50 Presidential Trivia Questions

Flex your trivia muscles with these questions all about our nation’s leaders across many generations. Whether you’re a dedicated follower of the news or you haven’t thought about presidents since your high school history class, you’ll still enjoy testing your knowledge with these questions. Not to mention, with an election year upon us, it’s a great time to brush up on your knowledge of our country’s politics.

1. Which president was nicknamed “Old Hickory”? Andrew Jackson.
2. Who is the only president to serve two non-consecutive terms? Grover Cleveland, who served as the 22^nd and 24^th
3. Which president introduced the Social Security Program? Franklin D. Roosevelt.
4. Who is the only president to date for whom English is a second language? Martin Van Buren, the 8^th president of the United States, was born in the Dutch community of Kinterhook, New York.
5. Which presidents have been impeached? Andrew Johnson, Bill Clinton, and Donald Trump.
6. What is the name of the famous film that depicts the assassination of John F.Kennedy? The Zapruder film. The film, shot by Abraham Zapruder, was taken on 8 mm color film and is the most complete video of the assassination ever found.
7. “Old Whitey” is the nickname of which president’s pet? Zachary Taylor’s horse, Old Whitey, was nearly as popular as he was.
8. One of the most iconic colors of the 50’s, “First Lady Pink,” was created specifically for which First Lady? Mamie Eisenhower.
9. Who famously said “Speak softly and carry a big stick?” Teddy Roosevelt.
10. Which president watched the Battle of Bunker Hill from his family’s farm as a child? John Quincy Adams.
11. Who is the only president to have studied to become a medical doctor? William Henry Harrison.
12. Which president won two Grammy Awards prior to being elected? Barack Obama won the category of Best Spoken Word Album in 2004 and 2008. In 2020, Michelle Obama also won in the same category. Other Grammy winners include Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, and Hillary Clinton.
13. Which president was the first to have a rescue dog in the White House? Joe Biden.
14. Who was the first president to be born a United States citizen and not a British subject? Martin Van Buren was born six years after America declared its independence from Great Britain. The seven presidents that preceded him were all born before 1776.
15. Which president founded a distillery after his term ended? George Washington – his was the largest whiskey distillery at the time, but unfortunately closed after his death.
16. Which president was supposed to be at the Ford Theater with Abraham Lincoln on the night of his assassination? Ulysses S. Grant ended up declining the invitation because his wife felt that the man who delivered their invitation was suspicious.
17. Which president banned alcohol from being served at the White House? Rutherford B. Hayes banned alcohol at the request of his wife, “Lemonade Lucy.”
18. Who symbolically pardoned the first turkey, and later welcomed him to the White House as a pet? Abraham Lincoln.
19. What is Richard Nixon’s middle name?
20. Which two presidents died on the same day, July 4^th, 1826? Thomas Jefferson and John Adams. Oddly enough, James Monroe also died on Independence Day, but in the year 1831.
21. Which president served the shortest term? William Henry Harrison served only 32 days.
22. Who was the tallest president? Abraham Lincoln, who stood at 6’4”. The shortest was James Madison, at 5’4”. Mary Todd Lincoln stood at only 5’2”.
23. Which First Lady was first to ride in an airplane? Eleanor Roosevelt once snuck out of a White House dinner with Amelia Earhart to fly around Baltimore for several hours.
24. Which president is on the $2 bill? Thomas Jefferson.
25. Which president’s ghost is said to roam the White House? Abraham Lincoln’s ghost has been reported by several First Ladies and even Winston Churchill.
    

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26. What was the name of the dog that the Obama family welcomed to the White House? Bo, a Portuguese water dog. They would later add Sunny to their family.
27. Which president made Christmas a national holiday? Ulysses S. Grant.
28. Which actor played President Teddy Roosevelt in the movie Night at the Museum? Robin Williams.
29. What middle name do Ulysses S. Grant and Harry S. Truman share? S! The S’s in their names don’t stand for anything.
30. Who was the first president to be born at a hospital? Jimmy Carter. All the previous presidents had been delivered at home.
31. Which First Lady is to thank for the wildflowers that adorn many a highway across the United States? Claudia “Ladybird” Johnson was a huge supporter of a highway beautification program.
32. Which president turned down offers to play for the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers in lieu of a political career? Gerald Ford.
33. Who is the first president to ever resign from office? Richard Nixon, following the Watergate scandal.
34. Who was the first president to throw the ceremonial first pitch at a baseball game? Howard Taft in 1910. Since that time, nearly every other president after has also thrown a first pitch.
35. Which president founded the FBI and served as the first director? Herbert Hoover.
36. Which First Lady was first to wear pants in the White House? Pat Nixon.
37. President Chester Arthur hired which famous designer to renovate and furnish the White House? Louis C. Tiffany, the first design director of Tiffany and Co. While most of the decorating was usually left to the First Lady, Arthur was a widower.
38. How many presidents have been assassinated while in office? Four – Abraham Lincoln, James Garfield, William McKinley, and John F. Kennedy.
39. Which president ended the draft for miliary duty? Richard Nixon.
40. Who is the only U.S. president to hold a patent? Abraham Lincoln patented a design that could help boats get moved back into water.
41. Monticello is the name of which president’s home in Virginia? Thomas Jefferson.
42. Which president served in both WWI and WWII? Dwight D. Eisenhower.
43. Which First Lady is responsible for the beautiful Japanese cherry trees that are spread all over Washington DC? Helen Taft visited Japan while her husband was in office, and the mayor of Tokyo sent her 3000 cherry blossom saplings.
44. Which president famously hated broccoli? George H.W. Bush once said “I do not like broccoli. And I haven’t liked it since I was a little kid. And my mother made me eat it. Now I’m the president of the United States. And I’m not gonna eat any more broccoli.”
45. How many bathrooms does the White House have? It’s approximately 55,000 square feet and contains 35 bathrooms.
46. Which president was gifted a pair of lion cubs by the mayor of Johannesburg, South Africa? Calvin Coolidge – he named them Tax Reduction and Budget Bureau.
47. After Pearl Harbor, President Roosevelt was driven around in what famous mobster’s armored car which had been impounded? Al Capone.
48. Frank Lloyd Wright’s son, John Lloyd Wright designed what children’s toy after a president’s childhood home? Lincoln Logs.
49. Which president vomited on the Japanese Prime Minister? George H.W. Bush apparently got sick and inadvertently introduced a new word into the Japanese language: Bushusuru. It means “to do the Bush thing” or to vomit in public.
50. Which president won the University of California’s Most Nearly Perfect Male Figure Award? Ronald Reagan.

Whether you’re looking for a great ice breaker with friends, or wanting to show off your knowledge, these trivia questions will put your brain to the test. And you’re sure to be prepared when President’s Day or the 4^th of July rolls around on. 

Kelsey Caldwell is a realtor and freelance writer from Charlotte, NC. She and her husband are parents to two amazing kids, a golden-doodle, and a bearded dragon.