Head of School Letter: Trivia for Presidents Day
Source/Author: Nancy L. Spencer, Head of School
February 16, 2024
As we head into the Presidents Day long weekend, my thoughts (naturally) go to United States Presidents. I spent many years teaching the Advanced Placement US History course; and at one time I could name all the Presidents chronologically. Unfortunately that is a skill I no longer possess, as I discovered the other night.
Challenged by my daughter. I took an online Sporcle quiz, which requires the player to identify each United States President within 10 minutes. Happily, the presidents are put in order, so I just had to come up with their names.
The first Presidents were easy, Revolutionary War era and mostly Virginians with a sprinkling of Massachusetts representation (Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, John Quincy Adams). I could do the run between Andrew Jackson and Ulysses S. Grant, the 50 years of the mid-1800s. (Who can forget “Tippecanoe and Tyler too” as the best presidential slogan ever?) And the 20th Century to present was a breeze, from McKinley’s untimely death up through to the current day.
It was the 1880s and 1890s which tripped me up. I was fuzzy on Rutherford B. Hayes, James Garfield, Chester Arthur, Grover Cleveland (twice), and Benjamin Harrison.
This was fun! Next I located and named all 50 states, which I did easily and with plenty of time left over. Throughout my life I have lived in six states in three different time zones, traveled extensively and taken many road trips across this nation, so I know the geography of the US pretty well.
For the last game, my daughter and I teamed up to name state capitals, which proved to be the most challenging endeavor. We sailed through many of them, but came up short at the end, failing on Kentucky (Frankfort), Nevada (Carson City) and Washington (Olympia).
However you spend your time this long weekend, I hope you enjoy moments with your family and friends, playing games, learning new facts and being together.
All the best,
Nancy
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