Category Archives: Nifty History People

IKE: Bearing Witness to the Unthinkable

By early April, 1945, US soldiers in Europe were horrified by scenes that had hitherto been semi-dismissed as “rumors.” Death Camps and Corpses For a few years, there had been undercurrent rumors that the Germans had embarked on wholesale internment … Continue reading

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Rutherford Hayes’ Secret Oath

The election of 1876 was one of the most rancorous, divisive and probably corrupt in American history.             Oddly Enough… Both Governor Rutherford Hayes (R-OH) and Governor Samuel Tilden (D-NY) were honest, decent men, albeit … Continue reading

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President Grant and the First State Dinner

The first sovereign of a foreign country to be hosted at a White House State Dinner was the King of the Sandwich Islands – in 1874. State Dinners From the beginning of the United States as a nation, elegant dining … Continue reading

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The Death of Tad Lincoln

Tad Lincoln had just turned 18 when he died. Tad in Springfield, IL Thomas Lincoln, (1853-1871) named for his paternal grandfather, was called Tad from the outset.  It was a hard birth, and Tad was born with a cleft palate … Continue reading

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Harriet Lane and the James Buchanan Statue

James Buchanan has been the cellar dweller among Presidents for more than 150 years. JB: The Balance Sheet The asset side. Pennsylvania’s James Buchanan (1791-1868) came to the presidency in 1857 with a forty-plus-year resume of solid achievement: successful attorney, … Continue reading

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Dolley Madison Sends A Telegram

As “The Widow Dolley”, Mrs. Madison was the most famous woman in the country. Mrs. Madison: Dowager Washingtonian When James Madison died at 85, Dolley was 68, and still in good health. Montpelier, their Virginia plantation was failing however, due … Continue reading

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Lincoln and Sherman: Plugging the Hole

When Abraham Lincoln became President, he knew very little about the military. He learned quickly. The Bull Run Debacle The Battle of Bull Run on July 21, 1861, was an eye-opener on many levels. The Union forces, mostly short term … Continue reading

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Martha Johnson Patterson: First Daughter

Martha Johnson Patterson served for nearly four years as de facto First Lady to an unpopular president. The Johnson Family of Greeneville Andrew Johnson (1808-75) was seventeen years old when he pushed a cart across the North Carolina border into … Continue reading

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Edith Roosevelt: Raising Eagles

Edith Carow Roosevelt was a mother of six when she became First Lady in 1901. The “Other” Mrs. Roosevelt Over the past seventy-five years or more, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt has eclipsed the name of the “other” Mrs Roosevelt, her … Continue reading

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The Tragedies of General James Longstreet

James G. Longstreet’s reputation has been a controversial yo-yo for more than 150 years. Pete. James G. Longstreet (1821-1904) was nicknamed Pete in infancy, and it stuck throughout his long life. Born in SC to a large family of Dutch … Continue reading

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