Hold Up

So, I thought I should take a moment here, get up on my high horse and avoid my reading assignment and explain myself a bit more thoroughly. I don't want this blog to be my pulpit or to be my classroom. I don't consider myself to be the authority on all the shit there is to know out there. I mean, there's plenty I don't know. Anything about calculus, how the internet actually works or how George W. Bush ever got elected.

But I do want to learn these things and more. I have a desire to know things that are actually basic knowledge. Things that effect me on a daily basis that can so easily be forgotten. Everyone knows that everything is "Made in China", but what does that mean for the American economy? Are they using American materials? How did China get the upper hand? Is everything on the up and up over there? These are questions I tend to ask myself when I realize that I can and do go through my life in a fog sometimes, blindly taking what is available. Not knowing the first 5 American presidents isn't going to result in me getting shot to death. I probably will never be asked to name them in a job interview. Does that mean I don't have to know?

I consider facts like those posted below and those to come the essential shit one should know to be a culturally literate American. I know we haven't really gotten into the meat of this blog yet, but I sincerely hope that those who come here agree with me. I think it's disgraceful but even more so just plain sad that most Americans don't know shit about our past. We sing America the beautiful and pledge allegiance to the land of the free and the brave without even really knowing what we're saying. There has been a focus on American history and I plan to continue exploring that, as well as current day events and facts. But there will be lots of world issues and facts discussed here. I invited everyone to share their thoughts, opinions, knowledge and questions here. Am I the only one who thinks it's total bullshit we're known as a nation of dumbasses? Or, in a slightly more positive light, a nation of cowboys? Are people really comfortable with this?

Well, I'm not. Thus the blog. I hope you enjoy it and support it. But feel free to leave angry comments or call me the dumbass. Exercise your right to free speech here. That's just another thing I love about our nation of dumbasses. At the very least, we all have our opinions and are more than willing to share them. So, bring it on and let's let the good times roll.

Dollar, Dollar Bills

"I don't care too much for money" sang the Beatles, but the rest of the world seems to have ignored that message. Money is all important. I wish I had more of it, that's for damn sure. But how much do you know about our American money? Can you name the people on each bill? Do you know what those crazy symbols mean? Or what it's actually made up of?
To know all of this would be admirable. But the shit you should know is just whose pretty face is on each bill. They are all American figure heads, and since you probably use cash everyday for your latte, muffin or Happy Meal, you should know who you're handing over.

$1- George Washington. The man, the myth and the legend himself. He also adorns the quarter.
$5- Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln is also on both sides of the penny.
$10- Alexander Hamilton. Although he never served as a president, Hamilton is known as the Father of the Bank.
$20- Andrew Jackson. 7th president.
$50- Ulysses S. Grant. 18th president.
$100- Benjamin Franklin. Also never served as president, but was highly influential in forming the US. It's all about the Benjamin's for a reason!

These are the most commonly used bills today. However, the US does have higher bills:

$500- William McKinley. 25th president.
$1000- Grover Clevland.22nd AND 24th president. The only president to serve two non-consecutive terms.
$5000- James Madison. 4th president.
$10,000- Salmon P. Chase- 6th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
$100,000- Woodrow Wilson. 28th president. This bill has never been in circulation but does exist.

And the Other Presidents

Hello and welcome back to my wonderful and numerous followers!

Oh wait. Not quite yet.

But whatever! That's not going to stop me from telling you shit you should know! Here are the most recent 5 presidents de America. Most people I've spoken to can name them all, but generally not in the correct order. So, from least recent up to our current Commander-In-Chief:

Ronald Reagan- 40th president of the USA. Born in Illinois, raised in California. Reagan worked as an actor for years and served as the President of the Screen Actors Guild before entering politics. Served as governor of California for two terms. Lost the Republican party nomination twice before winning both the nomination and Presidency in 1980. Served two terms. Reagan survived an assassination attempt and took military action in Grenada in his first. His second term was marked by bombing Libya, the Iran-Contra affair and mainly, ending the Cold War through signing the INF Treaty and reducing both The US' and the former USSR's nuclear arsenals.

George H. W Bush, Sr.- 41st president. Born in Massachusetts. After high school he joined the Navy and served until the end of WW2. Became a millionaire at age 40 and served as Reagan's vice president. In 1988 he won the presidency against Democratic candidate Michael Dukakis. Ordered military operations in Panama and the Persian Gulf, oversaw the falling of the Berlin Wall and the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Dan Quayle served as his vice president.

William Clinton- 42nd president. Born and raised in Arkansas. Attended Georgetown and Oxford Universities. Served as Arkansas Attorney General and Governor of Arkansas. Served two terms as president, from 1992-2001. Implemented the armed forces "don't ask, don't tell" policy, ratified NAFTA for the US, survived an assassination attempt from Bin Laden. Conducted an affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky and was impeached for lying about his relationship with her. Clinton is the second president to be impeached (after Andrew Johnson). Left office with a 66% approval rating, (the highest since WW2) and a $559 billion surplus. His vice president was Al Gore.

George W. Bush, Jr.- 43rd president. Born in Connecticut and raised in Texas. Son of George H.W Bush. (John Adams and John Quincy Adams are the only other father/son president combination). Served as governor of Texas. In the most controversial presidential election ever, Bush defeated Democrat Al Gore in 2001. Gore won the popular vote while Bush won the electoral votes. Served two terms. Bush was in office for the attack on 9/11. Announced a "war on terror" and invaded Afghanistan and Iraq. He signed No Child Left Behind into law, dealt with Hurricane Katrina and entered the US into the first recession since WW2. Left office to heated criticism over the wars in the Middle East, his mishandling of Katrina and the economy. His vice president was Richard Cheney.

Barack Obama- 44th president. First president of African lineage. Born and raised (primarily) in Hawaii. Attended Harvard Law and worked as a Chicago community organizer before serving in the Illinois state senate from 1997-2004. Served as US senator before entering the presidential race. He defeated Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination and John McCain for the presidency. Still in his first term, Obama has worked on a national and massive health care reform, raised troop numbers in Afghanistan, nominated Sonia Sotomayer (first Hispanic) to the Supreme Court and made Hillary Clinton his Secretary of State. His vice president is Joe Biden.

Oh Captain, My Captain

For those of you who already know some shit, you may know this title is from a poem. A Walt Whitman poem actually, and written about US president Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln is one of the perhaps 5 presidents most Americans can name. We're on our 44th president. To be able to name them all is an impressive skill that basically no one has. But all Americans should know the first 5 and the most recent 5. The first five presidents shaped the fledging nation that would become America. They fought in the Revolutionary War, they doubled the nations size, they basically ran shit, no big deal. Our most recent five presidents have shaped the times we live in and faced off against the new host of problems the world faces. So in terms of Shit you Should Know, here are some American leaders:

George Washington- Born and raised in Virginia. Married Martha Washington, another Virginian. Voted Commander in Chief by the Continental Congress during the Revolutionary War. Unanimously voted to be the first president of the brand new United States of America and served two terms as president, setting the precedent that would later become law. His vice president was John Adams.

John Adams- Born and raised in Massachusetts. Married Abigail Adams, who frequently advised her husband on political matters. Adams served as an ambassador during the Revolutionary War and was key in securing funding for the war. Adams was a brilliant lawyer, educated at Harvard College, who defended the British soldiers who started the Boston Massacre (where British soldiers fired on American citizens, one of the first acts of war). He served one term as president. His vice president was Thomas Jefferson.

Thomas Jefferson- Born and raised in Virginia. One of the most influential and brilliant presidents the US has seen. Served as Governor of Virginia during the war and was the first Secretary of State. Jefferson was the main writer of the Declaration of Independence, the force behind Lewis and Clark's expedition, brokered the Louisiana Purchase, signed into law a bill declaring slave importation illegal, and founded the University of Virginia. In 1962 during a gathering of Nobel prize winners at the White House, JFK said of Jefferson: "I think this is the most extraordinary collection of talent and of human knowledge that has ever been gathered together at the White House – with the possible exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone." Jefferson served two terms as president. His vice presidents were Aaron Burr until 1805 and George Clinton from then onward.

James Madison- Born and raised in Virginia. Known as the "Father of the Constitution", he was the first president to have served in the US Congress. Largely responsible for the Bill of Rights, he was a huge supporter of the checks and balances theory to counter tyranny. He lead the US into the war of 1812 against Britain and oversaw the re-building of the White House after it was burned by the British. He married Dolley Madison and graduated from Princeton University. He served as Jefferson's secretary of State. His vice presidents were George Clinton and Elbridge Gerry.

James Monroe- Born and raised in Virginia. During his administration Monroe added Florida to the US, presided over the Missouri Compromise (1820), (where Missouri was declared a slave state) the admission of Maine as a free state; and the Monroe Doctrine (1823), declaring U.S. opposition to European interference in the Americas. He also broke all ties with France remaining from the War of 1812. He married Elizabeth Monroe. His vice president was Daniel D. Tompkins.

Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe- kicking ass and taking names.

The Point Being...

Have you ever noticed how most people around you, on an average day, don't know shit? There's a reason this country is stereotyped by the entire world as being "dumb Americans". If you stop a random person on the street, I would bet big money they can tell you where Serena from Gossip Girl is going to college, but could not name the first 5 American presidents.

The cultural literacy in America today is severely lacking. I consider myself to be well-educated and try very hard to keep up to date with important national and international events, on the political, musical, cinematic, literary and fashion stages. But if you held a gun to my head and asked me to name the Chinese Prime Minister... boom baby.

So this is my attempt to not fall victim to the apathy that seems to pervade American life today. I know some shit, and I will share that here. And then I will learn some more shit and also share that here. My goal is to cover everything from how to change a tire to important American historical figures to basic grammar. It's not school and it's not some kind of an agenda. This blog is just the shit you SHOULD know.