Squishing two holidays into one post

"Frosty morning in Pasadena 2013, Winter"

photograph by Thurman Couch

by Pat Laster

                Valentine’s or Presidents' Day? Thanks to two publications, Arkansas Living (February) and Parade Magazine (January), this post was a snap to compose, er transcribe.

                *Women purchase 85 % of Valentine’s Day cards, says the Greeting Card Association.

                 *Valentine’s Day is the second most popular holiday for sending cards. About one billion cards are exchanged each February 14.

                *Esther A. Howland—the “Mother of the Valentine,” popularized mass produced valentines in America in the 1840s.

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                    Kenneth C. Davis, author of “Don’t Know Much About the American Presidents?” offered this trivia feature, “Take the Oath of Office Quiz” in “Parade.

                 1. In which city did the first inauguration take place? a. Richmond, VA;  b. New York City;  c. Philadelphia

                 2. Which president gave the longest Inaugural Address? a. B. Clinton;  b. G. Washington; c. Wm. Henry Harrison

                3. Who was the only president to take the oath of office from a woman? a. L. Johnson;  b. R. Reagan; c. Geo. H. W. Bush

                4. African-American soldiers first marched in whose inauguration parade? a. A. Lincoln’s; b. U. S. Grant’s;  c. T. Roosevelt’s

                5. Which chief justice administered the most presidential oaths? a. John Jay;  b. John Marshall; c. Earl Warren

                6. Inauguration Day was officially changed from March 4 to January 20 thanks to the passage of the 20^th Amendment in 1933. Why? a. It often rained on March 4;  b. Congress did not want the inauguration to fall during Lent;  c. The transition period between the election and the inauguration of the president-elect was deemed too long.

                7. Which president tossed the Super Bowl coin the same day as his swearing-in? a. R. Nixon;  b. G. Ford; c. R. Reagan

                8. Which president administered the oath of office to two of his successors? a. G. Washington;  b. J. Q. Adams; c. Wm. H.Taft

               9. Who was sworn in on a Bible written in a modern foreign language? a. T. Jefferson;  b. F. D. Roosevelt;  c. J. F. Kennedy

              10. Which president was given the oath of office by his own father? a. J. Q. Adams;  b. C. Coolidge; c. Geo. W. Bush

Have you picked your answers? I'll post them on Monday, Presidents' Day