Mike Purdy's Presidential History Blog
Find a Chair for the President!
Franklin D. Roosevelt's travel arrangements and event logistics as president could be quite complicated. Stricken with polio at age 39 in 1921, he was by-and-large confined to a wheelchair to get around, although he perfected the art of "walking" to a podium to...
Is Your Favorite President on Pinterest?
First, what is Pinterest anyway? It's a social media website that offers free sharing of photos. It's newer and less famous that Facebook and Twitter as social media sites. Obama's Twitter Followers: Speaking of Twitter, did you know that on May 18, 2015, President...
Deadline for 272 Word Response to Gettysburg Address
In my blog posting of June 16, 2015 on Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, I announced a contest. I will give away one free copy of the newly published book "Gettysburg Replies: The World Responds to Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address." Free Copy of Book: I will send a...
Abraham Lincoln Was Wrong
In his now famous Gettysburg Address that he delivered on November 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln misjudged the significance of his comments in dedicating a cemetery for the thousands of Union soldiers who had died at the Battle of Gettysburg just four and a half...
JFK Video Clip Made Public for First Time
A one minute video clip of President John F. Kennedy was finally made public after 54 years. The video clip of JFK was filmed on an 8 mm camera owned by a U.S. Army employee who was on hand in Paris on June 2, 1961 as the president visited the Supreme Headquarters...
What Benjamin Harrison Forced White House Staff to Do
In the election of 1888, Republican Benjamin Harrison evicted Grover Cleveland from the White House, not realizing of course, that he would suffer the same fate in just four years. In the election of 1892, Cleveland made an unprecedented presidential comeback,...
Why Ronald Reagan Left the Democratic Party
Ronald Reagan, our 40th president and the icon and hero of the modern conservative movement in American politics, was once a Democrat. Reagan Idolized FDR: As a young man who came of age during the Great Depression, Reagan idolized Franklin D. Roosevelt. The New...
Who Were Our Best & Worst Ex-Presidents?
Our presidents have taken different paths during their post-presidential years, with some contributing significantly to the nation, while others took counterproductive actions. Some we would argue were excellent ex-presidents, while others caused significant problems...
Presidential History Roundup #9
How JFK’s style was different from Jefferson’s pajamas and other key moments in presidential style. Why John Wilkes Booth was right. Rare footage of President Theodore Roosevelt in San Francisco. Presidential power at Camp David. Qualities of effective presidential leadership.
Who Was in Control of the Government When Ronald Reagan Was Shot?
In the uncertain hours following the attempted assassination of recently inaugurated President Ronald Reagan on March 30, 1981, Secretary of State Alexander Haig (who longed to be president himself) famously and inaccurately pontificated to assembled reporters at the...
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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.