Lincoln was a US president who got killed by Powers Boothe (not really, but the name is similar).
I think he was involved in the abolishment of slavery.
And yes, he had a beard and a tall black hat.
Or was it Shirley Booth?
My collected knowledge:
- He was an American president of the 19th century.
- He represented the northern states in the Civil war and eventually won. This led to the slaves of the south being freed.
- Was republican.
- Got murdered when he went to see a play with his wife. He was shot by John Wilkes Booth, who would also shoot John Lennon a hundred years later.
That would be fivescore. It’s 4XX&7.
He was the Log Cabin. Washington was the cherry tree. He was not Uncle Sam. Fir info on that, consult Uncle Cecil.
Okay, let’s see what I know about great leaders of other countries. Winston Churchill served in the army in the Sudan. He eneterd Parliament at the end of the 19th century, as a conservative. He evntually served in the wartime government of Lloyd George as Lord of the Admiralty. I believe he was responsible for the Gallipoli debacle, which had the foreseeable consequence of retarding the war effort and wasting lives, and the unforeseeable consequence of inflicting Mel Gibson on the Western World.
After the war, he was involved in crushing a General Strike. He became very unpopular. George Bernard Shaw gave him two tickets to the opening of one of his plays, and told him, “Bring a friend, if you have one.” Churchill replied, “I can’t make the opening night. Perhaps I can see it on the second night, if you have one.” He also admitted to being drunk to someone who would be played by Maragret Dumont if it were a movie, but added that he would be sober in the morning, while she would be just as ugly. She said if she were his wife she’d put poison in his orang juice. He replied that if he were her husband he’d drink it.
During the depression he made a name for himself as an opponent of Hitler, and became Prime Minister after the invasion of Poland, which Neville’s Munich accord was supposed to prevent. He led his nation through WWII, and then he was thrown out of office. He wrote a History of the English Speaking Peoples in four volumes.
No, but most Americans think we do. What we have is 1-cent coins, which most people call pennies, and which do indeed have a picture of Abe. He’s also pictured on the $5 bill, as well.
He was the old man in the the stature that Logan 6 saw when he escaped the dome…
Ok just kidding
Lincoln: President of the United States, elected 2 terms 1st in 1860, won second term in 1864 beating former Union Gerneralk McClelland and set the precident of war time elections in the United states. Lead the nation during the Civil war first unedr the banner of preserving the Union later adopting the anti slavery option and finally releasing the Emancipation Declaration after the Battle of Antitiem.
Had a son who died of disease at a young age and his wife never got over the grief of the loss.
Was assasinated at Ford’s theatre during a showing of “Our American Cousin” by Actor/Confederate conspirator John Wilkes Booth.
Also Famous for Gettysburg address and 2nd Ingural speech “Better angles of our nature”
Ugly as sin and would never have won an election had he run in the 20th century despite his wit, down to earth direct speech and intellegence.
Watch too much TV… read a few books on the American Civil War.
Still you shouldn’t be surprised very few outside teh Nation know anything about him. He was a 19th century President who is highly regarded by his own countrymen for his governement during an internal civil war. He had no real effect outside his sphere of influence.
It’s like an average American knowing anything about any 19th Century Politicians outside the states aside from Monsiuer Napoleon.
I’m sorry? The penny is not actually the penny?
I think he’s just pointing out that, officially, the US has no coin called a “penny”. We have a small dingy brown coin with the words “ONE CENT” on it, which most people refer to as the penny, but officially it is a one cent coin.
Similarly, there officially is no coin called a “nickel”, just the FIVE CENT coin.
Quartz –
The doctor’s name was Mudd but that’s not where the phrase “your name is mud” comes from, at least according to Unca Cece: Link.
I’m very impressed by the level of knowledge about Honest Abe. I don’t think there’s a single non-American ruler I could say as much about. Henry VIII, maybe.
For which he was roundly criticized for being obtuse.
Yes, I am more and more (unfavorably) impressed with my co-workers. “American president who warned the Americans about the Jews.”
What the heck are they teaching in Saudi schools? Not much useful as far as I can see.
35, South African, got most of my knowledge as a kid from World Book Encyclopedia, which had a reasonably detailed bio of each president up to Reagan…
I don’t want to repeat what everyone has said, but I knew his terms, stuff like the log cabin origin, Lincoln-Douglas debates, Gettysburg Address (including how many drafts there are floating around), Emancipation, Assasination, Republicanism etc. there’s the Lincoln Memorial in DC, too. And he had a black secretary, didn’t he*? 
But nowadays, true or not, all I can think is “Gayer than a treeful of monkeys on Nitrous Oxide”. Thank you, Log Cabin Republicans**
*Well, in TV-land, he did…
**and Pterry for that phrase!
Learned all about him from Abraham Lincoln vs. Madison Avenue by Bob Newhart
I knew as much about Lincoln as most here, there is no use in repeating the stuff I knew.
I didn’t learn a single fact about him at school (39. NZ). Like most I have picked up random details from readings, from movies and from tv.
In NZ the majority of popular English language entertainment comes from America, one would have to be brain dead to not pick up on a certain level of information.
The sad thing is that you expect non-Americans to know this. Old Abe Lincoln is very important to America but outside of America each country has someone FAR more important. We don’t expect you to know anything about them or give a shit about them.
Why do you feel disappointed if non-Americans don’t give a shit about Abe?
Why should Saudi schools teach about Abe? He’s not their history! America’s history is mostly interesting to American’s.
What can you tell me about the Micheal Joseph Savage? Nothing! Unless you google and it should be of no interest to you anyway.
America is THE world power, that doesn’t mean we all need a lesson in old funny-beard-face.
I think if I said, “Savage was the PM who warned New Zealanders about the Jews,” you would be disappointed.
I would? I be bloody suprised if the majority of NZ’ers under the age of 40 knew who he was (I know they don’t. I MADE my child do a history essay on him…complete with a trip to his memorial 
). If they don’t know about him they have buckleys chance knowing about Abe
Exactly. Lincoln is unimportant in world events. He did not free slaves around the world he did not visit the crowned heads of Europe or expand US influence to other countries. He was the leader of the winning side of a civil war.
Oh yeah that reminds me of a minor pet peeve I have. Some American’s I have met expect outsiders to understand what is meant by “THE” Civil War.
As a Canadian I understand what they refer to but I usually call it The American Civil War (much like I refer to thr Spanish Civil war or The Civil war in Iraq). Seriously, it is one of many civil wars in world history. It’s importance is mainly for your country. You’d think the way it is talked about, that it was a conflict that shaped world history.
That was my way of saying that in NZ children learn bugger all about OUR history. US history has NO chance (nor is Abe Lincoln of ANY importance to your avearge NZ school kid).
Exactly. As a Canadian, your education was probably not that disimilar to mine, mostly British history (coupled with your own). American history came up incidently.
Pardon me, although I am an American I am not (entirely) stupid (about everything). Nor am I especially Imperialistic.
In any case, Lincoln was an exceptional speaker and writer. He established the United States as a major industrial power (or at least led the war that showed the US to be a major industrial power). He freed the last slaves held by a Western nation. At a time that other English-speaking nations were ruled by elites, he (and Jackson before him) showed the world that the common people could rule themselves.
He showed compassion that was noteworthy in any man, and more so in a wartime leader.
Savage? All I remember was he was the wartime PM that did not want his nation to fight the Japanese. He was a contemporary of Churchill, Curtin, and King. Undergraduate history was not wasted (completely) on me.