though he consistently signed it with the period.
• President James Buchanan would buy slaves in Washington D.C. and set them free in Pennsylvania.

Skills, Professions & Pastimes

• Abraham Lincoln was a licensed bartender
• Andrew Johnson was a tailor and would only wear suits that he made himself.
• John Quincy Adams (son of John Adams) apparently enjoyed regular early morning swims in the Potomac River. Naked.
• Warren G. Harding once bet (and lost) a set of priceless White House China in a game of poker.
• James Garfield could write in Latin with one hand and Greek with the other - at the same time.

A U.S. Dollar & Coin Quiz in Four Rounds

(Answers for each round appear after the following round of questions. I’m sure there is a super fancy way to do quizzes nowadays, but we’re rocking it old school.)

Round 1

Which President is featured on:

1. The Penny?
2. The Quarter?
3. The $1 Bill?
4. The $5 Bill?
5. The $100 Bill?

Round 2

Who is featured on:

1. The Nickel?
2. The Dime?
3. The Half-Dollar?
4. The $10 Bill?
5. The $20 Bill?

Answers to Round 1:
1) Abraham Lincoln, 2) George Washington, 3) George Washington, 4) Abraham Lincoln, and, 5) none. (#5 is a trick question, Benjamin Franklin was not a U.S. President.)

Round 3

Who is featured on:

1. The Silver Dollar?
2. The Golden Dollar?
3. The $2 Bill?
4. The $50 Bill?

Answers to Round 2:
1) Thomas Jefferson, 2) Franklin D. Roosevelt, 3) John F. Kennedy, 4) Alexander Hamilton, 5) Andrew Jackson

Bonus Round: Bills No Longer in Circulation

These are all Presidents (answers after the source listing)

Who is featured on:

1. The $500 Bill?
2. The $1000 Bill?
3. The $5000 Bill?
4. The $10,000 Bill?
5. The $100,000 Bill?

Answers to Round 3:
1) Susan B. Anthony, 2) Sacagawea, 3) Thomas Jefferson, 4) Ulysses S. Grant

Sources

Sources: randomhistory.com, CNN, National Geographic, and TrumanLibrary.org. Image from the National Gallery of Art, Bills & Coin list at MIStupid.com.

Answers to Bonus Round:
1) William McKinley, 2) Grover Cleveland, 3) James Madison, 4) Salmon P. Chase, 5) Woodrow Wilson