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

A king, a queen, and two twins all rest in a large room.  How are there no people in the room?

(answer found at the end of this post)

Featured Facts

Many historians consider Abraham Lincoln to be the greatest of all Presidents of the United States.  The 16th President held the Union together during the American Civil War.

Here are a few quick facts about Abraham Lincoln:

• Political party:  Republican (years earlier with the Whigs)
• State represented:  Illinois (home in Springfield)
• LIfespan:  1809-1865
• Birthplace:  Hodgeville, Kentucky

America’s 16th President was self-educated and practiced law in his adult life.  He was the first President elected to two terms in office since Andrew Jackson was re-elected in 1832.  

Standing at a height of 6 feet, 4 inches, Lincoln was the tallest President.  One of his nicknames was “Honest Abe.”  This name was given to him after he repaid a debt that he owed.

At the height of the Civil War, Lincoln’s vision to end slavery in the United States was brought to fruition when his Emancipation Proclamation was issued on January 1, 1863.  Because of this event, Lincoln was also nicknamed “The Great Emancipator.”

When Lincoln was elected President in 1860, he was still clean-shaven.  Upon receiving a letter from 11-year old Grace Bedell from New York state, he decided to follow her suggestion to lengthen his whiskers.  Lincoln became the first President to wear a full beard.

Lincoln faced numerous setbacks during his life.  These only tempered his attitude and resolve for what would await him when he arrived at the White House in 1861.  Many of the southern states were already seceding from the Union before his inauguration.

A summary of some of Lincoln’s most notable setbacks follows.

1832:  Defeated in election to the Illinois state legislature

1833:  Village store purchased fails (bringing heavy debt to Lincoln and his partner)

1835:  His sweetheart, Ann Rutledge, died unexpectedly.  

1836:  Experienced a nervous breakdown

1843:  Defeated in nomination attempt to the U.S. House of Representatives

1854:  Defeated in election to the United States Senate

1858:  Defeated in election to the United States Senate

It’s ironic that Lincoln defeated his 1858 Senate opponent, Stephen A. Douglas, in the Presidential Election of 1860.

top row:  with full beard, lincoln as president.  clean-shaven lincoln before his election in 1860.  Middle row:  in the field, Lincoln meets with Union general george p. Mcclellan.  lincoln’s log cabin birthplace in Kentucky and Lincoln family home in Springfield, Illinois.  Bottom:  Lincoln’s tomb in Springfield.  (photographs courtesy of pinterest.)

Answer to Brain Teaser Question

They are all beds.