President Bush was spending a peaceful Tuesday morning with children from the Emma E. Booker Elementary School in Sarasota County, Florida.
The president was there to promote literacy in America while reading and listening to the children read The Pet Goat. At that exact moment, his aide interrupted and told him about the shocking attacks by Al Qaeda terrorists on the World Trade Center.
Taylor Takes On 600 Men
During his time as commander of Fort Harrison in the War of 1812, Taylor and his garrison of about 50 men were attacked by 600 rifle-toting Native Americans.
Although most of the men under his command were sick and weak, they actually succeeded in fighting off and killing the massive enemy force. It is a testament to Taylor’s strength and leadership that he survived that battle.
George W. Bush
George W. Bush served as America’s 43rd president and he was commander in chief when the devastating terrorist attacks took place on September 11th, 2001. His reaction to the horrific events was to establish the Department of Homeland Security. Bush served two terms as president, between 2001 and 2008, and while in office he ordered an invasion into Afghanistan and the 2003 invasion of Iraq, which led to the end of Saddam Hussein’s regime. Bush served as the governor of Texas for five years before running for president. He won the presidential election in 2000, but because he only won the popular vote by 0.5% in Florida, the state initiated a recount of the votes.
After quite a long time the recount was completed and resulted in Bush as the victor, winning the electoral vote but losing the popular vote. His father, George H.W. Bush, had served as president about ten years before him, making George W. Bush the second US president in history whose father is a former president.
Rutherford B. Hayes
Republican President Rutherford B. Hayes was America’s 19th president from 1877 to 1881. He won the electoral vote but lost the popular vote and became president after several months of disagreement (similarly to the elections in 2000). Interestingly, one of his supporters was legendary author Mark Twain. Hayes started his political career as a member of the defunct Whig party and served three terms as the governor of Ohio before becoming president. He was a staunch supporter of expanding civil rights for the black community but unfortunately, his efforts were thwarted in the end by a largely democratic congress.
His other claim to fame was his enthusiastic support of civil service exams. Hayes believed that government workers should be chosen for their capabilities and not for their political connections. This work eventually became the basis for the Pendleton Act. Hayes was married to the first college-educated first lady and his wife was also the first to institute an alcohol-free White House.
Warren G. Harding
In the 29th US presidential election, not only was Warren G. Harding voted in as president, but women were finally allowed to vote for the first time, making it an extremely important landmark. Harding began his career in the newspaper business in Ohio. He was the owner of the Marion Star newspaper but had to leave The Buckeye State when he decided to go into politics. During his time as President of the United States, from 1921 to 1923, Harding formally ended World War I by declaring peace with Germany, Hungary, and Austria.
He also promoted a “return to normalcy” policy by trying to boost the economy and bring the country back to “normal” after the war. While he was serving his term, many scandals came to light, and Harding sadly passed away from a heart attack while in office as they were surfacing.