Mike Purdy's Presidential History Blog
Whistle-stop Campaign
In 1948, President Harry S Truman defied all odds in winning a term as president in his own right with his shocking upset victory over New York Governor Thomas E. Dewey. No one, pollsters, pundits, or the people expected Truman to win. No one, except Truman himself....
Do You Know Where the Vice President Lives?
We all know the President lives in the White House at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. But what about the Vice President? Are they left to fend for themself? For most of our nation's history, that was the case. With each new Vice President, new security features were...
6 Things Former Presidents Aren’t Allowed to Do After Leaving Office
Reader's Digest asked me to contribute to an article on things former presidents aren't allow to do after leaving office. I wrote about three things a former president may not do: Violate the law Sell or share classified information Two-termers may not run for...
Tense Transitions of Presidential Power
Our nation is in the midst of one of the most unusual transitions of presidential power, as the sitting president refuses to concede, is filing multiple lawsuits claiming widespread voter fraud, and attempting to influence what electors are selected in key states for...
Rare Video of George Washington’s Inauguration
It was April 30, 1789 - exactly 231 years ago - that George Washington took the oath of office for the first time as the first president of the newly minted United States of America. It was the launch of our great American experiment in democracy. What was it like on...
Bad Luck
Harry Truman once wrote that "the only thing you have to worry about is bad luck. I never have bad luck." If anyone could be said to experience bad luck in life, it was Truman, but not in his mind. Farm Life: He was never financially successful. When he was...
Perfect Storm: A Pandemic and Presidential Election
It is a vast understatement to say that we are living in the midst of earth-shaking, historic, scary, and unprecedented times as a nation and as a world - as we collectively struggle with the impacts of the deadly Coronavirus. A New Reality: We are witnessing in real...
Presidential History/Campaign Videos & Other Resources
Lecture on 2020 Presidential Campaign: On October 24, 2019, along with my good friend, political scientist and professor Dr. Michael Artime, we presented the inaugural lecture of our new series "2020: Battle for the Soul of America" about the upcoming presidential...
4 Things I Learned in Writing My New Book
Check out this 2 minute 40 second video about four things I learned in writing my new book, 101 Presidential Insults: What They Really Thought About Each Other - and What It Means to Us. The non-partisan book is a great holiday gift for the person in your life who...
C-SPAN Interview About My New Book
When I was in Washington, DC on September 20, 2019, I was honored to be interviewed by C-SPAN's Book TV about my new book, 101 Presidential Insults: What They Really Thought About Each Other - and What It Means to Us. (Keep the book in mind as a great Christmas...
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About Mike
Mike Purdy is a presidential historian and author living in Seattle, Washington. As an expert in presidential history, Mike runs PresidentialHistory.com as a public resource.