This informative post will be published on Saturday along with my usual writing.  You are invited to participate with the opening question.

Brain Teaser Question

Take 1000.  Add 40.  Add another 1000.  Add 30.  1000 again.  Plus 20.  Plus 1000.  And plus 10.  What is the total?

(answer found at the end of this post)

Featured Facts

Zachary Taylor was elected in 1848 as the 12th President of the United States.  Unfortunately, his term of 16 months would be the second shortest in American history.

Here are a few quick facts about Zachary Taylor:

• Born in Virginia (1784)
• Completed a 40-year military career
• Nicknamed “Old Rough and Ready”

Taylor’s career in the U. S. Army began with action during the War of 1812.  It concluded with his service as a major general during the Mexican War from 1846-1848.  His success as a military leader propelled him into the Presidency.

His famous nickname came from his troops because they appreciated his willingness to get his boots dirty alongside of them.  His father served in the army during the American Revolution.  His family roots have been traced to William Brewster, a passenger on the Mayflower, which arrived at Plymouth Rock in 1620.

Taylor never voted in an election until 1848 when he was running for President.  During his brief time in the White House, visitors frequently saw his favorite horse, Whitey, grazing on the lawn.

His education did not include any formal classes at the college level.  Despite being a slave owner, he possessed a strong nationalist spirit which favored preservation of the American union.

Following his untimely death in July, 1850, some historians and skeptics questioned Taylor’s cause of death.  In 1991, his body was exhumed, and no evidence was found that he had been poisoned.  Most medical experts believed that he probably died from gastroenteritis.  

photographs courtesy of pinterest.

Answer to Brain Teaser Question

4100  (1000 + 40 + 1000 + 30 + 1000 + 20 + 1000 + 10  =  4100)