President of the Day
Which president was the Navy's youngest aviator?
- He is known for working on humanitarian efforts with his former rival.
- He braved threatening letters to vote for the Fair Housing Act.
- He was the director of the CIA.
- His signing of a treaty with Mikhail Gorbachev effectively ended the Cold War.
George H. W. Bush
What did he do after his high school graduation?
After the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, Bush decided to join the navy when he finished high school. He became the navy's youngest aviator at age eighteen. He flew more than fifty combat missions--including at least one from which he barely survived--and earned numerous medals, including the Distinguished Flying Cross and several Air Medals.
What activities has Bush done with his former rival Clinton?
Former presidents George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton have established foundations and worked as a team to pull together funding for relief efforts following natural disasters. In 2004, at the request of President George W. Bush, they led efforts to raise funds for humanitarian aid when a devastating tsunami hit Indonesia. They worked together again in 2005--once more by request of President George W. Bush--to help victims of Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf Coast. Past rivals, the two seem to have become close friends in their post-presidential years.
Why did Bush receive threatening letters from his constituents when he was serving in the House?
Bush voted for the 1968 Fair Housing Act, which was very unpopular in his Texas district. It was considered a courageous vote given the unpopularity of the bill.
What was the next position that Ford assigned to him?
President Ford then asked Bush to take the position of director of the Central Intelligence Agency--a position that Bush did not want, but accepted nonetheless. Bush improved the morale of the agency and even briefed President-elect Jimmy Carter on various affairs. He hoped to stay in the position, but Carter wanted a Democrat for the job.
What treaty did Bush sign with Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev?
Bush and Gorbachev signed the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, in which both countries pledged to reduce their nuclear arms. Bush called the treaty a "significant step forward in dispelling half a century of mistrust." It was these two leaders--Bush and Gorbachev--who played a key role in the historic ending of the Cold War, a truly remarkable accomplishment between the two superpowers.
From The Handy Presidents Answer Book, Second Edition by David L. Hudson, Jr., JD., (c) Visible Ink Press(R) More than 1,600 things you never knew about our nation's leaders
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