Well, it’s 2025 and I’m off to a good start. I’ve completed my New Year’s resolutions and thrown a little poetry your way. Not too bad for the first week of a new year. Since it’s freezing cold here in Maine and I’m stuck in the house and becoming a little disgruntled with this winter weather, I thought some morbid historical celebrity trivia was needed. Here ‘s the quiz . . .
What colonial patriot, author and inventor is buried at Christ Church in Philadelphia? Ben Franklin
What twentieth century president was born, raised, and buried in Hyde Park, NY? FDR
What famous pioneer and scout has his home and grave located in Taos, New Mexico? Christopher “Kit” Carson
What much loved western comedian’s home, birthplace, and grave can be visited in Claremore, Oklahoma? Will Rogers
Samuel Wilson’s grave is in Troy, NY. What U.S. symbol was he the original of? Uncle Sam
What is unusual about the large bust of Abraham Lincoln located near his grave? His bronze nose is very shiny because so many visitors rub it for luck.
What nickname for an Iowan resident honors the Sauk Indian chief Black Hawk? Hawkeye
What notable achievement of Thomas Jefferson’s life did he not mention when he created his own tombstone? President of the United States
Who is buried in Grants Tomb in Manhattan? Mrs. U.S. Grant and her husband.
I recently stumbled on a few interesting stories concerning United States history. They caught my eye because they are a bit morbid but nonetheless interesting. I thought I’d share them with you today so we can begin preparing for the run-up to the Fourth of July which is coming soon. It’s hard to believe that we’re already into June. You should be standing and humming Hail to the Chief for these stories.
President William Henry Harrison (1773-1841)
William Henry Harrison, the ninth president of the United States, gave the longest inaugural address in history which ran 8,444 words, and took about one hour and 45 minutes to utter, even though his friend Daniel Webster had edited it for length. Though, it was a drizzly cold March 4th, Harrison insisted on not wearing a hat or topcoat. And so, he caught pneumonia, and died one month later. He served 31 days in office.
It’s hard to believe that a man smart enough to get elected to the office of the presidency could be that vain. On to the next one.
President Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)
The “Lincoln Train”, the locomotive carrying the body of Abraham Lincoln, visited so many towns as it retraced Lincoln’s historical path to the White House that when the body finally arrived in Springfield, Illinois, an undertaker was forced to use white chalk to conceal the damage to the corpses face. Lincoln ‘s massive sarcophagus in Springfield, Illinois Oak Ridge Cemetery is empty. The president is actually buried in the ground 10 feet below it. In 1876 thieves and counterfeiters broke into his tomb, planning to hold the body for a $200,000 ransom. They were caught and sentenced to one year in jail on a charge of lock-breaking. Since there was no law against grave robbing, the state legislators quickly passed a bill to remedy that situation.
Isn’t American history just great. And I mean that with my entire patriotic sarcastic heart.
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