Mike Purdy's Presidential History Blog
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...
What Would You Say If You Met the President?
For nearly three years, many Americans have held their collective breath watching the unfolding instability erupting from the White House. As we witness the shattering of longstanding political and societal norms, we wonder if the next verbal attack or crisis will...
The Value of Teaching History
The Plodding Through the Presidents blog recently sponsored a writing contest asking people to describe the value of teaching history. While I didn't win, I did receive an honorable mention recognition. The following is what I wrote: Why Teach History? In our modern...
New Andrew Johnson Documents Discovered
Guest Blog Post: I’m pleased to publish this guest blog post written by Kendra Hinkle. Kendra is a Museum Specialist and Cultural Resource Manager at the Andrew Johnson National Historic Site in Greeneville, Tennessee where she has been employed for 23 years. She is a...
Donald Trump is No James Monroe
When the vice-presidential candidates squared off against each other in the 1988 debate, Lloyd Bentsen delivered one of the sharpest political blows ever landed on an opponent. Republican Dan Quayle was proudly touting his years of experience and equating them with...
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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.