Mike Purdy's Presidential History Blog
2014 Presidential Christmas Card
2014 White House Christmas card: Here are images of the 2014 Christmas card sent out by President Obama and his family. The text of the card states "In this wondrous season, may the spirit of the holidays bring your strength and happiness." It includes the...
Did Eisenhower’s Wife Tilt the 1960 Election to JFK?
After an almost fatal heart attack and stroke during his presidency, Dwight Eisenhower was not in the best of health as his two terms came to a close in 1960. Ike's wife, Mamie, was justifiably concerned about the President's health. Oldest man in the White House: In...
The Ever Expressive Face of Former President Bill Clinton
Here is a series of 13 pictures of former President Bill Clinton displaying a wide range of facial expressions. The photographs were taken on October 28, 2010 by David Cross at Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania, and are used with permission. Thank you, David. See...
Before the White House…Philadelphia had the President’s House
With a brokered deal in which regional interests competed for the permanent capital of the fledgling new United States of America, it was decided that the temporary capital for ten years would be located in the city that had birthed the Declaration of Independence and...
Could Theodore or Franklin Roosevelt Have Been Elected President Today?
The news media of the 21st century is very different from that experienced by Theodore Roosevelt at the turn of the 20th century or Franklin Roosevelt in the Depression and World War II era. One scholar's opinion: Longtime FDR scholar and author, Geoffrey Ward,...
Watch Nixon’s Resignation Speech from 40 Years Ago
On August 9, 1974, Richard M. Nixon became the first President to resign. Click here to watch his historic resignation speech from August 8, 1974. Mike Purdy's Presidential History Blog © 2014 by Michael E. Purdy www.PresidentialHistory.com
New Nixon Tapes Released About the Final Days Before the Resignation
August 9, 2014 will mark the 40th anniversary of Richard Nixon's resignation as President of the United States.Library releases new tapes: On August 5, 2014, the Nixon Presidential Library & Museum began releasing unedited videos from a June 10, 1983...
Presidents Pointing and Staring
Here's a collage of Presidents pointing and staring at their audience. Who do you think does it best? Top left to right: Carter, Obama, JohnsonMiddle left to right: Reagan, Uncle Sam, Theodore RooseveltBottom left to right: George W. Bush, Kennedy, Nixon,...
Warren Harding’s Love Letters to be Made Public on July 29, 2014
Warren G. HardingOn July 29, 2014, more than 1,000 pages of passionate love letters written by Warren G. Harding, the nation's 29th President, to his mistress of 15 years, Carrie Phillips, will be unsealed from a vault in the Library of Congress where they have been...
3 Winners of Free Book about Nixon’s Marriage
Mike Purdy drawing 3 names from a hat On Memorial Day, May 26, 2014, I pulled three names from the list of 218 email subscribers to this Presidential History Blog as the lucky winners of a free copy of the recently published book, Pat and Dick: The Nixons, an Intimate...
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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.