Which Two Presidents Pardoned Zero People?
Article II, Section 2 of the United States Constitution allows the sitting President to "grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment." Preside...
John O. Koehler: The Ronald Reagan Appointee Who Lasted Just Thirteen Days in His Job
John O. Koehler isn't the shortest-serving US cabinet member - that distinction belongs to Thomas M.T. McKennan, Anthony Scaramucci and Elihu Washburne, all of whom resigned or were forced out from th...
Which US President Had The Most Failed Cabinet Nominations?
There haven't been many rejected (by Senate) cabinet nominations over the history of the United States. In fact, there have been just NINE cabinet nominations that have been rejected by the Senate...
Could Donald Trump Run For Vice President in 2028?
Let's assume for a second that Donald Trump wins his second term as President of the United States in 2024. Four years later, President Trump is still very popular and wants to remain in the White...
The Three Presidential Elections Where Somebody Won 500+ Electoral Votes
In the history of the United States, three Presidential elections have seen the winner walk away with 500+ electoral votes - the 1936 election, the 1972 election and the 1984 election. In 1932, Fr...
A History of 50 Basis Point Interest Rate Cuts In The United States
The biggest arrow that the Federal Reserve has in its quiver to spark a moribund economy is the interest rate cut. The typical interest rate cut is 25 basis points, or 0.25%. A number of times ove...
The Time a Vice President Killed Somebody in a Duel
In the annals of American history, few events capture the imagination quite like the duel between Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton. This wasn't just any duel; it was a clash of titans, a moment where...
Why Were There No Presidential Debates in 1964, 1968 and 1972?
US Presidential hopefuls are not required to engage in debates when they are running for the highest office in the United States. If a Presidential hopeful decides that they don't want to debate, ther...
How A Single Debate Changed The 1960 Presidential Election - And The World
Here is one of the great "What Ifs": What if Richard Nixon had worn make-up to the first debate of the 1960 US Presidential election? If he had worn make-up, there is a good chance that he would...
Who Had The Shortest Tenure Ever In the Supreme Court?
John Rutledge is in the record books for a couple of different reasons. To start, he is the only person to have ever resigned from the Supreme Court TWICE - once, in 1791 (Associate Justice) and a...
The 1820 US Presidential Election: The Last Time (Probably Ever) That There Was An Uncontested Winner
Here is something that may never happen again - in the 1820 US Presidential election, President James Monroe ran unopposed. Incumbent James Monroe, who represented the Democratic-Republican party ...
Oops! When Pollsters Got The 1936 US Presidential Election Completely Wrong
Polling numbers are fairly accurate in this day and age (though not completely infallible), though this wasn't always the case. Case in point: the 1936 US Presidential election between Franklin D....
Berkshire Hathaway Dumps Almost Half of Apple Stake
Harvesting gains before a potential increase in the capital gains rate, or something more ominous? This is the question that investors are asking themselves after Berkshire Hathaway - led by the le...
A History of The Attempts to Repeal The 22nd Amendment
In 1951, three quarters of the states ratified the 22nd Amendment, four years after it passed Congress. The 22nd Amendment, which was passed by Congress shortly a few years after the death of Fran...
Truman Defeats Dewey: The Greatest Comeback in the History of the US Presidential Election
"DEWEY DEFEATS TRUMAN" This was the headline of the Chicago Daily Tribune on November 3rd, 1948 - one day after the 1948 US Presidential election. The Republican-leaning newspaper, which had ca...