First. . .Ladies

Last March on a visit to the Reagan Library I picked up sets of Presidential paper dolls. The dolls, GHWB and his grandchildren and First Ladies from Mamie Eisenhower to Laura Bush, remained in their books until a few days ago. Last week after cutting out the Ladies in my FLOTUS paper doll set, and after accidentally decapitating Mrs. Carter, I noticed that Mamie Eisenhower was much shorter than all the other First Ladies, who were all relatively the same height. So I went to the Google to see how accurate the height disparity was. I found out that while Wikipedia has a page of Presidents and Presidential candidates ranked by height and a list of First Ladies ranked by longevity, it lacks a page on how tall each FLOTUS was, which is totally sexist. So I'm making my own Wikipedia page for it. The majority I found here. Thanks to Alfie for Betty Ford's height and Busster for Michelle Obama's height.

UPDATE: A few weeks ago I was reading an issue of Life Magazine on books.google.com that had an article about the Kennedys campaigning in Michigan. Reporters asked Mrs. Kennedy several questions including how tall she was. She said 5'7", the same number she told Vogue Magazine. I emailed Firstladies.org which lists her height at 5'8". They referred me to the Kennedy Library. The Kennedy Library emailed and said they split the difference and listed it as 5'7 1/2".

• Martha Washington - Less than 5'
  
• Abigail Adams - 5'1"
  
• Martha Wayles Skelton Jefferson
• Dolley Madison - 5' 6 1/2"
• Elizabeth Kortright Monroe - About 5'
  
• Louisa Catherine Adams - 5' 6"
• Emily Donelson
• Hannah Hoes Van Buren
• Anna Tuthill Symmes Harrison
• Letitia Christian Tyler/Julia Gardiner Tyler - 5’3"
• Sarah Childress Polk
• Margaret Mackall Smith Taylor
• Abigail Powers Fillmore - 5'6"
  
• Jane M. Pierce - 5’4" or 5’5"
• Harriet Lane
  
• Mary Todd - 5'2"
  
• Eliza McCardle Johnson
• Julia Dent Grant
• Lucy Webb Hayes - 5'4"
  
• Lucretia Rudolph Garfield
• Ellen Lewis Herndon Arthur
• Frances Folsom Cleveland - 5'7"-5'8"
  
• Caroline Lavinia Scott Harrison - 5'1"
  
• Ida Saxton McKinley
• Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt - 5'7"
  
• Helen Herron Taft
• Ellen Axson Wilson -5'3"/Edith Bolling Galt Wilson -5'9"
  
• Florence Kling Harding -5'6" - 5'7"
• Grace Goodhue Coolidge 5'5"
  
• Lou Henry Hoover - 5'8"
  
• Eleanor Roosevelt - 5'11"
  
• Bess Wallace Truman
• Mamie Doud Eisenhower - 5'1"
  
• Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis - 5'7 1/2"
  
• Lady Bird Johnson - 5' 6"
• Pat Nixon - 5'5"
  
• Betty Ford - 5'5.5"
• Rosalynn Carter - 5'5"
  
• Nancy Reagan - 5'4"
  
• Barbara Bush
• Hillary Rodham Clinton - 5'4" or 5' 6"
  
• Laura Bush - 5'4" or 5'6"
  
• Michelle Obama -5' 11"

You won't have this quiz to kick around any more

Inspired by qbqrat's presidential quiz, I decided to make a quiz about vice presidential trivia.

1. Which three Vice Presidents have been Nobel Peace Prize winners? Al Gore-Srah Two more
   
2. Which VP lobbied for his state's official flower to be the prickly pear cactus?
3. What song accompanies the entrance of a VP? Hail Columbia-Alfie
   
4. Which Vice Presidents were never elected to the office? Gerald Ford, Nelson Rockefeller-Srah, Alfie
   
5. Which VP has his own Parliament? George Clinton-Srah
   
6. Which Vice President shot a guy in the face? Dick Cheney-Srah
   
7. Name all the living former Vice Presidents. Cheney, Gore, Quayle, Bush, Mondale-Srah
8. Which Vice Presidents served under more than two Presidents? George Clinton and John C. Calhoun-Srah
9. Which VP was an Eagle Scout? Gerald Ford-Alfie
   
10. Which alliteratively named VPs hailed from Maine and Minnesota? Hubert Humphrey-Srah One more
    
11. Who were the two lady candidates for the office of VP? Geraldine Ferraro, S**** P****-Srah, Alfie
    
12. Which VP used a fast food chain's slogan during a presidential bid?
    
13. Which VP once stated "A low voter turnout is an indication of fewer people going to the polls"? Dan Quayle-Srah
    
14. Which Vice President became the namesake for "dividing (a geographic area) into voting districts so as to give unfair advantage to one party in elections."?
    Elbridge Gerry-Srah
15. How awesome is failed VP candidate Theodore Frelinghuysen's campaign poster? Wicked awesome-Srah
    

Srah: 10 points
Alfie: 5 points (bonus point for Eleanor Roosevelt's height)

Books Read in 2009

Best/favorites in bold

1. 1960 LBJ vs. JFK vs. Nixon: The Epic Campaign That Forged Three Presidents by David Pietrusza
2. The Partly Cloudy Patriot by Sarah Vowell
3. Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris
4. Radio On by Sarah Vowell
5. Fraud by David Rakoff
6. Take the Cannoli by Sarah Vowell
7. 1066: The Hidden History in the Bayeux Tapestry by Andrew Bridgeford
8. The European Superpower by John McCormick
9. Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain by Oliver Sacks
10. America's Hidden History: Untold Tales of the First Pilgrims, Fighting Women, and Forgotten Founders Who Shaped a Nation by Kenneth Davis
11. Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella
12. Slumdog Millionaire by Vikas Swarup
13. The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella
14. The Year of Living Biblically by A. J. Jacobs
15. Shopaholic Ties the Knot by Sophie Kinsella
16. Nancy: A Portrait of My Years with Nancy Reagan by Michael Deaver
17. Who Let the Dogs In? by Molly Ivins
18. Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Stephen Dubner and Steven Levitt
19. Watchdogs of Democracy?: The Waning Washington Press Corps and How It Has Failed the Public by Helen Thomas
20. Blind Ambition by John Dean
21. Toast by Nigel Slater
22. Alternate Kennedys edited by Mike Resnik
23. "Mo": A Woman's View of Watergate by Maureen Dean
24. The Defining Moment: FDR's Hundred Days and the Triumph of Hope by Jonathan Alter
25. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
26. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
27. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
28. The John F. Kennedy Handbook by Gareth Jenkins
29. Amazing Grace: The Lives of Children and the Conscience of a Nation by Jonathan Kozol
30. Shopaholic and Sister by Sophie Kinsella
31. A Great Idea at the Time: The Rise, Fall, and Curious Afterlife of the Great Books by Alex Beam
32. Twisted Head: An Italian-American Memoir by Carl Capotorto
33. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
34. The Golden Age of Advertising: The 60s edited by Jim Heilmann
35. Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters
36. Inherit the Wind by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee
37. A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry
38. French Lessons: Adventures with Knife, Fork and Corkscrew by Peter Mayle
39. The Awakening by Kate Chopin
40. Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck
    
41. Hunger by Knut Hansum
42. The Know-it-All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World by A.J. Jacobs
43. Tortilla Flat by John Steinbeck
44. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
45. Animal Farm by George Orwell
46. The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
47. The Adventures of Sally by P.G. Wodehouse
48. Pounding the Pavement by Jennifer van der Kwast
49. Call of the Mall by Paco Underhill
50. Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell
51. Furious Improvisation: How the WPA and a Cast of Thousands Made High Art out of Desperate Times by Susan Quinn
52. The Clicking of Cuthbert by P. G. Wodehouse
53. Kissinger: the Secret Side of the Secretary of State by Gary Allen
54. Tender at the Bone: Growing up at the Table by Ruth Reichl
55. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button by F. Scott Fitzgerald
56. Betty: A Glad Awakening by Betty Ford with Chris Chase
57. The Lees of Happiness by F. Scott Fitzgerald
58. Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise by Ruth Reichl
59. Abigail & John: Portrait of a Marriage by Edith Gelles
60. The Jefferson Bible: The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth by Thomas Jefferson
61. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
62. The Icing on the Cake by Elodia Strain
63. Cannery Row by John Steinbeck
64. Ted Kennedy: Scenes from an Epic Life by the writers and editors of the Boston Globe
65. Shopaholic & Baby by Sophie Kinsella
66. Mr. Abernathy by Tony Delgrosso
67. Set Your Compass True: The Wisdom of John, Robert and Edward Kennedy-Reflections on leading an inspired life compiled by Signe Bergstrom
68. The Power of the Texas Governor: Connally to Bush by Brian McCall
69. Of Paradise and Power: America and Europe in the New World Order by Robert Kagan
    
70. Can You Keep a Secret? by Sophie Kinsella
71. Such a Pretty Fat by Jen Lancaster
72. Salt: A World History by Mark Kurlansky
73. Comfort me with Apples: More Adventures at the Table by Ruth Reichl
74. Heat: An Amateur's Adventures as a Kitchen Slave, Line Cook, Pasta Maker and Apprentice to a Dante Quoting Butcher in Tuscany by Bill Buford
75. Ted Kennedy: The Dream That Never Died by Edward Klein
76. Dolly: My Life and Other Unfinished Business by Dolly Parton
77. Bridget Jone's Diary by Helen Fielding
78. All the President's Pastries: 25 Years in the White House by Roland Mesnier
79. Pat Nixon: The Untold Story by Julie Nixon Eisenhower
    
80. Monica's Story by Andrew Morton
81. Theories of Everything: Selected, Collected, Health Inspected cartoons 1978-2006 by Roz Chast
82. The Ask: How to Ask Anyone for Any Amount for Any Purposes by Laura Fredricks
83. Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules edited by David Sedaris
84. Norman Rockwell: A Sixty Year Retrospective by Thomas Buechner
85. Persepolis 1: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi
86. Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen by Julie Powell
87. The Kennedy Legacy: Jack, Bobby and Ted and a Family Dream Fulfilled by Vincent Bzdek
88. Grover Cleveland by Henry Graff
89. A Little Bit Wicked: Live, Love and Faith in Stages by Kristin Chenowith with Joni Rodgers
90. Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return by Marjane Satrapi
91. Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel
92. The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
93. Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason by Helen Fielding
94. Every Boy's Got One by Meg Cabot
95. God Said, "Ha!" by Julia Sweeney
96. American Victorian Costume in Early Photographs by Priscilla Harris Dalrymple
97. Bitter is the New Black by Jen Lancaster
98. The Beast of Chicago: the Murderous Career of H.H. Holmes by Rick Geary
99. Bachelors Anonymous by P.G. Woodhouse
100. The Art of Tying the Cravat: Demonstrated in Sixteen Lessons, Including Thirty-Two Different Styles; Forming A Pocket Manual; and Exemplifying the advantages arising from an elegant arrangement of this important part of the Costume; Preceded by A History of the Cravat, From its Origin to the Present Time; and Remarks on its influence on Society in general by H. LeBlanc Esq.
101. Malcolm X: A Graphic Biography by Andrew Helfer
102. Barrel Fever and Other Stories by David Sedaris
103. Wigfield: The Can Do Town That Just May Not by Amy Sedaris, Paul Dinello and Stephen Colbert
104. Abraham Lincoln: The Life of America's 16th President by Gary Jeffrey and Kate Perry
105. I like You: Hospitality Under the Influence by Amy Sedaris
106. Pretty in Plaid by Jen Lancaster
107. Americanism in Religion by Theodore Roosevelt
108. The Life and Public Service of General Zachary Taylor by Abraham Lincoln
109. True Compass: A Memoir by Edward M. Kennedy
110. The Inimitable Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse
111. Clueless by H.B. Gilmour and Amy Heckerling
112. Know Your Power: A Message to America's Daughters by Nancy Pelosi
113. The Lincoln Assassination Conspirators: Their Confinement and Execution, as Recorded in the Letterbook of John Frederick Hartranft edited by Edward Steers and Harold Holzer
114. Flashback: Twenty-Five Years of Doonesbury by G.B. Trudeau
115. The Partly Cloudy Patriot by Sarah Vowell
116. Sweet and Low by Rich Cohen
117. Much Obliged, Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse
118. America (the Book): A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction by the Daily Show with Jon Stewart
119. Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by Anthony Bourdain
120. A Time to Heal: The Autobiography of Gerald Ford by Gerald Ford
121. Thirteen Days: A Memoir of the Cuban Missile Crisis by Robert Kennedy
122. Uncommon Grace: Reminiscences and Photographs of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy by J.C. Suares and J. Spencer Beck
123. Bringing Home the Birkin: My Life in Hot Pursuit of the World's Most Coveted Handbag by Michael Tonelo
124. Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot and Other Observations by Al Franken
125. Ladybird: A Comprehensive Biography of Mrs. Johnson by Jan Russell
126. Shrub: The Short but Happy Political Life of George W. Bush by Molly Ivins and Lou Dubose
127. In the Kennedy Style: Magical Evenings in the Kennedy White House by Letitia Baldridge and Rene Verdon
128. Happy Birthday or Whatever: Track Suits, Kim Chee, and Other Family Disasters by Annie Choi
129. Naked by David Sedaris
130. On With The Wind: Martha Mitchell Speaks (additional dialogue by John Mitchell)
131. Summer Crossing by Truman Capote
132. Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella
133. Hypocrite in a Pouffy White Dress: Tales of Growing Up Groovy and Clueless by Susan Gilman
134. High Fidelity by Nick Hornby
135. Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris
136. Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right by Al Franken
137. Shopaholic Takes Manhatten by Sophie Kinsella
138. Bertie Wooster Sees it Through by P.G. Wodehouse
     
139. Michelle Style: Celebrating the First Lady of Fashion by Mandi Norwood
140. Election by Tom Perrotta
141. What is the State of Human Rights? edited by Tom Head
142. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
143. A Guide to Quality, Taste and Style by Tim Gunn with Kate Maloney
144. Words That Set Us Free: A Documentary History and Chronology of America's Struggle for Equal Justice and Civil Rights by editors of the World Almanac
145. Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell
146. Don't Eat this Book by Morgan Spurlock
147. Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris
148. George H. W. Bush by Timothy Naftali
149. The Truth (with Jokes) by Al Franken
150. Barack Obama: In His Own Words edited by Lisa Rogak
151. George Herbert Walker Bush by Tom Wicker
152. Andrew Jackson by Sean Wilentz
153. I Am America (And So Can You!) by Stephen Colbert, Richard Dahm, Paul Dinello and Allison Silverman
154. Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant: Confessions of Dining for One and Eating Alone edited by Jenni Ferrari-Adler
155. James K. Polk: The Man Who Transformed the Presidency and America by Walter Borneman
156. Chester A. Arthur by Zachary Karabell
157. When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris
158. The Conviction of Richard Nixon: The Untold Story of the Frost/Nixon Interviews by James Reston Jr.
159. The Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell
160. The Associate by John Grisham
161. House of Plenty: The Rise, Fall, and Revival of Luby's Cafeterias by Carol Dawson and Carol Johnston
162. Blandings Castle by P.G. Wodehouse
163. Save the Deli: In Search of the Perfect Pastrami, Crusty Rye, and the Heart of Jewish Delicatessen by David Sax
164. Presidential Doodles: Two Centuries of Scribbles, Scratches, Squiggles, and Scrawls from the Oval Office by David Greenberg
165. The True History of Chocolate by Sophie D. Coe and Michael D. Coe
166. Dead Aid: Why Aid is Not Working and How There is a Better Way for Africa by Dambisa Moyo
167. I was told there'd be cake by Sloane Crosley
168. Yeah, I said it by Wanda Sykes
169. The Guinea Pig Diaries: My Life as an Experiment by A.J. Jacobs
170. Dedication by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus
171. Last Lion: The Fall and Rise of Ted Kennedy by the writers of the Boston Globe
172. Cleaving: a Story of Marriage, Meat, and Obsession by Julie Powell
173. Michelle Obama: the First Lady in Photographs by Deborah Willis and Emily Bernard
174. Science Matters: Achieving Scientific Literacy by Robert Hazen and James Trefil
175. I am the New Black by Tracy Morgan with Anthony Bozza
176. Thanks and Have Fun Running the Country: Kids' Letters to President Obama edited by Jory John
177. Love in Infant Monkeys by Lydia Millet
178. I Love It When You Talk Retro: Hoochie Coochie, Double Whammy, Drop a Dime, and the Forgotten Origins of American Speech by Ralph Keyes
179. Cooking for Mr. Latte by Amanda Hesser
180. Who Owns History?: Rethinking the Past in a Changing World by Eric Foner
181. In the President's Secret Service: Behind the Scenes with Agents in the Line of Fire and the Presidents They Protect by Ronald Kessler
182. Twinkie, Deconstructed: My Journey to Discover How the Ingredients Found in Processed Foods Are Grown, Mined (Yes, Mined), and Manipulated Into What America Eats by Steve Ettlinger
     
183. Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World by Mark Kurlansky