# Do you know who was President when you were born? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 22, 2011, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-was-president-when-you-were-born/593653 "2011-08-22T14:33:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-was-president-when-you-were-born/593653/41 "2011-08-22T16:38:00Z")
Ike. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-was-president-when-you-were-born/593653/42 "2011-08-22T16:38:27Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Out of curiosity, are there any Americans who can tell, without looking it up, who was the Speaker of the House when they were born? I’m thinking probably less than one out of a hundred Americans know off the top of their head (I didn’t). There are a few of us. The Speaker when I was born was Carl Albert. A long time ago I got one of those printouts of notable things and people related to my birthday, and that was one of those tidbits that was on it. ---
**Author:** ![SeldomSeen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ba0ec/32.png) [@SeldomSeen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeldomSeen)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-was-president-when-you-were-born/593653/43 "2011-08-22T16:44:03Z")
Eisenhower. For just a few more months SS ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-was-president-when-you-were-born/593653/44 "2011-08-22T16:49:31Z")
FDR delivered his [“A Date Which Will Live in Infamy”](http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5166/) speech four days after I was born. I don’t remember the speech as such, but every time it’s replayed I note the date. ---
**Author:** ![JoThrive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/87869e/32.png) [@JoThrive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoThrive)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-was-president-when-you-were-born/593653/45 "2011-08-22T16:53:58Z")
Calvin Coolidge. I was born in 1926. ---
**Author:** ![Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hypnagogic_jerk/32/4252_2.png) [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypnagogic_Jerk)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-was-president-when-you-were-born/593653/46 "2011-08-22T16:54:09Z")
I had to spend half a second to think about who was prime minister of Canada in 1982, but that’s not hard: it was Trudeau. So I counted it as “knowing it off the top of my head”. Also René Lévesque was premier of Quebec, and Ronald Reagan was the American president. I assume the British prime minister was Thatcher, but I’m not entirely sure. (Upon looking it up, yes she was.) ---
**Author:** ![azraiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@azraiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/azraiel)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-was-president-when-you-were-born/593653/47 "2011-08-22T17:08:11Z")
> [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](#): > > There are a few of us. The Speaker when I was born was Carl Albert. A long time ago I got one of those printouts of notable things and people related to my birthday, and that was one of those tidbits that was on it. That should have been my answer, but I was just a bit off. I thought Tip O’Neill, but Albert was still a few months away from retirement at the time. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-was-president-when-you-were-born/593653/48 "2011-08-22T17:12:53Z")
Yes. GRF. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-was-president-when-you-were-born/593653/49 "2011-08-22T17:15:12Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > Yeah, technically but do most people characterize the terms like that, do you think? > [@Sarahfeena](#): > > I’m with you, I think people usually count from election to election. Nonsense. There’s no “technically” about it. George HW Bush was president for every minute of 1992 and 19-1/2 days of 1993. I’ve known very few people who count presidencies from the election day. Probably none, actually. Anyway, of course I know who was president when I was born: Dwight D. Eisenhower. ---
**Author:** ![Eureka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/74df32/32.png) [@Eureka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eureka)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-was-president-when-you-were-born/593653/50 "2011-08-22T17:29:37Z")
Ford–Mom was pregnant with me when Nixon resigned. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-was-president-when-you-were-born/593653/51 "2011-08-22T17:31:14Z")
> [@Eureka](#): > > Ford–Mom was pregnant with me when Nixon resigned. I trust there was no connection between the two events. ---
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-was-president-when-you-were-born/593653/52 "2011-08-22T17:32:58Z")
Yup, Nixon. I did have to look up who was Prime Minister of my adopted country, though: Per Borten. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-was-president-when-you-were-born/593653/53 "2011-08-22T17:34:41Z")
I had to think for half a second because Nixon was sworn in 4 days before I was born. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-was-president-when-you-were-born/593653/54 "2011-08-22T17:40:06Z")
Another one for Ike. ---
**Author:** ![ITR\_champion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c67d28/32.png) [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-was-president-when-you-were-born/593653/55 "2011-08-22T17:43:35Z")
Ronald Reagan. ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-was-president-when-you-were-born/593653/56 "2011-08-22T17:45:23Z")
FDR ---
**Author:** ![kenner116](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecb155/32.png) [@kenner116](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenner116)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-was-president-when-you-were-born/593653/57 "2011-08-22T18:12:01Z")
Reagan. I was born during sunrise on Election Day '84, causing my mom to not be able to cast a crucial vote for Mondale. I guessed Tip O’Neill for Speaker, and that’s right. ---
**Author:** ![Crown\_Prince\_of\_Irony](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ed655f/32.png) [@Crown\_Prince\_of\_Irony](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crown_Prince_of_Irony)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-was-president-when-you-were-born/593653/58 "2011-08-22T18:18:02Z")
Nixon. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-was-president-when-you-were-born/593653/59 "2011-08-22T18:20:00Z")
LBJ ---
**Author:** ![FrancisCastle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b4bc9f/32.png) [@FrancisCastle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FrancisCastle)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-was-president-when-you-were-born/593653/60 "2011-08-22T18:23:02Z")
So I answered that I knew off the top of my head, but then I googled it and I was wrong! :eek: I always assumed it was Reagan, but I’m a couple days off and it was actually Carter. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-was-president-when-you-were-born/593653.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-was-president-when-you-were-born/593653.md?page=4)