POTUS Videos

Welcome to Presidential Stories with Bob Summers. In this series I'll share interesting stories about the presidents that will make you say - "I had no idea!"

While running for governor, Ronald Reagan wanted to stop smoking, so he replaced tobacco with jelly beans. His affection for Jelly Belly brand jelly beans was Reagan’s signature food and a boon for the Herman Goelitz Candy Company. Visit https://potus.com for more interesting facts about the presidents. Sources https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/reagans/ronald-reagan/jelly-bellyr-jelly-beans-and-ronald-reagan https://www.reaganfoundation.org/ronald-reagan/president-reagans-favorite-treat-jelly-beans/ https://time.com/3740459/ronald-reagan-jelly-belly/ https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,949109,00.html https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/jelly-belly-ronald-reagan https://news.jellybelly.com/origin-of-the-jelly-bean-or-why-are-they-called-beans/
Why Did Pres. Reagan Love Jelly Beans? - a Presidential Story Ep. 60
Many of the top presidents who learned to paint did so upon their retirement, much like their inspiration - Winston Churchill. For some, this form of relaxation has also allowed them to raise money for causes important to them. Visit https://potus.com for more interesting facts about the presidents. Sources https://www.granthomepage.com/grantartist.htm https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/ulysses-s-grant-s-artwork.htm https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/50089/4-presidents-who-painted-fun-and-profit https://www.jerrysartarama.com/blog/presidential-painters-how-well-do-you-know-them/ https://news.artnet.com/art-world/politicians-who-had-brushes-with-art-11291 https://people.com/politics/meet-the-art-teacher-who-taught-george-w-bush-how-to-paint/ https://www.whitehousehistory.org/galleries/eisenhower-paintings https://www.whitehousehistory.org/president-eisenhower-the-painter https://journalpanorama.org/article/george-w-bush/ Media Credits Wikimedia Commons Library of Congress 0:00 Introduction 0:29 5. John F. Kennedy 1:19 4. Ulysses S. Grant 3:11 3. Jimmy Carter 4:20 2. Dwight D. Eisenhower 7:47 1. George W. Bush
The Top 5 Painting Presidents - a Presidential Story Ep. 59
President John Tyler had to fight to be named the President after the death of William Henry Harrison, instead of Acting President. Once it was official, he fought his own party in Congress and his own Cabinet. His use of the veto forced his Cabinet to resign and Congress to begin impeachment proceedings. Finally, on the last day of his term, Congress overrode his veto - a first in U.S. history. Visit https://potus.com for more interesting facts about the presidents. Sources https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/presidents/john-tyler/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presidency_of_John_Tyler https://www.history.com/news/john-tyler-most-unpopular-president https://millercenter.org/president/tyler/domestic-affairs https://www.politico.com/story/2016/08/president-tyler-burned-in-effigy-aug-16-1841-226964 Media Credits Wikimedia Commons Library of Congress
Un-Whigged: Tyler Kicked Out of His Own Party - a Presidential Story Ep. 58
President Franklin Roosevelt contracted polio and lost the use of his legs when he was 39 years old. In order to increase his mobility, he designed his own wheelchairs, which caught the attention of Saudi King Ibn Saud when they met at the end of World War II. Ibn Saud also had problems walking , and Roosevelt gifted one of his special wheelchairs to the King who was very grateful. Although FDR was unable to get the King’s agreement on a Jewish homeland in the Middle East, he was able to secure U.S. oil rights in the region. Visit https://potus.com for more interesting facts about the presidents. Sources https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/fdr-wheelchairs-and-diplomacy.htm https://www.fdrlibrary.org/polio https://www.history.com/news/fdr-saudi-arabia-king-oil https://www.rfi.fr/en/international/20220715-roosevelt-and-ibn-saud-built-groundwork-for-current-world-order-on-a-boat https://www.politico.com/story/2019/02/14/this-day-in-politics-feb-14-1945-1164052 https://www.nps.gov/hofr/blogs/a-fresh-look-at-fdrs-wheelchairs-on-international-wheelchair-day.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheelchair Media Credits Wikimedia Commons Library of Congress FDR Presidential Library & Museum, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:FDR-Wheelchair-September-12-1937.jpg FDR Presidential Library & Museum, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:FDR-Wheelchair-February-1941.jpg FDR Presidential Library & Museum, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:FDR-Wheelchair-April-1935.jpg FDR Presidential Library & Museum, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1944_Official_Campaign_Portrait_session_(8145288140).jpg John Stephen Dwyer, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Curtis_Roosevelt_2010_by_John_Stephen_Dwyer.jpg
FDR’s Wheelchair Diplomacy with the Saudi King - a Presidential Story Ep. 57
Theodore Roosevelt’s mother, Martha “Mittie” Roosevelt, and his wife, Alice Hathaway Lee Roosevelt, both died on Valentine's Day 1884. The future president’s grief was so great he abandoned his newborn daughter with his sister and went to North Dakota to grieve. Visit https://potus.com for more interesting facts about the presidents. Sources https://www.biography.com/political-figures/theodore-roosevelt-wife-mother-death https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/theodore-roosevelts-wife-and-mother-die https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/museum/exhibits/tr/light.htm https://www.monroenews.com/story/news/history/2022/02/12/teddy-roosevelts-wife-mother-both-died-valentines-day-1884/6735947001/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_Hathaway_Lee_Roosevelt https://ephemeralnewyork.wordpress.com/tag/teddy-roosevelt-death-of-mother-and-wife/ https://www.grunge.com/382943/the-tragic-same-day-death-of-teddy-roosevelts-wife-and-mother/ https://millercenter.org/president/roosevelt/life-before-the-presidency Media Credits Wikimedia Commons Library of Congress Pixabay
Teddy Roosevelt Wife And Mother Died On The Same Day - a Presidential Story Ep. 56
President Millard Fillmore started his education later in life, and Abigail Powers started her teaching career earlier. By the time the two came together, they were close in age and shared a passion for learning. Once married, together they were driven to help their communities all the way to the White House. Visit https://potus.com for more interesting facts about the presidents. Sources https://chalkboardchampions.org/abigail-fillmore-the-first-lady-who-was-her-husbands-teacher/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abigail_Fillmore https://www.whitehousehistory.org/bios/abigail-powers-fillmore Media Credits Wikimedia Commons Library of Congress
Pres. Fillmore Married His Teacher - a Presidential Story Ep. 55
President-elect Franklin Pierce was traveling by train with his family when the train derailed. The only fatality was his last remaining son, 11-year-old Bennie. The loss devastated his wife, Jane, who blamed Franklin for Bennie’s death because he broke his promise to give up politics. Visit https://potus.com for more interesting facts about the presidents. Sources https://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2018/01/04/franklin-pierce-train-wreck/ https://richardhowe.com/2021/01/09/the-train-wreck-that-derailed-a-president/ https://newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/triumph-tragedy-franklin-pierce/ https://featherschwartzfoster.blog/2022/05/16/the-tragic-death-of-bennie-pierce/ https://www.taraross.com/post/tdih-franklin-pierce-tragedy Media Credits Wikimedia Commons Library of Congress
Pres. Pierce Lost 11-Year-Old Son In Train Crash - a Presidential Story Ep. 54
On Christmas Eve, 1929, the White House caught fire. The four-alarm blaze destroyed the West Wing. Visit https://potus.com for more interesting facts about the presidents. Sources https://www.whitehousehistory.org/the-christmas-eve-west-wing-fire-of-1929 https://hoover.blogs.archives.gov/2017/12/20/the-oval-office-roasting-on-a-1929-christmas-fire/ https://www.americanheritage.com/twas-was-night-christmas https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/89964/christmas-eve-fire-destroyed-west-wing Media Credits Wikimedia Commons Library of Congress
Hoover’s White House Burns on Christmas Eve - a Presidential Story Ep. 53
On Christmas night, 1776, General George Washington crossed the Delaware River to attack the Hessian garrison in Trenton, NJ. Over seventy years later, German-American painter Emanuel Leutze immortalized that event to inspire his German countrymen during their own revolution in 1848. Yet because of time and distance, he made some mistakes. Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 00:21 History of General Washington’s Crossing 04:05 History of Leutze’s Painting 06:50 Ten Mistakes 10:14 Künstler’s Version Visit https://potus.com for more interesting facts about the presidents. Sources https://www.mountvernon.org/george-washington/the-revolutionary-war/washingtons-revolutionary-war-battles/the-trenton-princeton-campaign/10-facts-about-washingtons-crossing-of-the-delaware-river/#:~:text=Washington's%20aim%20was%20to%20conduct,Continentals%20come%20the%20new%20year. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Crossing_the_Delaware_(1851_paintings) https://www.historynet.com/whats-wrong-washington-crossing-delaware/ https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-iconic-american-history-painting-facts-wrong https://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/purduetoday/didyouknow/2014/Q1/did-you-know-washington-crossing-the-delaware-painting.html Media Credits Wikimedia Commons Library of Congress Zeete, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Washington_Crossing,_view_of_the_Delaware_River_and_crossing_area.jpg Zeete, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Washington_Crossing_State_Park,_NJ_-_ferry_boat_by_Nelson_House.jpg Luke Jones, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e6/WashingtonCrossingReenactment2005.jpg istolethetv, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Crossing_(15993520332).jpg Shuvaev, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Durham_Boat_PA_03.JPG
Why the Famous Painting of Washington Crossing the Delaware Is WRONG! - a Presidential Story Ep. 52
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