What Do You Know?

September 25, 2019 (Wednesday)

Our Constitution provides for three branches of government. Here’s a few facts randomly chosen to perk us up and help us think about what a great country we live in.

What do you know about the President of the United States?

1. Eight presidents have died in office and four of those were assassinated. (Seven vice presidents have died in office).
5. The first vice president to succeed a president who died was John Tyler in 1841. William Henry Harrison served as president only one month, the shortest tenure of all the presidents.
2. Richard Nixon is the only president who resigned the office.
3. Gerald Ford is the only person to serve as president and vice president without being elected to either office.
4. Only two presidents (Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton) have been impeached by the House of Representatives. Neither was convicted by the Senate.

What do you know about the Congress of the United States?

1. There are two legislative bodies, The Senate and The House of Representatives.
2. There are 100 senators, two for each state.
3. There are 435 voting representatives and 6 non-voting representatives.
4. Either body can produce legislation, and if approved by the other body is forwarded to the president for his signature or veto.

What do you know about the Supreme Court of the United States?

1. The number of people who serve on the court is nine. Originally, there were six. In 1807, seven. In 1837, nine. In 1863, ten. In 1866, seven again. In 1869, nine. In 1937, President Franklin Roosevelt tried to raise the number, but Congress would not go along with his plan.
2. In 1981, President Reagan appointed Sandra Day O’Connor as the first female justice on the court. She retired in 2006. There are now three female justices on the court: Ruth Bader Ginsburg, appointed in 1993, Sonia Sotomeyer, appointed in 2009, and Elena Kagan, appointed in 2010.
3. Supreme Court Justices are appointed for life, but they can be impeached.
4. The Supreme Court agrees to hear about 100-150 of the more than 7,000 cases that it is asked to review each year.