Oval Office Trivia

 

by Mimi Riser

With Presidents Day this month, February seems like the perfect time for a rousing round of “Oval Office Trivia”—a game I just invented for the occasion. Aren’t you glad? Never mind, don’t answer that. If you want to play, just read on and see if you can answer the following questions. If you don’t want to play, read on anyway, because I’m going to give you the answers and maybe you’ll learn something. (smile)

 

First question: Serving in office from 1945 to 1953, Harry S. Truman was the 33^rd president of the United States of America—a basic historical fact and no big secret. But what does the “S” in Harry S. Truman stand for?

 

Give up? I don’t blame you. The “S” stands for nothing, actually. It’s his entire middle name. And it sounds to me as though President Truman’s parents were simply trying to please everyone. His folks called him Harry after his uncle Harrison, and then they tacked on the middle initial so that both his grandfathers—Solomon Young and Anderson Shipp Truman—could claim he was also named for them. I suppose that’s one way to avoid a family squabble.

 

Here’s another one: Who was the Baby Ruth candy bar named after? (Hint: It was a president’s daughter, not the famous ball player, Babe Ruth, as some assume.)

 

Answer: Ruth Anna Cleveland, the daughter of our 22^nd and 24^th president, Grover Cleveland.

 

Which rolls us right into question number three: What was Grover Cleveland’s first name?

 

And, no, that’s not a trick question like who’s buried in Grant’s tomb. President Cleveland’s full name was, in fact, Stephen Grover Cleveland. But he dropped the Stephen when he was just a boy. Why? I have no idea, but isn’t it fun to know stuff like that? Never mind, you don’t have to answer that question, either. Moving right along…

 

What toy was named for which US president and why?

 

So, okay, that’s two questions, but they go together like mistletoe and kissing. (And where that analogy just came from is beyond me…unless, maybe, it’s because I haven’t taken down my Christmas decorations, yet.) Anyway, the answer goes like this and shows the true nobility of one of our more colorful leaders: Round about 1902 President Teddy Roosevelt was on a hunting expedition in Mississippi. He had hoped to bag himself a bear, but the bears, apparently, weren’t in a cooperative mood at the time and were making themselves darn scarce. Perfectly understandable. If I were a bear and saw a bunch of men with guns, I’d probably steer clear, too. I’m sure President Roosevelt understood their position as well, but he was disappointed nonetheless. To cheer him up, his hosts finally managed to trap a bear cub, which they heartily encouraged him to shoot. Roosevelt refused, and good for him! After all, it’s one thing to face down a full-grown bear, but he considered it hardly sporting to kill a helpless cub.

 

Shortly afterwards there appeared in The Washington Star a cartoon drawn by Clifford Berryman. It showed our 26^th president, rifle in hand, with his back defiantly towards a poor little baby bear, and the caption read, “Drawing the line in Mississippi” (which, by the way, is where we get the expression “drawing the line” from). The cartoon received national publicity and inspired a toy salesman, 32-year-old Russian immigrant Morris Michtom, to make a stuffed copy of the cub. Michtom called his creation the “Teddy Bear” after the courageous and honorable man who inspired it. The toy was an instant success. And the rest, as they say, is history.

 

All of which leaves us time for one last question: Which US president delivered the shortest inaugural address ever given?

 

Answer: Our very first, George Washington (and some say the speeches have been getting longer ever since). Washington’s second oath of office—taken in the Senate Chamber of Congress Hall in Philadelphia on Monday, March 4, 1793—was only 136 words long. He said: “Fellow Citizens, I am again called upon by the voice of my country to execute the functions of its Chief Magistrate. When the occasion proper for it shall arrive, I shall endeavor to express the high sense I entertain of this distinguished honor, and of the confidence which has been reposed in me by the people of united America. Previous to the execution of any official act of the President, the Constitution requires an oath of office. This oath I am now about to take, and in your presence: That if it shall be found during my administration of the Government I have in any instance violated willingly or knowingly the injunctions thereof, I may (besides incurring constitutional punishment) be subject to the upbraidings of all who are now witnesses of the present solemn ceremony.”

 

Short, sweet, and straight to the point. Well said, President Washington. On Presidents Day (or any day), let’s spare a moment to reflect on him and the other men who, for better or worse, have held the reins of our country in their hands.