# A Presidential triva question **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [March 12, 2008, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-presidential-triva-question/441161 "2008-03-12T22:06:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2008, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-presidential-triva-question/441161/1 "2008-03-12T22:06:36Z")
The following presidents all have something in common; Chester A. Arthur, James Buchanan, George W. Bush, Benjamin Harrison, William Henry Harrison, Andrew Jackson, Andrew Johnson, Lyndon B. Johnson, Ronald Reagan, William H. Taft, Zachary Taylor, and Woodrow Wilson. No other presidents belong on this list. What is it they have in common? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2008, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-presidential-triva-question/441161/2 "2008-03-12T23:12:52Z")
None of them have been in my kitchen. All the others have. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2008, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-presidential-triva-question/441161/3 "2008-03-12T23:13:31Z")
Each took the oath of office twice? ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2008, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-presidential-triva-question/441161/4 "2008-03-12T23:19:25Z")
Does the order in which they’re listed matter? ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Some\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ad7895/32.png) [@Just\_Some\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Some_Guy)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2008, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-presidential-triva-question/441161/5 "2008-03-12T23:22:52Z")
[QUOTE=pravnik] Each took the oath of office twice? [/QUOTE] Not William Henry Harrison. ---
**Author:** ![Hoopy\_Frood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hoopy_frood/32/8452_2.png) [@Hoopy\_Frood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hoopy_Frood)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-presidential-triva-question/441161/6 "2008-03-13T00:34:07Z")
[QUOTE=pravnik] Each took the oath of office twice? [/QUOTE] There are many presidents _not_ on that list that took the oath twice. The list is exclusive according to the OP. ---
**Author:** ![Hoopy\_Frood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hoopy_frood/32/8452_2.png) [@Hoopy\_Frood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hoopy_Frood)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-presidential-triva-question/441161/7 "2008-03-13T00:35:59Z")
[QUOTE=Fretful Porpentine] Does the order in which they’re listed matter? [/QUOTE] Probably not, it’s alphabetical by last name. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-presidential-triva-question/441161/8 "2008-03-13T01:01:10Z")
They’re all presidents whose names appear in the OP of this thread. None of the other presidents are in this group. Sheesh…that was easy… ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-presidential-triva-question/441161/9 "2008-03-13T02:05:51Z")
Hal wins! (Bryan may have won also but I’ll need a cite.) But I had a different answer in mind so the rest of you can keep guessing for my original answer. > [@](#): > > Each took the oath of office twice? No > [@](#): > > Does the order in which they’re listed matter? No ---
**Author:** ![5\_time\_champ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/278dde/32.png) [@5\_time\_champ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5_time_champ)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-presidential-triva-question/441161/10 "2008-03-13T02:29:44Z")
Great question **Nemo** I don’t see any pattern You have 2 term presidents; a 30 day president; VPs who succeeded because of assassinations & natural causes; Republicans, Democrats & Whigs; one pair of related Presidents, but not the other two; they’re not all left-handers; some ran for re-election & won; some never ran for re-election. Since Bush is still President [God help us all] it can’t be about who succeeded them. Wm Henry Harrison should be the key since he only served 30 days, But I don’t see it. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-presidential-triva-question/441161/11 "2008-03-13T02:42:20Z")
[QUOTE=5 time champ] one pair of related Presidents, but not the other two. [/QUOTE] Other three. The Adamses, Roosevelts, Harrisons, and Bushes. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-presidential-triva-question/441161/12 "2008-03-13T03:33:54Z")
Hmmm. I don’t see any commonalities between them other than the obvious: each has lived in the White House, each served after George Washington, etc. But you say no other Presidents belong on the list. Lessee. Could it be that each was born in a state on the outermost edge of the U.S. (adjoining an ocean, a Great Lake, Canada or Mexico)? No… Jackson and Johnson were both born in Tennessee, weren’t they? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-presidential-triva-question/441161/13 "2008-03-13T04:21:37Z")
Here’s a hint: If John McCain is elected, he’d be added to this list. Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama would not. ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-presidential-triva-question/441161/14 "2008-03-13T04:43:43Z")
This is the list of presidents who were older than their predecessor. ---
**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-presidential-triva-question/441161/15 "2008-03-13T05:03:18Z")
Yeah I think you got it **Freddy**. Bastard. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-presidential-triva-question/441161/16 "2008-03-13T06:04:48Z")
Freddy does indeed have it. ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-presidential-triva-question/441161/17 "2008-03-13T13:32:32Z")
The surprising (to me, anyway) omission from the list was Eisenhower. I always think of him as an old guy, but he was _six years_ younger than Truman. He was only two years older, when he took office, than Truman was when he took office. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-presidential-triva-question/441161/18 "2008-03-13T13:57:19Z")
[QUOTE=Hoopy Frood] There are many presidents _not_ on that list that took the oath twice. The list is exclusive according to the OP. [/QUOTE] I should have said twice for a single term, once publically and once privately (Arthur, Reagan, and Wilson all did). I [still was wrong](http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/pihtml/pioaths.html), though. ---
**Author:** ![MadTheSwine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MadTheSwine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadTheSwine)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-presidential-triva-question/441161/19 "2008-03-13T14:19:33Z")
More presidential trivia… Three presidents died on the 4th of july…who? and the last two Vice presidents ELECTED to the presidency were? ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-presidential-triva-question/441161/20 "2008-03-13T14:45:47Z")
[QUOTE=MadTheSwine] More presidential trivia… [1] Three presidents died on the 4th of july…who? and [2] the last two Vice presidents ELECTED to the presidency were? [/QUOTE] These are the kinds of questions that could go in our U.S. History trivia thread! 1. Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and… I forget. 2. Martin Van Buren and George H.W. Bush, if you mean directly from the Vice Presidency. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-presidential-triva-question/441161.md?page=2)