No President understood the power of humor better than Abraham Lincoln. His longtime political opponent Stephen A. Douglas complained that Lincoln’s jokes were “like a slap across my back. Nothing else — […]
A Dose of Humor Dispels Lincoln’s Critics
When the Church’s Pulpit Battled Lincoln’s Bully Pulpit
Although Abraham Lincoln had a deep faith in God, he was not as quick to put his faith in those who claimed to be God’s messengers. A distinguished clergyman happened to be […]
Should Abraham Lincoln Have Been a Pastor?
As often as Abraham Lincoln referred to faith issues in speeches and ordinary conversation, one wonders if he may have felt a call toward pastoral ministry. An incident in the decade before […]
Lincoln’s Faith
“We have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand, which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our […]
The Case That Kept Finding Presidents
Of the thousands of cases appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, only a few are accepted by the Court each year. Of those, most fade into obscurity and are interesting only to […]
Great Emancipator, But No Great Romeo
Concerned that Abraham Lincoln was, at age 28, still a bachelor, one of his friends stepped in to play Cupid. She offered to introduce Lincoln to her sister, but with one condition […]
Supreme-ly Qualified Presidents
For an attorney, arguing a case before the United States Supreme Court is one of the highest honors imaginable. Twenty-six of the 44 men who have served as President of the United […]
Lincoln’s Dog Followed Him Even in Death
Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) knew the value of a faithful friend. Maybe that’s why he acquired a yellow mixed-breed dog in 1855 when he lived in Springfield, Illinois. The future President named the […]
Letting the Dead Rest in Peace
Grave robbery was not something that just showed up in Frankenstein stories. In the last half of the 19th century, human corpses were in high demand by medical schools, and the body […]
Happy Birthday to the Chief
Birthdays are always a time of celebration, whether you live in a small shack or the White House. How much do you know about Presidential birthdays? February may be the month in […]
The Day President Lincoln Became a Firefighter
The job of President of the United States can often be described as one of constantly putting out fires. Of course, we expect that to be a figurative description. For one President, […]
Fiery Words from the Great Emancipator
A recent post on one of our favorite blogs, Rachel Being Chatty, reminded us of an anger management technique practiced by the 16th President. Abraham Lincoln was no stranger to dealing with […]
2 D’s, or Not 2 D’s…
President Abraham Lincoln liked to joke about the well-to-do background of his wife’s family. “The Todds spell their name with two d’s, which is pretty impressive, considering one d is good enough […]
Surprise Witness
In the early days of the Civil War, rumors began to circulate that the Confederacy had a highly-placed spy within the US government — none other than the First Lady, herself, Mary […]
Lincoln’s Method of Cleaning House
Clement Vallandigham apparently never did anything unless he would be remembered for it. His memorable death while defending a client in a courtroom has already been chronicled on these pages. (You can read […]
Commonplace Fun Facts 