William Henry Harrison was the ninth president, and only served for 31 days before he died. It's commonly reported that he died of pneumonia, caught after giving a long inauguration speech in the rain without a jacket. Recent research suggests his death was more likely a result of bacteria from the "night soil" near the White House. Good times!
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funny history, presidents, history buff, us history, american history
Benjamin Franklin referred to John Adams as "always an honest man, often a great one, but sometimes absolutely mad." And honestly, who can't relate to that?
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american history, american history lovers, american revolution, founding father, founding fathers
Those lovebirds John Adams and Abigail Adams may not be creepy and kooky, but... Actually, John was pretty kooky come to think of it, and their house IS a museum. And you'll be a scream showing off your love of America's favorite founding family, however you spell it.
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addams family, american history, founding father, founding fathers, history
This design is perfect for the history lover who feels like they're living in the Upside Down. Though John Adams didn't invent this famous quote, he famously used it in 1770 when he defended British soldiers for their role in the Boston Massacre, saying "Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence."
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founding fathers, american revolution, president, history, history buff
President John Adams lived to be 90 years old and was just as fat, sassy, and brilliant as ever (aside from the fact he was nearly blind and completely toothless). By taking lessons from his life and his founding dad bod, you too can be just as obnoxious and disliked as he was.
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1776, american history, declaration of independence, founding fathers, history lover
Championed as the successor to the Teddy Bear, the Billy Possum was a stuffed toy inspired by a famous possum dinner honoring William Howard Taft. Somehow, Billy Possum did not replace the teddy bear in the hearts of the nation's children, but the story of the wild efforts to promote this toy did make for one of our favorite episodes.
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american history, history, history teacher gift, possums, presidents
This vintage comic book style design depicts an alternate version of the day during the War of 1812 when the British burned the White House just hours after first lady Dolley Madison had its valuables loaded onto wagons. This design answers the questions: What if Dolley Madison hadn't rejected her house manager's idea to blow up the White House when it was full of British troops? And what if the tornado that blew through Washington DC the next day had come early? Dolley is pictured here with two things she made sure escaped the White House that day: Gilbert Stuart's portrait of George Washington, and her pet macaw Polly—star of the Plodding Through The Presidents episode "Potty-Mouthed Parrots."
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funny history teacher, american history lovers, war of 1812, american history, funny history
Hamilton meets Gremlins in this revolutionary design that brings a whole new batch of fun to Broadway with these young, furry, and hungry revolutionaries. Speaking of hungry, if they ask for food after midnight...say no to this if you want to tell the story of tonight.
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alexander hamilton, gizmo, gremlins, gremlins 2, hamilton
This peg-legged philandering "Penman of the Constitution" is the most fascinating Founder most people have never heard of. Gouverneur Morris fully deserves his own musical, though it might be best to cut out his death scene. We certainly didn't shy away from talking about it in one of our favorite episodes, "Gouverneur Morris and the Vampire of Bizarre."
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president, american president, founding fathers
President Warren G. Harding died in 1923, but his most scandalous love letters were not released to the public until 2014. Among them was a letter to his mistress Carrie Fulton Phillips where he wrote: "Wish I could take you to Mount Jerry. Wonderful spot. Not in the geographies but a heavenly place." (Jerry was the name he gave his...teapot dome.)
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president harding, american history, funny history, gifts for history lovers, presidents
In 1808, the White House lawn was a dangerous place. Not because of the two grizzly bears in the yard (they were in a cage) but because of a little four-horned Shetland ram described as beautiful, wicked, and abominable. This little creature, the subject of our episode "Thomas Jefferson's Killer Ram," was responsible for the first recorded death on the White House property.
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thomas jefferson, founding fathers, founding father, rams, shetland sheep
George Washington has a well-earned reputation for being a bit stuffy, but he definitely found humor in giving his dogs names like Vulcan, Venus, Truelove, Drunkard, and Sweetlips. We'd like to imagine those awkward moments when George hollered, "Come here, Sweetlips!" and Martha and the dog both turned around.
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mount vernon, dogs, george washington american president, george washington, american history lovers
As the first Vice President of the United States, John Adams was sometimes called "Daddy Vice," a term he even used himself.
Like kids passing notes in class, a Congressman once passed a note with this poem making fun of Adams:
"I’ll tell in a trice-
‘Tis old Daddy Vice
Who carries of pride an ass-load;
Who turns up his nose,
Wherever he goes,
With vanity swelled like a toad."
With this design you can set quite the vice precedent by marrying the best of 1790s New York and 1980s Miami.
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american history, american revolution, founding fathers, funny history, george washington
An obscure reference to the scurrilous Burr! In 1799, New York City needed clean water and Aaron Burr needed money and power, so he convinced Alexander Hamilton to help him charter The Manhattan Company—a water company that would bring "pure and wholesome water" to lower Manhattan. Buried in the charter's language was a clause allowing it to use its excess funds for anything it wanted, which let Burr create a bank that helped his Democratic-Republican Party win the Election of 1800 and went on to become the powerful Chase Manhattan Bank.
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manhattan bank, us history, history, alexander hamilton, new york history