This informative post will be published on Saturday in place of my regular one.  You are invited to participate with the opening question.

Brain Teaser Question

One of these words does not belong:  brawl, carrot, change, clover, proper, sacred, stone, seventy, swing, travel.

(answer found at the end of this post)

Featured Facts

Upon the death of President Franklin D. Roosevelt on April 12, 1945, Harry S. Truman assumes the high office of the United States President.  He becomes the 33rd Chief Executive, and he will serve from 1945 to 1953.

Here are a few interesting facts about President Truman:

• Political Party:  Democratic
• State Represented:  Missouri
• Birth:  May 8, 1884 in Lamar, Missouri
• Death:  December 26, 1972 in Kansas City, Missouri
• Other Occupations:  farmer, soldier, businessman

Nicknamed “The Man from Independence,” Truman’s early life exhibits a strong work ethic and a commitment to education.  During World War I, he serves as an army artillery officer in the European theater.  

Truman’s legal name does not include a middle name or initial.  He adds the middle initial “S”.  In 1934, his political career rises in prominence as he is elected to the United States Senate.  He serves in the Senate until the election of 1944 when he is nominated and elected as President Roosevelt’s running mate.

Truman steps into the Presidency at a critical time as World War II is drawing to a close.  He deals with several significant events, such as:

• As the war enters its final crucial months, he attends the final summit meeting with leaders of the Soviet Union and Great Britain at Potsdam, Germany.
• Seeking to end the war with Japan, he authorizes the dropping of atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.  

Following the conclusion of World War II, Truman supports the Marshall Plan, which  provides American aid for economic recovery in war-torn Europe.  As the beginnings of the Cold War heat up, he encourages American support for nations who are attempting to resist the influence of communist Soviet Union.  This initiative becomes known at the Truman Doctrine.

Facing an uphill campaign in 1948, Truman desires to be elected to his own term as President.  He narrowly defeats the Republican candidate, Thomas E. Dewey.

Much of Truman’s final four years as President are consumed with the Korean War, which begins in 1950.  He leads a coalition of allies who assist South Korea in defending itself from its northern neighbor.

top left and MOVING clockwise: presidential portrait, family portrait with wife bess and daughter margaret, world war I artillery officer, his younger days, home in independence, historic photo when newspaper headline incorrectly declared dewey victorious in election of 1948, famous white house desk sign “the buck stops here.”  (Courtesy of Pinterest)

Answer to Brain Teaser Question

Carrot.  It is the only word that does not become another word when the first and last letters are removed.