James K. Polk - The Napoleon of the Stump

James K. Polk, the 11th President died shortly after leaving office, having served only one term in office.  But in those four years, he accomplished a great deal for the country.  A great deal more than any other one-term presidents that we have ever had, or um, currently have.

In the afterlife, James K. Polk has had several in[term]ents.  When he died of cholera at his home in Tennessee, he was buried outside of Nashville.  His remains were moved a year later to his former home.  Then in 1893, after the family home was sold and demolished, Polk (and his wife, Sarah) were disinterred and moved to the grounds of the Tennessee state Capitol.

Now, more than 100 years later, there is a movement to move the Polks again, this time to the Polk childhood home in Columbia Tennessee.  You can read more here.  This post is really just an opportunity to have this song appear on this blog.

Transitions

Just a few days after the election last November, Mrs. BA and I agreed that we could not be in the DC area on January 20.  So we've bugged out for the weekend.  The Brave Astronaut Clan has gone to Florida and are today at Legoland and headed to Universal Studios Saturday and Sunday.  Monday we will take in Cape Canaveral before flying home.

Later I'll figure out how to walk through the lobby of my building every day, where a portrait of the President hangs on the wall.  For the moment I will look back at this.  And I'll read this.  I'll be listening to this.

You can substitute the new President's name here wherever he says "Bob Rumsen"

And if you're wondering - Jed Bartlet is still my President.

What's Next?

I hope that this post will be somewhat coherent, but I must admit to being a little shell shocked, still.  In the words of my candidate, this loss hurts and it will for a long time.

This morning, I woke to rain - it was as if Mother Nature herself was weeping along with a majority of this country.  I sat down yesterday evening, prepared to watch this nation elect the first woman president.  All of the evidence, all of the polls, it all pointed to a big Democratic evening.  It started out as expected, with the Republicans jumping out to an early lead.  Then some big electoral prizes stayed "too close to call" for too long.  The night stretched out and when I finally went to bed at 1:30, it was mostly over.  She had the most narrow of paths and it was unlikely that she was going to pull it out. Mrs BA had gone to bed earlier and was physically ill most of the night.  I also woke up feeling sick - unsure about the country I was waking up to.

My immediate problem was what we would say to LBA and to SoBA.  Mrs. BA and I finally decided on something to the extent of, "we've survived bad presidents before and we will do it again."  We urged them to be extra kind to people today as most of the people they would encounter would likely be feeling the same way as their mom and dad.

I tried to stay off Facebook and other social media sites today but I kept returning and saw the whole gamut of reactions: anger, sadness, depression, fear, desperation.  Throughout this campaign, I have encountered Republicans who weren't planning on voting for him.  I also know of some Republicans who did vote for him.  I didn't understand it, but I accepted it.  I just didn't realize there were so many of them.  Or that so many Democrats would stay home in unprecedented numbers.  In a democracy, if you don't vote, you don't get to complain.  If you want something changed, you have to be the agent of change.

So now we have a new agent of change.  I don't know what is going to happen.  I have all of those feelings that my friends have verbalized on Facebook.  I'm going to do the best I can in the coming days, months, and four years ahead.  But I won't stop working to be an agent of change for good.  We will get through this.

I am a Democrat.  I am an American.

Life is too short to hold on to hate and anger for too long.  I'll pick myself up and I'll go forward.  I encourage all of you to come along with me. Together we can make a united America again.

It's Election Day - Get out and Vote

If you don't vote, you don't get to complain.  Today is the day where the nation will elect the 45th President of the United States. I would like to tell you that I don't care who you vote for, as long as you vote - but you really should vote for her.

You might find it surprising to learn that in the age of the country, we are only four presidents old (via the Washington Post). "When President Obama was born (1961), President Herbert Hoover was still alive (1874-1964). When Hoover was born, President Andrew Johnson (1808-1875) was still alive. When President Johnson was born, President John Adams (1735-1826) was still alive. And just like that, we've connected present day to the Founding Fathers."

One week to go

Today is November 1.  In one week's time, Americans will go to the polls to elect the 45th President.  All evidence and polls indicates that, eight years after electing the first African-American President of the United States, we are about to elect the first female President of the United States.

I have not hidden that I am a Democrat - but I am also an American.  I will admit that the Democratic nominee for President is not an ideal candidate, she has flaws and she has trouble relating to people sometimes.  But she is a smart, policy driven, candidate, who truly believes in the greatness of America.  She is a fighter who will truly work for the best of every American.

The Republican nominee for President is unhinged, dangerous, and unfit for the office.  When he makes a declaration that he "will keep us in suspense" regarding the election results, and will contest them if they don't go his way, because the system is "rigged" - he undermines the very foundations of American democracy.

I have Republican friends and almost every single one of them, without exception, is not planning to vote for him.  They may not be voting for her, which is fine, but they cannot bring themselves for vote him, which is even better.

I am willing to let people have a difference of opinion - if people really want to vote for him, I can't stop them.  What I can't accept is that people can't vote for her because of statements (and misstatements) that have been perpetuated by the Republican party and nominee.  You can dislike her, but there is nothing about the Republican nominee that could ever get me to vote for him and I would hope that those who are considering voting for him might change their minds.

Martha Washington's Great Cake

Today is George Washington's birthday - yes, yes, I know we had President's Day last Monday, but today is the actual day of his birth.

So by all means, you should make Martha Washington's Great Cake (from the Mount Vernon website).

Great Cake

Ingredients
Cake:

• 1 1/2 cups currants 
• 1/3 cup chopped candied orange peel 
• 1/3 cup chopped candied lemon peel 
• 1/3 cup chopped candied citron 
• 3/4 cup Madeira, divided 
• 1/4 cup French brandy 
• 3 cups all-purpose flour, sifted 
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds 
• 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg 
• 1/2 teaspoons ground mace 
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened 
• 1 1/2 cups sugar 
• 3 large eggs, separated
• Sugar Icing (recipe follows) (optional) 

Sugar Icing:

• 3 large egg whites at room temperature 
• 1 1/2 cups sugar 
• 2 tablespoons rose water or orange-flower water

In the bowl of an electric mixer, start beating the egg whites on low speed, gradually adding 2 tablespoons of the sugar. After about 3 minutes, or when they just begin to form soft peaks, increase the speed to high and continue adding the sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, beating until all the sugar is incorporated and the egg whites form soft peaks. Add the rose water, and continue beating to form stiff peaks. Use immediately to ice the cake.

Instructions for Cake

1. Combine the currants, orange and lemon peels, and citron in a large bowl. Add 1/2 cup of the Madeira, and stir to combine. Cover with plastic wrap, and set aside for at least 3 hours, or as long as overnight. Stir the remainder of the Madeira together with the brandy, cover, and set aside. 
2. When ready to bake the cake, preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan. 
3. Drain the fruits in a large strainer set over a bowl, stirring occasionally to extract as much of the Madeira as possible. Add the strained Madeira to the set-aside Madeira and brandy. 
4. Combine 1/4 cup of the flour with the fruit, and mix well. Add the almonds, and set aside. Sift the remaining flour with the nutmeg and mace. 
5. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter until it is light. Add the sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, beating for several minutes after adding each ingredient. Whisk the egg yolks until they are light and smooth, and add them to the butter and sugar. Continue to beat for several minutes, until the mixture is light and fluffy. 
6. Alternately add the spiced flour, 1/2 cup at a time, and the Madeira and brandy, beating until smooth. 
7. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites to form stiff peaks. By hand, gently fold them into the batter, combining lightly until well blended. By hand, fold in the fruit in thirds, mixing until well combined. 
8. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Bake for about 1 1/2 hours, or until a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Set the cake on a wire rack to cool in the pan for 20 minutes. If serving the cake plain, turn it out of the pan to cool completely. If finishing it with icing, turn the warm cake out of the pan onto a baking sheet, and proceed with the icing. 
9. To ice the cake, spread Sugar Icing generously onto the surface, piling it high and swirling it around the top and sides. Set in the turned-off warm oven and let sit for at least 3 hours, or until the cake is cool and the icing has hardened. The icing will crumble when the cake is sliced.

For those of you who may be interested in the Virginia Gentleman Farmer, the Library of Congress recently restored a book in Washington's hand on the weaving industry (and the work done at Mount Vernon) and the effect it had on his own personal (and political) goals and mission.  You can read more here.

Signers: The Declaration Committee

On June 11, 1776, the Second Continental Congress appointed a committee of five individuals to draft and submit to the Congress for its approval.

The five individuals were:

• John Adams - firebrand member of the Congress, chief advocate for independence, representative from the Massachusetts Bay Colony.  Adams had made a name for himself prior to joining the Congress as an attorney in Massachusetts.  He would, of course go on to serve as the 2nd President of the United States.  Upon his death on July 4, 1826, he outlived by a few hours, his successor as President, 
• Thomas Jefferson - The epitome of the American Renaissance man, Jefferson was the primary scribe of the Declaration of Independence, serving as a delegate from Virginia.  After losing to John Adams in 1796, Jefferson won the presidency in 1800, going on to serve two terms as the 3rd President of the United States.
• Benjamin Franklin - the elder statesman of the Congress, representing Pennsylvania, brought gravitas to the Committee of Five.  After the establishment of the United States, Franklin served as the country's first Postmaster.
• Robert Livingston - from New York, served on the Committee of Five, but was recalled by New York before he could sign the Declaration.  Livingston went on to serve as the nation's first Secretary of Foreign Affairs, the forerunner of Secretary of State.  It was Livingston that administered the Oath of Office to George Washington, inaugurating him as the first President.
• Roger Sherman - was one of the most active members of the Continental Congress, serving on many committees, including the Committee of Five.  He was also very active outside his congressional duties and was later very involved in the Constitutional Convention.  At the time of his death in 1793, Sherman was serving as one of Connecticut's first Senators.

Bonus:

Meet the President of the Continental Congress, John Hancock, of Massachusetts.  No signature on the Declaration of Independence is more prominent than Hancock's.  Hancock was the first to sign the document and opted to sign large enough, "so King George can see that without his glasses" though it is more likely that since he was first, he had an entirely blank space in which to sign.

New Thursday Series: Signers of the Declaration of Independence

It's time for a new list series!  2008, I covered Presidents of the United States. In 2012, I did a series on the States of the Union.  In 2014 it was Countries of the World (UN Member States).  Here in 2016, when we will elect a new President in November, and to commemorate the 240th Anniversary of the Republic - I have chosen to look at the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence.

Now those of you who have been paying attention will note there are only 52 weeks in a year - so 56 signers doesn't work out uniformly.  There was at least one signer from each of the 13 colonies - so one state a month doesn't work out either.  I guess I could do two at a time, which would amount to 28 weeks, which leaves some play in the calendar as well.  Well, I'll figure it out.  We could also abbreviate the run to coincide with Independence Day, some twenty-two weeks away.

Next week, I'll start with the Declaration Committee.  That will get five out of the way right off.  Any guesses before next week?  While you ponder that here's a list of "awesome founding father facts" from BuzzFeed.

1. Two days before the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the delegates of the Constitutional Convention threw a party where they consumed 54 bottles of Madeira, 60 bottles of claret, 8 bottles of whiskey, 22 bottles of porter, 8 bottles of hard cider, 12 bottles of beer and 7 bowls of alcoholic punch.
2. Only two people signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, 1776 – John Hancock and Charles Thomson. Pretty much everyone else signed it on August 2nd. 
3. The Founding Fathers thought Independence Day would be celebrated on July 2nd. John Adams wrote a letter to his wife that said “the Second of July, 1776, will be the most memorable in the history of America.” 
4. Benjamin Franklin wrote an essay encouraging scholars to find a method for “improving the odor of human flatulence.”
5. At 16, Benjamin Franklin regularly published editorials under the guise of Ms. Silence Dogood, a middle-aged widow character he created. 
6. Benjamin Franklin was not allowed to write the Declaration of Independence because everyone thought that he’s try to slip a joke into the document. 
7. Benjamin Franklin wasn’t very good at math. Most of his experiments with electricity relied on trial and error.
8. Benjamin Franklin coined a number of electrical terms we still use today. These terms include: battery, brush, charged, condense, conductor, plus, minus, positively and negatively. 
9. Benjamin Franklin was an early supporter of abolishment. He tried to abolish slavery in 1790 with a petition to congress. 
10. Benjamin Franklin enjoyed “air baths” – reading or writing in his house completely naked. 
11. Benjamin Franklin thought the Bald Eagle was a bad national symbol because it was “a bird of bad moral character that does not get his living honestly.” 
12. He felt the Turkey would be better because it was a “Bird of Courage”, and “would not hesitate to attack a Grenadier of the British Guards.” 
13. Benjamin Franklin purposely misspelled “Pennsylvania” on the state’s currency. He did so to deter counterfeiters. 
14. Benjamin Franklin thought America should use simplified English spellings. He said words such as “though,” “through,” and “night” should be spelled “tho,” “thru,” and “nite.”
15. Benjamin Franklin was the first to bring tofu into America. 
16. It’s said that about two-thirds of Philadelphia showed up for Benjamin Franklin’s funeral in 1790. 
17. John Adams had a dog named Satan. Satan lived in the White House with the president. 
18. John Adams was the only president from the first five to not hold any slaves. 
19. Alexander Hamilton wasn’t born in the American colonies. He was born on the island Nevis in the West Indies.
20. When he was orphaned at age 13, Alexander Hamilton lied about his age, claiming he was 11 years old in order to make himself a more desirable candidate for a business apprenticeship. Historians still can’t agree on his true age. 
21. Alexander Hamilton founded the New York Post.
22. Coincidentally, Alexander Hamilton was also the first American politician to have his career ruined by a sex scandal. 
23. Alexander Hamilton famously died in a duel with Aaron Burr in Weehawken, NJ. His eldest son, Philip, also died in a duel just three years earlier, also in Weehawken, NJ. 
24. Thomas Jefferson thought the Constitution should have been rewritten every 19 years. 
25. While in England, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams visited William Shakespeare’s house together. They vandalized a chair by chipping off chucks to keep as souvenirs. 
26. Thomas Jefferson could read and write in six languages: Greek, Latin, French, Italian, Spanish, and English. It’s thought that he might have known Arabic, Gaelic, and Welsh too. 
27. Thomas Jefferson introduced macaroni and cheese to the United States. 
28. Thomas Jefferson told Lewis and Clark to keep an eye out for giant sloths while they were on their expedition.
29. Thomas Jefferson donated his own collection of books to start the Library of Congress. He was paid $23,950 for 6,500 of his own books, which he had been collecting for over 50 years. (That’s about $250,000 in today’s money.) 
30. Despite popular belief, Thomas Jefferson probably didn’t smoke marijuana. 
31. James Madison was the smallest President ever. He was 5’4” and only weighed about 100 lbs.
32. Contrary to a rumor started online, James Madison did not appoint a Secretary Of Beer. 
33. When George Washington died in 1799, Napoleon Bonaparte gave a eulogy and ordered a requiem that would last ten days. 
34. George Washington currently has over $300,000 in overdue library fines.
35. George Washington’s wooden teeth were actually partially made from human teeth, which he got from his own slaves. (He paid the slaves for their teeth.) 
36. When he was elected president, George Washington owned the largest whiskey distillery in the country. 
37. George Washington didn’t know that Chinese people weren’t white. He was surprised when he first encountered a Chinese person. 
38. When George Washington found a lost dog during the battle of Germantown, he returned the dog across enemy lines to the dog’s owner, his opponent from the battle, General Howe. 
39. George Washington was afraid of being buried alive. In his will, he asked not to be buried until three days after his death. 
40. It’s Paul Revere, not Sam Adams, on the label of Samuel Adams beer.
41. The Boston Tea Party wasn’t really a protest against over-taxed tea. In fact, the Tea Act actually made legal tea cheaper. It was actually a protest led by smugglers of Dutch Tea, led by John Hancock, who couldn’t compete with legal tea prices. 
42. John Jay didn’t sign the Declaration of Independence. He is thought of as a Founding Father because of his contributions to the framing of the document. 
43. Jay Street in Brooklyn, NY was named for John Jay.
44. Francis Hopkinson was most likely responsible for designing the first U.S. flag. For his work, he asked the government for “a quarter cask of the public wine” as a “reasonable reward” for the job. They never gave it to him. 
45. Robert Morris, Jr. died shortly after attempting to clear a blockage in his penis caused by a urinary tract infection with a whalebone, likely taken from one of his wife’s corsets.

The 12 Posts of Christmas (2014 edition) #2

On December 24, 1923, President Calvin Coolidge threw a switch that lighted the first National Christmas Tree on the grounds of the White House.  The first tree contained electric lights and was harvested from Coolidge's home state of Vermont.  The tradition of having a tree inside the White House was begun by President Benjamin Harrison, who set up a tree in 1889, decorated with ornaments and candles.

The year after that first lighting, Coolidge reversed his position on cutting down trees for decorating, and a live tree was planted in Sherman Plaza, where the tree was decorated and lit for the next ten years.  In 1934, two trees were planted in Lafayette Park, north of the White House grounds for use as the "National Christmas Tree(s)."  In 1939 and 1940, a tree was transplanted from the Mount Vernon Parkway to the Ellipse for use as the National Christmas Tree and then returned to the parkway shoulder.  At the request of Eleanor Roosevelt, the ceremony (and the trees) were moved inside the gates of the White House grounds until 1954.

That year, the Pageant of Peace was introduced and the ceremony was moved out to the Ellipse.  For the next twenty years, until 1973, cut trees were brought to the Ellipse to be used as the National Christmas tree.  In October 1973, a Blue Spruce was planted on the Ellipse to be used as the National Christmas Tree, however it was damaged in the transplant and a new tree was planted in 1977.  That tree was heavily damaged by winter storms the following year and a third tree was placed on the site in 1978.  In 2011, that tree was felled in a winter windstorm and a replacement tree was installed in 2012.

Last night the tradition continued with the National Christmas Tree lighting (and Pageant of Peace) - and all of the associated traffic headaches and detours. This weekend will also likely mark the annual outing to secure the Christmas tree(s) for the launchpad.

Nixon Resigns!

Forty years ago, the words above are what was on the headlines of most of the newspapers of the day.  Having announced his resignation the day before, the 37th President of the United States, Richard M. Nixon, left the presidency - becoming the only man to resign the presidency.  Nixon was facing almost certain impeachment over the Watergate crisis any may have very well been removed from office after a lengthy trial.

I remember very clearly - the Brave Astronaut family was on vacation at the beach when my parents called me in to watch the television - telling me to watch, this was something I would likely never see happen again.  Forty years later, it hasn't.

Nixon of course went on to "rehabilitate" himself and became an elder statesman before his death in 1994.  The pardon he received from his successor, Gerald R. Ford, certainly helped, too - although Ford took a lot of heat for pardoning Nixon.

Reflection on a Dark Day

This morning LBA asked me about the significance of the 50th Anniversary of the assassination of John F. Kennedy.  My first answer was that the killing of an American President had not happened since William McKinley in 1901 (obviously Warren Harding and Franklin Roosevelt had died in office but not at the hands of a killer).  LBA knows about Tecumseh's Curse and he asked about that, too.  My follow up response was that JFK was so young and full of "vigah" - plus he was the first Catholic President as well.  The assassination also played out on national television, bringing a nation (and the world) to a standstill for the weekend.

Most of the reports that you hear often start with, "People who were alive in 1963 can always remember exactly where they were when they heard the news."  For an entire generation of Americans, the day's events are seared in their collective memories.

My mother told me her story many times.  She was bowling in a women's league, while my brother was home sick.  He called the bowling alley to tell my mother what had happened.  She immediately asked for the news to be announced over the bowling alley's PA system.  Everyone in the alley stopped bowling and went home to learn more.  The rest of the weekend was spent watching the news on television.  Of course, in 1963, there were no cable news channels, and only a few TV channels at that.  She always told me of watching Walter Cronkite deliver the news in his shirtsleeves - then as the afternoon turned to evening, he suddenly realized he was not wearing a suit jacket.  Later, when Cronkite returned to the air, he had put on his suit jacket.

There are any number of stories about this seminal event in American History.  Of course, there are the conspiracy theories as well, and there have been a number of "alternate histories" of what could have happened had JFK lived. Where I work, there are countless records about the JFK assassination and I have worked with researchers here and in a previous archives job who were looking into the story of the day's events.

As a "history geek," I can tell you with ease where I was when other significant events took place in history though I was not alive when JFK was killed.  The death of JFK was most certainly a defining moment in history and it brought a generation together not seen again, in my opinion, until the September 11 attacks nearly forty years later.

Baked Potato Soup and Barack Obama

Yesterday was January 20, the day set aside for the quadrennial presidential inauguration.  However, with the day falling on a Sunday, the public events were all set for today.  Further, the United States Constitution [specifically the 20th Amendment] requires the President (and Vice President) to be sworn in before noon on the 20th of January - so both Barack Obama and Joe Biden were sworn into their second terms yesterday.

Today was also the day to celebrate the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and as such, a "federally mandated playdate" for LBA and some of his friends.  This is a tradition that we began several years ago and it has continued though LBA and his friends are no longer in the same daycare.

So we had some friends over and Mrs. BA decided on soup for lunch for the grownups.  (There had been a chili discussion - but that is the usual go-to dish for these events so she wanted to try something else.)  As has been noted here before, Mrs. BA and I are/were big fans of the Houston's Baked Potato Soup and she wanted to try and replicate it.  She did a really good job.  Then again - how wrong can it be with milk, cheese, butter, and sour cream (and potatoes)?

Here's the recipe she started from.

Houston's Baked Potato Soup
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Serves: 8

This soup is beyond yummy! Your family and friends will love it!

Ingredients

• 5 Medium Russet Potatoes 
• 3 cup Whole Milk 
• 1/2 cup Half and Half 
• 1/2 cup Sour Cream 
• 1 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese 
• 1 1/2 teaspoon Chives 
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt or to taste 
• 1/4 teaspoon Fresh Ground Pepper or more to taste 
• 2 1/2 tablespoon Butter 
• 1/4 teaspoon Celery Salt 
• 1 Green Onion Diced 
• 5 Strips of Bacon Diced and Fried Crispy-drain 
• 1 1/4 teaspoon Fennel Seeds 

Instructions
 Wash and scrub potatoes, pat dry. Rub potatoes with butter and place in baking pan, bake at 350 for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until done. Remove from oven and cool slightly. When the potatoes have cooled enough to touch, peel 4 of the potatoes, we will need the skin on the 5th potato. While potatoes are cooling, add fennel seeds to milk and half and half, and scald the milk. Scalding is heating milk at moderated temperature just until boiling point but not boiling and quickly remove from heat. Scalding will keep the mixture from separating. Let milk cool slightly with fennel seeds in mixture. When potatoes or cool enough to work with carefully cut 4 in half and place in a food processor. Potatoes should measure out to 1 1/2 - 2 cups cooked potato. Dice the 5th potato and set aside, leave the potato skins on this potato. To the cooked potato add sour cream, chives, salt, pepper, celery salt and 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon shredded cheddar cheese. Strain the fennel seeds from warm milk and discard seeds, pour milk mixture into food processor and processes 1 1/2 - 2 minutes until smooth. Place mixture into a sauce pan add butter and diced potato stir frequently and simmer on very low setting for about 15 - 20 minutes. When ready to serve ladle into individual bowls and garnish with cheddar cheese, bacon, and green diced onion.

Abraham Lincoln fights slavery

From the "This Day in History" page-a-day calendar:

On this day in 1854, an obscure lawyer and Congressional hopeful from the state of Illinois named Abraham Lincoln delivered a speech regarding the Kansas-Nebraska Act, which Congress had passed more than four months earlier.  In his speech, the future president denounced the act and outlined his views on slavery.  Under the terms of the Kansas-Nebraska Act, two new territories - Kansas and Nebraska - would be allowed into the Union, and each territory's citizens would be given the power to determine whether slavery would be allowed within the territory's borders.  It was believed that the act would set a precedent for determining the legality of slavery in other new territories.  Controversy over the act influenced political races across the country that fall.  Abolitionists, like Lincoln, hoped to convince lawmakers in the new territories to reject slavery.

Next month, a new movie is coming out.  As most of you know, I'm a bit of a history geek.  I'll be first in line to see it.  In fact, there's talk of an official Brave Astronaut outing to see it as a group.

Presidential Beer

As most of you know, most Fridays is Pizza / Movie night at the launchpad. And what good is pizza if you don't have a nice cold beer. Some time ago, I spotted this article in the Washington Post Food Section. While it certainly evokes memories of the President's "Beer Summit," Presidents and Beer have a long history together.

Evidently Thomas Jefferson used to make beer at Monticello. The recipe has been unearthed and curators / brewmasters at Monticello are now making Monticello Reserve Ale for sale. For an archivist / historian, it should be mandatory drinking.

Keeping in the Thomas Jefferson vein, today marks the 72nd anniversary of the laying of the cornerstone of the Jefferson Memorial. Faithful readers may recall the memorial holds a special place in the hearts of the Brave Astronaut and Mrs. Brave Astronaut, as it is where I asked her to marry me. Of course, I remember that night - we spotted a sign that listed a number of things the National Park Service prohibited at the memorial (at that time, dancing was not listed). Since proposing marriage was not on the list, down on one knee I went.

And so here we are, almost ten years later, still happily married and parents to two great boys. Love you Mrs. BA!

Presidential Papers (and Libraries)

Today is Election Day. In one year, Americans will head to the polls to either reward or punish President Obama with a second term. It should be an interesting year, if not very, very long.

As I think I have said here before, I work for the federal government in an agency that among many other things, oversees the presidential libraries for all of the presidents from the latter half of the 20th Century. Presidential libraries and the papers that fill them became federal records in part to the 32nd President of the United States (and Honorary Archivist-in-Chief), Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Prior to that point, US Presidents had the option of taking their stuff and doing with it what they wanted.

Thomas Jefferson, our third president, was rightfully concerned with this lack of organization regarding presidential papers. In 1801, he wrote a letter about the "lack of a safe deposit" for his papers. The letter exists in the collection of the National Archives, in the records of the Department of State.

Many of the papers of the early presidents have been lost to history. There are some collections here and there, but you are not likely to find a great deal of material on Millard Fillmore or Martin Van Buren. The Library of Congress was the early beneficiary of no presidential library system and many presidential papers collections may be found there.

Below is a list of the Presidents and where the majority of their papers reside (the link is to the Miller Center, which also provides a list of locations of presidential papers). At the end of the list is the aforementioned Presidential Libraries, part of the National Archives. There is already discussion of where the Barack Obama Presidential Library will be. Unfortunately, it's looking like Illinois and not Hawaii (that would have been a sweet job!). And, for that matter, if things don't start looking up, that library is going to be needed sooner, rather than later.

1. George Washington - at the University of Virginia
2. John Adams - at the Massachusetts Historical Society
3. Thomas Jefferson - a prolific writer, his papers are everywhere, here's about 27,000 of them at the Library of Congress
   
4. James Madison - also at the Library of Congress
   
5. James Monroe - at the College of William and Mary
   
6. John Quincy Adams - here's an example of how widely scattered presidential papers can be - but as with his father, the bulk are at the Massachusetts Historical Society
7. Andrew Jackson - at the University of Tennessee
8. Martin Van Buren - another extensive list, with the bulk at the Library of Congress
   
9. William Henry Harrison - the majority of Harrison's papers were destroyed by fire in 1858, but there is a microfilm collection at the Library of Congress.
   
10. John Tyler - most of Tyler's belongings (and papers) were destroyed during the Civil War, what remains of his papers is at the Library of Congress.
    
11. James K. Polk - many places, but mostly at the Library of Congress.
    
12. Zachary Taylor - Library of Congress
    
13. Franklin Pierce - the Library of Congress (shocking), but also material at the New Hampshire Historical Society.
    
14. Millard Fillmore - the man from Western New York brought his stuff back to the Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society Archives.
15. James Buchanan - the only President from Pennsylvania, the majority of Buchanan's papers are held at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
    
16. Abraham Lincoln - most likely the most written about President, there are Lincoln Papers everywhere. But he also has a Presidential Library and Museum (but it's not part of the Presidential Library system).
    
17. Andrew Johnson - the University of Tennessee undertook a project to centralize Johnson's papers.
    
18. Ulysses Grant - though I am really confused by this, the Ulysses Grant Papers are held at Mississippi State University. People know that's in the South, right?
    
19. Rutherford B. Hayes - you'll note I didn't dis President Hayes above - one of the only 19th Century Presidents to have his own presidential library.
    
20. James Garfield - when you get killed in office, a lot of people tend to write about you and go looking for your stuff. Garfield papers are widely scattered (as this list shows) and the bulk of the material are at the Library of Congress.
    
21. Chester Arthur - there is a very limited collection of Arthur's papers at the Library of Congress.
    
22. Grover Cleveland - the only man to serve two non-consecutive terms (see #24) - his papers are also at the Library of Congress.
    
23. Benjamin Harrison - there is a Harrison Presidential Site in Indianapolis, IN, but the bulk of his papers are found at the Library of Congress.
    
24. Grover Cleveland
    
25. William McKinley - assassinated in office, McKinley's papers went to the Library of Congress
    
26. Theodore Roosevelt - the youngest man to serve as President, TR went on to live for many years after leaving office. After his death, his papers went to the Library of Congress.
    
27. William Howard Taft - the bulk (!) of Taft's papers are at the Library of Congress.
    
28. Woodrow Wilson - the last President to come from the Commonwealth of Virginia (the mother of the Presidency), Wilson is also the only president to have a Presidential home / museum located in the District of Columbia. His birthplace in Staunton, Virginia is home to his library and museum.
    
29. Warren G. Harding - what there is of Hardin's papers (his widow destroyed much of his papers allegedly to clear herself of any implication in his death) is at the Ohio Historical Society.
    
30. Calvin Coolidge - the thirtieth President has a presidential library and museum located in Northampton, MA.
    
31. Herbert Hoover - Hoover decided after Roosevelt started the Presidential Library system that it was a pretty good thing (and he needed all the help he could get to try and restore his image) so the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library is found in West Branch, IA.
    
32. Franklin Delano Roosevelt - the FDR Presidential Library (in Hyde Park, NY) is located next to the Roosevelt family home. FDR designed the library.
    
33. Harry Truman - "Give 'em Hell" Harry's stuff is at the Truman Library in Independence, MO
34. Dwight Eisenhower - Ike was born in Abilene, Kansas and as a result that's where the Eisenhower Library is.
    
35. John F. Kennedy - the Kennedy Library (in Boston, MA) sits prominently on Boston Harbor.
    
36. Lyndon Johnson - the most recent presidential library that I have visited, the Johnson Library is in the state capital of Texas, Austin
37. Richard Nixon - After many discussions with the Nixon family, the Nixon Library opened in July 2011 in Yorba Linda, CA
38. Gerald Ford - OK, I like(d) Jerry Ford, but the only president to not be elected to the job has a Library in one place (Ann Arbor, MI) and the Museum somewhere else (Grand Rapids, MI). And it's not like there close - they're two hours apart. What does that say?
    
39. Jimmy Carter - the Carter Library is in Atlanta, GA, not Plains, where the peanut farmer President hailed from.
    
40. Ronald Reagan - the Reagan Library (in Simi Valley, CA) also holds the plane (Air Force One) used by President Reagan while in office.
    
41. George H.W. Bush - the first Bush Library is in College Station, TX on the campus of Texas A&M University.
    
42. Bill Clinton - the Clinton Library is in Little Rock, AR
43. George W. Bush - the [still being developed] second Bush Library will be located in Dallas, TX on the campus of Southern Methodist University.
    

Archivists and Presidents - Left Handers

I am left-handed. Many years ago, I was in Boston for a high school conference (Model United Nations trip to Harvard) and during some free time, I went shopping and came across a store that catered to the left-handed. I am fond of the saying that goes, "If the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body, then only left-handed people are in their right minds." I used to have a mug that said so.

My mother was also left-handed and used to tell stories about being persuaded to change. Growing up, she was made to write with her right hand, but it didn't take. She wanted to learn to knit but her favorite aunt refused to teach her to knit left-handed so she learned to knit right-handed.

President Obama is also left-handed. I have noticed sometimes when he signs his name he has that over-the-top curl, which I don't have (and neither did my mother). In the modern era of the ball-point pen, it is less of an issue (less smudging), but I don't know how my mother made out.

I have also noticed that in my profession, there are an inordinate number of left-handed archivists. I don't know what that says, but there it is. And here's a list of facts about being left-handed.

• According to Scientific American, 15% of people are left-handed. Males are twice as likely to be left handed than females.
• Left-handers are more likely to be geniuses. 20% of all MENSA members report being left-handed.
• A study found left-handed men are, on average, 15% richer than right-handed men for those who attended college and 26% richer if they graduated.
• Left-handed people are three times more likely than right-handed people to become alcoholics.
• If both parents are left-handed, 50% of their offspring will be left-handed. Two righties have only a 2% chance of having a lefty. (I've been working on SoBA, who tends to bat from the left. That formula sort of works - 50% of my parents were left handed, so 25% of their kids should be left-handed, right? That's me.)
• Psychologists from Queen's University Belfast found that female cats are more likely to be right-pawed, while male cats tend to be left-pawed.
• Lefties are more likely than righties to really, really hate spiral notebooks. (Yes we do.)
• Research conducted by Dr. Nick Cherbuin shows that lefties are better at handling large amounts of stimuli, making them naturally better at playing video games. (Well that explains a lot.)
• Statistically, the older a mother is, the more likely she is to give birth to left-handed children.
• Left-handers are believed to reach puberty 4 to 5 months after right-handers.
• Only 50% of lefties report using a computer mouse with their left hands.. Similarly, 68% use their right hand for scissors and 74% hold a dinner knife in their right hands. (Raising my hand, my left hand, but even so.)
• 4 of the 5 original designers of the Apple Mac computer were left-handed. [In addition to President Obama], three of the past five presidents were left-handed (Clinton, and Bush 41).
• According to one study, lefties have an average lifespan that is nine years fewer than that of righties. (Well, that's depressing.)
  

It's a Sitcom Party!

Hey, it's Pizza / Movie night at the launchpad, but we are always up for a good sitcom. Check out this picture and see how many of the sitcoms you can identify. Click on the picture to see it larger. The key is here and the list is also below. No peeking until you at least try. I put in bold the ones that I missed.

Bonus Quiz - I have listed the characters as identified in the picture. Name the actors.

In other news, The US Government will not shutdown today. For that I am grateful, as I am sure are those people to whom I pay bills. The Congress passed another Continuing Resolution (CR) to fund the government for two more weeks, so they can keep talking about finding the money to fund the government for the rest of the fiscal year.

Bonus Quiz #2 - Why is this date significant in American History? Why is it of some significance to Franklin Roosevelt, though he likely feels the same way about January 20?

Finally, if anyone is in the market for a car - I might be willing to give you mine. It would appear that another model of Mazdas (the Mazda6) may have spiders in the engine venting that may cause a fire. But a fire would be preferable to having SPIDERS in one's car! You can read the article about the recall here.

OK? Ready for the list. How'd you do?

1. The Odd Couple (Felix Unger)
2. Seinfeld (Cosmo Kramer)
   
3. The Mary Tyler Moore Show (Mary Richards)
   
4. Sanford and Son (Fred Sanford)
   
5. Night Court (Nostradamus "Bull" Shannon)
   
6. Mr. Belvedere (Lynn Aloysius Belvedere)
7. Everybody Loves Raymond (Ray Barone)
8. Welcome Back, Kotter (Gabe Kotter)
9. What’s Happening!! (Freddie "Rerun" Stubbs)
10. All in the Family (Archie Bunker)
11. The Cosby Show (Heathcliff "Cliff" Huxtable)
    
12. The Honeymooners (Ralph Kramden)
13. Maude (Maude Findlay) - I got this one on the second pass
    
14. Married . . . with Children (Al Bundy)
    
15. The Facts of Life (Natalie Green)
16. Chico and the Man (Ed Brown) - I thought it was Ed Norton, but that couldn't be right with Kramden also there.
    
17. Will & Grace (Grace Adler) - but only because it didn't look like her.
    
18. The Golden Girls (Sophia Petrillo)
19. The Dick Van Dyke Show (Rob Petrie)
20. Good Times (James "J.J." Evans, Jr.)
21. Roseanne (Dan Connor)
22. Saved by the Bell (Sam "Screech" Powers) - a show I never watched, thankfully
    
23. Charles in Charge (Charles)
24. Home Improvement (Wilson Wilson, Jr.)
25. Family Matters (Steven Quincy Urkel)
26. Three’s Company (Chrissy Snow)
    
27. Growing Pains (Jason Seaver)
    
28. Happy Days (Arthur "the Fonz" Fonzarelli)
29. The Jeffersons (George Jefferson)
    
30. Perfect Strangers (Balki Bartokomous)
31. Laverne and Shirley (Laverne DeFazio)
32. I Love Lucy (Lucy Ricardo)
33. 227 (Sandra Clark)
34. ALF (ALF)
35. Family Ties (Alex P. Keaton) - although he looks like a girl, must be the hair
36. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (William Smith)
37. Friends (Rachel Green)
38. Sabrina the Teenage Witch (Salem Saberhagen) - I knew the show, but would have never been able to come up with the cat's name
    
39. Blossom (Blossom Russo) - tonight on a very special "Blossom," Blossom tries not to look so pained
    
40. Out of This World (The Cube) - never would have gotten this one, either
    
41. Frasier (Eddie)
42. Webster (Webster Long)
43. Full House (Michelle Tanner)
44. Diff’rent Strokes (Arnold Jackson)
45. Punky Brewster (Penelope "Punky" Brewster) - although I initially switched her with the Olsen twin.
    
46. Who’s the Boss? (Tony Micelli)
47. Mork & Mindy (Mork)
48. Taxi (Louie DePalma)
49. Two and a Half Men (Charlie Harper)

Happy Birthday Abe

Today is Abraham Lincoln's birthday. Unfortunately, he, George Washington (February 22), and all of the Presidents, got screwed out of their own individual days when the vague "President's Day" Holiday was established on the third Monday in February.

As you, my faithful readers know, I am a volunteer usher at Ford's Theatre in Washington, which holds its own special place in Lincoln history. A while back, a website I read, We Love DC, dedicated one of its recurring posts, DC Mythbusting, to a Lincoln Edition. It talked about there was allegedly a depiction of Robert E. Lee in the hair of Lincoln in the Lincoln Memorial (not true) and other Memorial Factoids.

The post also explained why there is a portrait of George Washington outside the presidential box at Fords. Do you know? It is one of the most frequent questions I get of theater-goers when I usher.

Happy Birthday Mr. President. For those who are socially motivated, I recommend that you follow @Mr_Lincoln on Twitter and you can "like" HonestAbrahamLincoln" on Facebook.

No Score, Just Four Years

When I started this blog (four years ago), I thought occasionally I might have loftier ideas to share here. Sure there have been lots of recipes and there have been noticeable gaps, but every once in a while something good comes along.

On this day, November 19, a tall man wearing a dark suit stood to make an address. He was not the primary speaker of the day, that honor belonged to a well-known orator, who spoke for more than two hours before yielding the podium. The great orator wrote to the tall man later, "I wish that I could flatter myself that I had come as near to the central idea of the occasion in two hours as you did in two minutes.”

The great orator was Edward Everett. The tall man was Abraham Lincoln. The occasion was the dedication of the Gettysburg National Cemetery. Lincoln's address was of course, the Gettysburg Address, delivered on this day "seven score and seven years ago" (that's 147 years ago to you and me) on November 19, 1863. Think you know all about the Gettysburg Address? Look here for some random facts (and this would be the opportunity for C in DC to tell her archives story, which she has done here before, if she likes).

Time Magazine rated the Gettysburg Address fourth in a recent list of the ten greatest speeches
The text of the speech appears below, followed by the list of the ten speeches. What do you think?

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate—we can not consecrate—we can not hallow—this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

1. Socrates, Apology, 4th C. BC - "The hour of departure has arrived, and we go our ways — I to die, and you to live. Which is better God only knows."
2. Patrick Henry, Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death, 1775
3. Frederick Douglass, The Hypocrisy of American Slavery, 1852 - "Whether we turn to the declarations of the past, or to the professions of the present, the conduct of the nation seems equally hideous and revolting. America is false to the past, false to the present, and solemnly binds herself to be false to the future."
4. Abraham Lincoln, The Gettysburg Address, 1863
5. Susan B. Anthony, Women's Rights to the Suffrage, 1873 - "It was we, the people; not we, the white male citizens; nor yet we, the male citizens; but we, the whole people, who formed the Union. And we formed it, not to give the blessings of liberty, but to secure them; not to the half of ourselves and the half of our posterity, but to the whole people — women as well as men."
6. Winston Churchill, Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat, 1940 - "You ask, what is our policy? I can say: It is to wage war, by sea, land and air, with all our might and with all the strength that God can give us; to wage war against a monstrous tyranny, never surpassed in the dark, lamentable catalogue of human crime. That is our policy."
7. John F. Kennedy, Inaugural Address, 1961
8. Martin Luther King, Jr., "I Have a Dream" Speech, 1963
9. Lyndon B. Johnson, The American Promise, 1965 - "There is no moral issue. It is wrong — deadly wrong — to deny any of your fellow Americans the right to vote in this country. There is no issue of States rights or national rights. There is only the struggle for human rights. I have not the slightest doubt what will be your answer."
10. Ronald Reagan, Remarks at the Brandenburg Gate, 1987
    

Look Out for the Library Police

LBA is off for the weekend at Nana's house, leaving Mrs. BA and I with only one child to take care of. SoBA is a handful, as is evidenced by this recent incident. He has taken to wanting his window down in the car on the way to and from school. The other morning, he wanted his window open and then proceeded to take his shoes and socks off, another thing he is wont to do. Now he does have the tendency to throw things out the window on occasion (we've lost a car, a sippy cup, and a snack container). We get to school and go to put his shoes and socks back on his feet and cannot find one of his socks. So, we ask him, "SoBA, where's your other sock?" The reply was quick and authoritative - "OUTSIDE!" He had tossed his sock out the window somewhere along Constitution Avenue on the ride in.

Tomorrow I will watch SoBA while Mrs. BA gets a well deserved day to herself to do her own thing (I have been out more than my fair share of late). I'm entertaining ideas as to what to do tomorrow. There is the Joint Services Open House (also known as the Andrews Air Show), but I don't think that's in the cards. The weather is supposed to be nice, so maybe we will head to the National Zoo in the morning (the animals tend to me more active in the morning).

There is also a chance that we will head to our local library to see what's going on there. Another popular declarative statement of SoBA is "READ BOOKS!" (everything is said with authority when you are SoBA). Maybe we will have some reading time at the public library, now if I can just find a way to keep him quiet.

In the news over the past few weeks were a few library-related stories worth noting here. First, it would seem that the Father of Our Country may not have told a lie, but he also did not return his library books. George Washington, according to CNN and many other news outlets, checked out two books from the New York Society Library, which was one of the first subscription libraries in the country, and appears to have never returned them. The fine? It has been calculated at approximately $4577.

A second story, which appeared in the Washington Post, discussed what the President [Obama] was reading, and more to the point, what presidents read, and what they tell people they are reading.

Finally, I know a number of librarians. In fact, I used to be married to one. But these passive-aggressive library signs are outstanding. Don't be mean to the librarian. The Library Police work for them. And they know where you live.