Today in American history…President James Garfield was born in Moreland Hills, Ohio on November 19, 1831.

He would become our 20th US President on March 4, 1881.

He served in the Union Army during the Civil War and quickly rose to the rank of Major General.

He is the only US President to have been elected while a sitting member of the United States House of Representatives (Ohio’s 19th District) and represented the State of Ohio from 1863-1880.

President Garfield was elected to the US Senate from Ohio in 1880 but never served due to being elected as the President of the United States.

Only in office for four short months, President Garfield was assassinated on July 2, 1881 and succumbed to his wounds on September 19, 1881.

Today in American history…Mamie Eisenhower was born in Boone, Iowa on November 14, 1896. She would eventually become our First Lady when her husband Dwight D. Eisenhower became our 34th US President (1953-1961)

Mamie Eisenhower was the first First Lady to appear in a televised presidential campaign advert in 1952. She was not comfortable giving speeches and instead preferred hosting social events at The White House.

She was a very popular First Lady. She had short bangs and women soon copied her and the trend became known as “Mamie’s Bangs.” She also loved the color pink. So during the era of when she was First Lady the term “Mamie Pink” was coined.

Even though she was very popular and beloved by the American people, she was dedicated to her family and much preferred and cherished the time at home with her husband. One of her popular quotes on her love of domesticity was “Ike runs the country, and I turn the pork chops.”

(Official White House portrait by Thomas Edgar Stevens in 1959)

Veterans Day was originated on November 11, 1919 and named “Armistice Day” in honor of the first anniversary of the end of the First World War – when Germany signed an official armistice agreement with it’s allies on November 11, 1918.

In 1926, the U.S. Congress passed a resolution for an annual observance to make Armistice Day a National holiday beginning in 1938. In 1954, President Eisenhower officially changed the name to Veterans Day.

Veterans Day, unlike Memorial Day, honors and pays tribute to all American veterans (living or dead) but especially gives thanks to our living veterans who have served our country.

Thank you to all who have served our beloved country. Today we honor and salute you!

“Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13)

Today in American history…Lyndon Baines Johnson, our 36th US President, was born on August 27, 1908 on a farm near Stonewall, Texas.

A few of his lifetime accomplishments were:

🇺🇸 Served in the House of Representatives while representing Texas’ 10th Congressional district from April 10, 1937 – January 3, 1949

🇺🇸 Appointed as a Lieutenant Commander in the US Naval Reserves in 1940. In addition to receiving the Silver Star, he also received the American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal and the World War II Victory Medal while on active duty.

🇺🇸 Elected as a US Senator from Texas in 1948.

🇺🇸 Elected as the Senate Majority Whip in 1951.

🇺🇸 Elected as the Senate Minority Leader in 1953.

🇺🇸 Elected as the Senate Majority Leader in 1954.

🇺🇸 Elected as Vice President of the United States in 1960.

🇺🇸 Sworn in as our 36th President on November 22, 1963 and won election to the Presidency in 1964.

🇺🇸 Advocated for and was able to sign The Civil Rights Act of 1964. This outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, and later sexual orientation and gender identity.

🇺🇸 In 1965, he advocated for and signed the second civil rights bill which was called the Voting Rights Act which outlawed discrimination in voting and allowed millions of southern African Americans to vote for the first time.

🇺🇸 In 1967, President Johnson nominated civil rights attorney, Thurgood Marshall, to be the first African-American justice of the US Supreme Court

🇺🇸 In 1968, Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1968. This provided for equal housing opportunities regardless of race, creed, or national origin.

Today is National Dog Day. President Abraham Lincoln was extremely close to his beloved dog, Fido. When he was elected to the Presidency and moved to Washington, DC, he felt that the hustle and bustle of living in the White House would be upsetting to Fido so he chose to keep him in the care of a good friend at home in Springfield, Illinois.

Some of President Lincoln’s instructions for caring for Fido were that he be allowed to have the run of the house, not to be reprimanded for tracking mud into the home, and to be fed scraps from the dinner table. He even left an old sofa for Fido which happened to be his dog’s favorite place to lay.

I love making historical recipes! Tonight I chose to highlight one of President Eisenhower’s meals: Barbecue Chicken. It’s very simple to make and can be made with the ingredients that you may already have in your own kitchen. As a side dish, I quartered and boiled a few red potatoes and added rosemary as a garnish. It was delicious!

President Eisenhower’s Barbecue Chicken

Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 (3 -3 1/2 lb) roasting chickens, cut up

1 onion, peeled and chopped

1⁄2 cup celery, chopped

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1⁄4 cup lemon juice

1 cup ketchup

3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1⁄3 tablespoon yellow mustard

1 cup water

salt, to taste

1 pinch red pepper flakes

Directions

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium high heat.

Brown the chicken pieces, in batches if necessary to avoid crowding the skillet.

When nicely browned on all sides, remove chicken, drain briefly and place in a large ovenproof casserole dish.

Add the chopped onion and celery to the oil remaining in the skillet.

Cook until the vegetables soften, 5-8 minute.

Add the vinegar, brown sugar, lemon juice, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, prepared mustard and 1 cup of water.

Mix well and taste; adjust seasoning to your taste.

Add red pepper flakes, to taste.

Simmer the sauce for 30 min to blend the flavors together.

While sauce is simmering, preheat the oven to 325ºF.

Pour the sauce over the browned chicken in the casserole dish.

Cover the dish with foil and bake for about 1 hour, or until the juices run clear.

You can find more Eisenhower family recipes right here

Today in American history…First Lady Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy, was born on July 28, 1929 in Southampton, New York.

“Even though people may be well known, they hold in their hearts the emotions of a simple person for the moments that are the most important of those we know on earth: birth, marriage and death.” – Jacqueline Kennedy

Today in American history…Mary Todd Lincoln passed away on July 16, 1882 in Springfield, Illinois. She passed away in her sister’s home – the same home in which she married the love of her life, Abraham Lincoln, on November 4, 1842.

She was most likely the most maligned and misunderstood First Lady in U.S. history.

She was the First Lady during the Civil War and was continually falsely accused of being a traitor being that she was originally from the Southern state of Kentucky and had family that were fighting for the Confederacy. Her allegiance to the United States was always in question for those who disliked her.

She also suffered from mental illness which only increased after the horrible death of her husband. She suffered the loss of her three children at early ages and her only surviving child, Robert, had her institutionalized in her later years.

Today in American history…Martha Washington was born on June 2, 1731 on her parents plantation, Chestnut Grove, in the Colony of Virginia. She was married to the first President of the United States, George Washington, and was often referred to as “Lady Washington” being that the term “First Lady” wasn’t used until several years after her death.

“I am determined to be cheerful and happy in whatever situation I may find myself. For I have learned that the greater part of our misery or unhappiness is determined not by our circumstance but by our disposition.” Martha Washington