Presidential History Roundup #4

Presidential History Roundup #4:  Interesting news about Presidential history:

• 1st President to pay income tax:  On March 14, 1923, President Warren G. Harding became the first President to file an income tax return.  He filed his return for 1922 and paid $17,990 in taxes on his presidential salary of $75,000.  President Obama just released his tax return for 2014 and he paid $93,362 in taxes on an adjusted gross income of $477,383, with most of his income coming from his $400,000 presidential salary.  Click here to find out how much Barack and Michelle Obama donated to charities.

• April Presidential Anniversaries:  Mid-April brings with it a string of presidential anniversaries:
  • April 12, 2015 – 70 year anniversary of FDR’s death in 1945
  • April 13, 2015 – 272nd birthday of Thomas Jefferson in 1743
  • April 14, 2015 – 150  year anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination in 1865
  • April 15, 2015 – 150 year anniversary of Lincoln’s death in 1865 – “Now he belongs to the ages”

• The Day Lincoln Died:   Abraham Lincoln was assassinated on April 14, 1865, or 150 years ago.  It was a tragic day in our country’s history, but interestingly, most of the day was one of Lincoln’s happiest days and he was in a cheerful mood.  Click here to read a great article by presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin from Smithsonian Magazine on the events of Lincoln’s last day.

•  The End of the 20 Year Curse:  For more than 100 years, starting with the 1840 presidential election, every president elected in 20 year increments (1860, 1880, 1900, 1920, 1940, and 1960) died in office.  Click here to read more about it from an earlier blog post to my Presidential History Blog.

• Presidential Dogs:  Who was the master of the following presidential dogs?  Laddie Boy, Fala, Ranger, King Tut, and Checkers.  How did these dogs make the news and enter into history?  Click here for a fun and short article (with pictures – and video – of course!).

• New Books:  Here are a couple of new books about the presidents:
  • Lincoln’s Body: A Cultural History, by Richard Wrightman Fox (Publication Date: February 9, 2015)
  • The End of Greatness: Why America Can’t Have (and Doesn’t Want) Another Great President, by Aaron David Miller (Publication Date: October 7, 2014)
  • First Ladies: Presidential Historians on the Lives of 45 Iconic American Women, by Susan Swain and C-SPAN (Publication Date: April 14, 2015)
  • The Residence: Inside the Private World of the White House, by Kate Andersen Brower (Publication Date April 7, 2015)

• Want to Buy the Western White House?  Richard Nixon’s “Western White House” in San Clemente, CA that the president used during his presidency and as his retreat after his resignation, is for sale.  All you need is $75 million to own this piece of history!  Click here for more details.