Presidents

In the weeks leading up to his inauguration on March 4, 1857, James Buchanan was recovering from a disease that got hundreds of people sick in Washington, D.C.

Presidents Day is a federal holiday, so lots of government-run offices are closed. Retailers, on the other hand, are not.

The U.S. Capitol Crypt in all its splendor.

Beneath the ornate Capitol Rotunda is a drafty crypt with 40 Doric columns, a dozen statues, and zero human remains.

The official campaign portrait of Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

Most people know that Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the only U.S. President who served more than two terms. Here are some other FDR facts you may not have learned in your history classes.

President John F. Kennedy urged Americans that going to the moon was within reach.

John F. Kennedy's stirring speech on September 12, 1962, sparked a passion for space exploration that eventually led us right to the moon.

Theodore Roosevelt would want you to transcribe these letters.

Theodore Roosevelt was constantly writing letters, so it’s no surprise that he received plenty, too.

Courtesy of Orange County Regional History Center

On November 2, 1920, a Black man attempted to vote in Ocoee, Florida—and sparked the bloodiest Election Day massacre in U.S. history.

In 1914, Red Fox James rode from Montana to the White House to champion a celebration of America's indigenous peoples.

Thanksgiving isn’t the only major November holiday—here’s how Native American Heritage Month first came to be.

Pedro Lascuráin, Mexico's unlikely president.

Pedro Lascuráin, the Minister of Foreign Affairs for Mexico, found himself a pawn in a game that saw three presidents hold office in one day.

Pete Souza/The White House, Wikimedia Commons // Public Domain

It’s a question that has been debated since the writing of the Constitution: Can Presidents pardon themselves?

Shirley Chisholm speaks at the 1972 Democratic National Convention.

‘The Fighting Shirley Chisholm’ will chronicle the trailblazing politician’s presidential campaign of 1972.

Lame duck presidents date back to the beginning of U.S. history, but we didn’t start calling them that until the 20th century.

A few key states could decide the 2020 presidential election. Here's what happens in each if a recount is called for.

An 1876 pamphlet reads, "[O]ur nation's choice, Rutherford B. Hayes, William A. Wheeler."

Though it was nearly 150 years ago, the outcome of the 1876 presidential election—which pitted Rutherford B. Hayes against Samuel Tilden—reverberates in America even today.

A portrait of Horace Greeley engraved by Adam B. Walter.

Horace Greeley’s sudden death sent the Electoral College—which had yet to vote—into a state of confusion.

President Woodrow Wilson photographed in good health.

Woodrow Wilson never publicly acknowledged the 1918 influenza pandemic—not even after he caught the virus himself.

Astronaut Kate Rubins casts her ballot from space.

Kate Rubins cast her ballot from the International Space Station with the help of a county clerk and a nifty technology known as the PDF.

FDR's Lincoln K Sunshine Special at the now-closed Walter P. Chrysler Museum in Michigan.

From FDR’s modest Lincoln to Obama’s massive Ground Force One, here’s how the president’s car has changed over the years.

Front row, left to right: Stephen G. Breyer, Clarence Thomas, (Chief Justice) John G. Roberts, Jr., Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Samuel A. Alito. Back row: Neil M. Gorsuch, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Brett M. Kavanaugh.

The Constitution never specified a number of Supreme Court justices, and it’s fluctuated quite a lot over the years.

In this final bonus episode of History Vs., Erin and Mental Floss fact checker Austin Thompson discuss the challenges and delights of tracking down the truth about Theodore Roosevelt—and bust some TR myths, too. Learn more about your ad-choices at https

Theodore Roosevelt's Long Island home has 23 rooms and more books than you can count.

Theodore Roosevelt had very particular ideas about how Sagamore Hill should be designed—including "a very big piazza ... where we could sit in rocking chairs and look at the sunset." Here what you should know about Roosevelt's "Summer White House."

Schlesinger Library, RIAS, Harvard University // No Known Copyright Restrictions

Alice Dunnigan overcame racism, sexism, and other obstacles to make history as the first Black woman credentialed to cover the White House.

From important deadlines to common mistakes, here's what you need to know to make sure your vote gets counted in 2020.

States are changing their vote-by-mail rules for this year’s general election. Here's what you need to know.

The National Hotel Epidemic: The Mysterious Disease That Nearly Sidelined James Buchanan on His Inauguration Day

Presidents Day 2021: A Handy Guide to What’s Open and What’s Closed?

The Empty Crypt Beneath the U.S. Capitol Rotunda

11 Presidential Facts About Franklin Delano Roosevelt

When John F. Kennedy Told the World Why 'We Choose to Go to the Moon'

The Library of Congress Needs Help Transcribing More Than 20,000 Letters Written to Teddy Roosevelt

100 Years Later, the Story of Florida’s Ocoee Massacre—an Election Day Attack on Black Citizens—Is Finally Being Told

November Is Native American Heritage Month—Here Are 5 Things to Know

Pedro Lascuráin: The Man Who Was Mexico's President for Only 45 Minutes

Can Presidents Pardon Themselves?

Shirley Chisholm’s History-Making 1972 Presidential Campaign Is the Subject of a New Movie Starring Danai Gurira

Where Did the Term Lame Duck Originate?

How Do Election Recounts Work? Here's a Simple Explanation

His Fraudulency: Rutherford B. Hayes and the Contested Presidential Election of 1876

When Horace Greeley Lost the 1872 Presidential Election—Then Promptly Died

When Woodrow Wilson Caught the 1918 Flu During a Pandemic, But Hid It From the Public

How Do Astronauts Vote From Space?

The Evolution of the Presidential State Car

Why Does the Supreme Court Have Nine Justices?

History Vs. Bonus Episode: Fact Checking Theodore Roosevelt

10 Facts About Sagamore Hill, Theodore Roosevelt's Home

Alice Dunnigan, the First Black Woman Journalist to Get White House Press Credentials

13 Burning Mail-In Ballot Questions, Answered

Absentee Ballot vs. Mail-In Ballot: What’s the Difference?