presidents

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Brain Game: Big and Bad

Here's a new mentalfloss.com Brain Game Think Thursday challenge to start your day. Good luck! What two former U.S. presidents have last names that begin and end with the same letter of the alphabet? Here are the ANSWERS. THE ANSWERS: TAFT and NIXON. Thanks for playing! Tomorrow, it's Free-for-all... READ ON

List

9 Historic Moments Captured in Cake

1. Eruption of Mt.... READ ON

Article

Brain Game: Mr. President

Today's mentalfloss.com Brain Game Think Thursday challenge asks you to name eight specific presidents, but that shouldn't be as difficult as it sounds. Good luck! Five pairs of former U.S. presidents share the same first and last initials. One such pair is George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush. Name the other four pairs. Here are the ANSWERS. THE ANSWERS: JOHN ADAMS & JOHN Q. ADAMS WARREN G. HARDING & WILLIAM H. HARRISON ANDREW JACKSON & ANDREW JOHNSON JAMES MADISON & JAMES... READ ON

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Brain Game: Double-Aught Leaders

The 2012 presidential election is less than six months away, so let's brush up on some former Commanders-in-Chief in today's mentalfloss.com Brain Game Free-for-all Friday challenge. Good luck! The last names of four former U.S. presidents contain the consecutive letters "OO." Name all four. Here are the ANSWERS. THE ANSWERS: Calvin COOLIDGE, Herbert HOOVER, Franklin ROOSEVELT, and Theodore ROOSEVELT. Thanks for playing, and have a great... READ ON

Big Question

What Did Grover Cleveland Do Between Terms?

In 1888, thanks to a shady election and controversy over tariffs, Grover Cleveland lost reelection to Benjamin Harrison. By all accounts, Cleveland really thought he was done with government after that. But his wife may have thought otherwise.... READ ON

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Brain Game: Big John

We're currently about eight months away from the next presidential election, so today's mentalfloss.com Brain Game Tuesday Test Time challenge focuses on a particular Commander-in-Chief of the past. Good luck! John C. Calhoun was this U.S. president's second-in-command, making it the only time that a president and vice president shared the same first name. Name this president. Here is the ANSWER. THE ANSWER: JOHN QUINCY ADAMS. Thanks for playing! Tomorrow, it's Wordplay Wednesday. And... READ ON

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Brain Game: Prez Play

Since it's a presidential election year, the mentalfloss.com Brain Game will offer some related puzzles leading up to the big event in November, including today's Tuesday Test Time challenge. Good luck! Of all those who have served as president of the U.S., exactly SEVEN of them spent MORE than one full term in office but FEWER than two full terms. Name these seven. Here are the ANSWERS. THE ANSWERS: CALVIN COOLIDGE (finished Harding's term and was re-elected) LYNDON B. JOHNSON (finished... READ ON

List

10 Amazing Letters From Presidents

We’ve scoured the Letters of Note archives once again, this time for notes from men who would hold or were holding the highest office in the land. Here are ten of our favorite letters from the presidents. (There’s a Letters of Note book in the works — learn more and preorder a copy here.) 1. "Liberty-loving people everywhere march with you." General Eisenhower’s Order of the Day on June 5, 1944, was a call-to-arms for members of the allied forces before they would begin a two-pronged assault... READ ON

The Presidents

How a Great Political Prankster Messed With Richard Nixon

Democratic prankster Dick Tuck began tormenting Richard Nixon in California in 1950, after he became a mole in Nixon’s successful Senate campaign. When Nixon unsuccessfully sought the presidency 10 years later, his opponent, John F. Kennedy, hired Tuck to play practical jokes on Nixon.... READ ON

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A Brief History of the State of the Union

President Obama is slated to let Congress know how the country's doing in the State of the Union address on Tuesday night. Here are the answers to a few questions that might come up when the address storms every channel of your TV.... READ ON