Presidential Trivia Answers (March 22 & 23)

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(1) QUESTION: Which President went on safari in Africa?  The trip was sponsored by the Smithsonian.

ANSWER: Theodore Roosevelt, naturally. The Smithsonian website explains: “The Smithsonian, through anonymous private donations, funded the three naturalists who worked on the Expedition in return for the receipt of live and preserved specimens. . . . The result was that the United States National Museum acquired approximately 1,000 skins of large mammals, 4,000 of small mammals, and other specimens totaling approximately 11,400 items. About 10,000 plant specimens were also obtained, as well as a small collection of ethnological objects.”

(2) QUESTION: Who was President when Prohibition began?  How about when it ended?

ANSWER: Woodrow Wilson was President when the 18th Amendment was ratified. To be fair to Wilson, he vetoed the Volstead Act, which was supposed to enforce Prohibition. His veto was overridden by Congress. FDR was President when Prohibition came to an end.

(3) QUESTION: How many Presidents dealt with matters related to the Vietnam War during their administration?  Which Presidents?

ANSWER: Four: Dwight Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, and Richard Nixon.  Some people will include Harry Truman on this list, but technically the war lasted from 1955 to 1975, which was after his presidency. American combat forces did not go to Vietnam until 1965, when LBJ was President.