Presidential Trivia Answers (June 21 & 22)

Thanks for playing!

(1) QUESTION: Who was President when the Medal of Honor was established?

ANSWER: Abraham Lincoln. The Medal was established during the Civil War. The Navy, Army, and Air Force each have their own Medal, although only the Navy and Army versions of the Medal existed during the Civil War years.

(2) QUESTION: Who was President when the predecessor to the modern Purple Heart was established?

ANSWER: George Washington. He called his award the Badge of Military Merit and awarded it to several soldiers during the American Revolution. The badge was reinstated as the Purple Heart on Washington’s 200th birthday.

(3) QUESTION: Which President awarded the most Medals of Honor?

ANSWER: In retrospect, this question perhaps depends on how you read the question. (Who personally presented the award vs. which President’s administration saw the most actions for which Medals were awarded.) I was thinking of Abraham Lincoln: More than 3,500 recipients have been awarded the Medal of Honor since 1861, but nearly half of these were awarded to Civil War veterans. At the time, it was the only medal available for valorous military conduct, so the criteria for receiving the Medal was much less strict. Having said that..... If you were going for the “who personally presented the award” option, then I honestly have no idea without further digging. (My bad. I’m sorry!!!) I would make an educated guess that it was Truman or Nixon because of World War II and Vietnam. I know FDR presented some, but I think he did less because he didn’t like to be pictured in his wheelchair. If someone knows the official answer, please let me know. :)