Tough World Trivia: Presidential Firsts | 10 Questions

Answer: Martin Van Buren

Born December 5th 1782, Martin Van Buren was Secretary of State under Andrew Jackson before being elected to the presidency. Van Buren is the first president technically born in the United States, because prior to the Declaration of Independence the elected had been born in the English Colonies.

Answer: Jimmy Carter

Born in 1924, Jimmy Carter was the first future president born in a hospital. Carter was also the first president to receive the Nobel Peace Prize after leaving office. He seemed to have an amazing array of accomplishments outside his political career, but his presidency was often regarded as unsuccessful.

Answer: Benjamin Harrison

Benjamin Harrison was the grandson of William Henry Harrison, and his administration passed the Sherman Antitrust Act. He was defeated in his bid for reelection by Grover Cleveland, the first president to serve two non-consecutive terms.

Answer: William Henry Harrison

In 1841, Harrison served only thirty days in office and died of pneumonia brought on by his extraordinarily long inaugural speech in the cold weather. He was at the time the oldest man elected to the presidency, and held the record until Ronald Reagan's election.

In an odd coincidence, all the presidents after Harrison who were elected on a year ending in zero also died in office, the trend again broken by Ronald Reagan. Another "first" connected to Harrison is that of his vice-president John Tyler... the first man to become president by succession.

Answer: James K. Polk

James Knox Polk was the first to be photographed while still in office, and the first president to be photographed alongside his cabinet. Earlier presidents had been photographed during other times in their lives, but Polk has the distinction of being the first in office. He was also the first president to have held the office of Speaker of the House.

Answer: John Adams

After George Washington, there were four consecutive presidents with no military experience (Though Madison and Jefferson held non-combat militia positions). Many Americans of the day thought the United States should not maintain a standing army... not a thought many citizens today would share. John Adams held a great many "firsts", including being the first one-term president, the first to have a vice-president from an opposing political party, and the first president to have previously served in the office of vice-president.

Answer: Never happened

To date, no president has been an only child. A few have only had half-siblings, and these include Gerald Ford, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and Franklin Roosevelt.

Answer: James Buchanan

Buchanan was a lifelong bachelor, and was also the first president from Pennsylvania. His administration was the one which led up to the Civil War, and as such most of his accomplishments are vastly overshadowed by his failures.

Answer: John Kennedy

Kennedy's religion became a topic of controversy during his campaign, with reporters questioning him on whether he would be taking orders from the Pope. He was the first president to have won a Pulitzer Prize, awarded to him for his book "Profiles in Courage".

His assassination has created a great deal of speculation about a possible conspiracy withing the government, and his family remains one of the richest and most influential in American politics.

Answer: Theodore Roosevelt

Theodore Roosevelt, holder of a great deal of presidential "first" distinctions, officially renamed the Executive Mansion in 1901. Roosevelt was known for a number of accomplishments, including the construction of the Panama Canal, the Pure Food and Drug Act, trust-busting, expansion of the national park system, and others.