The Smithsonian Book of Presidential Trivia

by Smithsonian Institution, Amy Pastan (Editor)

Which president holds the record for the most vetoes? Which president had the largest shoe size? Who was the only president to serve in both World War I and World War II? Who was the tallest president? These questions and many, many more are answered in The Smithsonian Book of Presidential Trivia, which has been fully updated to 2021 to include trivia question and answers about every US president to date.

Divided into 11 chapters, The Smithsonian Book of Presidential Trivia looks at every aspect of our heads of state and presidential Citizens, Officers, Heroes, and Saviors; From Front Porch to Facebook; The Pledge and the Parties; Inside the Oval Office; The Perpetual Podium; Home, Hotel, Parlor, Playground; First Families; Impeachment, Controversy, Shame; Assassination; Death, and National Mourning; Presidents in the Popular Imagination; and The Quotable President.

Many of the questions are accompanied with photographs of artifacts from the Smithsonian's collections. The Smithsonian Book of Presidential Trivia is sure to puzzle the trivia buff and presidential expert alike!

Genres: History, Nonfiction, American History, Politics, Humor

240 pages, Paperback

First published December 26, 2012

About the author

Founded in 1846, the Smithsonian Institution or simply the Smithsonian is a group of museums, education and research centres created by the United States federal government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge"

Reviews

[Melinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Picked this up on a road trip stop at the Clinton Library in Arkansas. Ideal book for car trips with kids. Great practice reading aloud, fun and quirky facts, all making for an enjoyable history lesson about the Office of the Presidency.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this delightfully written book, trivia is given about all of the presidents, sans our current ones. You will be guaranteed to learn something about the fathers of our country that you never knew. The book is divided into sections, some of which include random facts, inaugurations, scandals and families. For example, did you know that Lucy Hayes did not drink alcohol, did not like dancing or card playing and thus earned her the nickname "Lemonade Lucy?" The book can be dry at times but in a nutshell, this is a great book for those who love learning about the presidents!

[Jeremy Lucas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Never meant to be a riveting account of anything specific, I wanted to sift through all the random facts and anecdotes of former presidents, published by the primary institution tasked with the preservation of presidential memorabilia, and this was just such an offer. At times, it seems like a book pulled together by too many isolated authors who failed to note repeated stories in the whole of the larger text, but there was never any kind of narrative, nor was it ever entirely redundant. Just a trivia book of knowledge, nothing more, nothing less.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting book but it’s not one to try to get through in one sitting, like I did. You eventually hit a point of the book feeling like it’s dragging, despite it being relatively short & in a q&a style that makes it easy to read. I just burnt out, due to how I tried to read the book. Also, it would’ve been nice to have at least some of the photos in color to add some visual interest. All photos in black & white just causes them to blend in with the writing on the page.

[Marguerite MacLean · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun book as I knew it would be. If you love Trivia this is one you want one your bookshelf for parties etc. Anytime you want to have fun with friends you can always quote some Presidential Trivia.

[Michell Karnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fun fun book set up as a question and answer format. Lots of trivial details about our presidents and their wives.

[Marcy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of interesting and little-known facts about our presidents and their families. I knew a lot about them, but this was a fun and interesting look at many unknown facts.

[Carrie]

Pastan, A. (2012). The smithsonian book of presidential trivia. Smithsonian Books. Retrieved from http://www.smithsonianbooks.com/users...

Carrie Gupton

Type: Biographical Reference

Call Number: REF 973

Description: 240p. Smithsonian Bks. Dec. 2012.

Review: Verbeten, S. (2012, December 1). Reference reviews: December 2012. Retrieved from http://www.slj.com/2012/12/books-medi...

Scope: This book covers every head of state from George Washington to the current president and provides an entertaining, enjoyable and informative look at the nation's 43 presidents.

Accuracy, Authority, & Bias: While the institution is a reputable source of information, there are a few subtleties that could be debated in some of the answers listed. A smattering of black-and-white photos lends accuracy and interest, allowing history buffs a peek at some of the Smithsonian’s presidential artifacts, including campaign buttons, clothing, medallions, and paper ephemera.

Arrangement & Presentation: Spanning 240 pages and divided into 11 chapters, this book looks at every aspect of our heads of state and presidential history.

Relation to Similar works: There are multitudes of sources on the presidents, however you are not likely to find a better source for fascinating and little-known details about U.S. presidents.

Timeline and Permanence: While this book is up to date as of right now, we will have a new president within the next few years and this book will need to be updated once more.

Accessibility/Diversity: It has a lot of interesting facts in it. It talks about the presidents and the first ladies. This will be an interesting book to have on hand for student inquiry.

Cost: $13

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this fantastic book through Goodreads First reads. It's one of those books you keep out and you never tire of it. My kids new it was coming and knew what that meant for them. : ) Nonstop trivia questions! This is a great book to have for all ages. I think it's a must have for schools and all libraries. The photographs in this book are wonderful too.

[Leanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a cool book.

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this book from goodreads! I entered to with with my son in mind and he loves this book! He follows my husband and I around with the book asking us the trivia questions!

[Julia Rojas · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a good trivia book. It has a lot of interesting facts in it. It talks about the presidents and the first ladies. This book does not get five stars because the facts are too short.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun and easy to read; not bogged down with details. I loved it.

[Tori (Book Chick) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not really a book to just sit down and read. But learning random trivia here and there made it an interesting read. There's some pretty fun facts included!