9 Valentine’s Day happenings
This collection of sometimes-less-than-heartwarming Valentine’s Day events was partially inspired by my recent trivia collaboration with LearningPlunge. All ill-informed amalgamations and opinions are my own.
1824
Winfield Scott Hancock (and his twin brother) were born.
I got all excited to add my bloody Winfield animation … then I realized it’s of his namesake, Winfield Scott. Disappointing, but this is my blog so I’m not about to let that stand in my way.
Winfield Scott Hancock ran against James Garfield for the presidency in 1880. He was named after Winfield Scott and ended up serving under him during the Mexican War. I’m not sure if they ever met.
Winfield Scott ran against Franklin Pierce for the presidency in 1852. Old Fuss and Feathers was a war hero.
General Winfield Scott Hancock’s birthday was on Valentine’s Day.
General Winfield Scott’s birthday was not on Valentine’s Day.
Also, no one is 100% sure that this is Old Fuss and Feathers…. but it seems likely, according to people that know more than me and probably never created an unlikely amalgamation of the two generals, like I clearly did. Check out Millard Fillmore was a trash president. Change my mind. if you want to see this doodle with more context in my sketchbook.
1859
Oregon became a state. James Buchanan was president.
1880
Theodore Roosevelt and Alice Hathaway Lee announced their engagement.
1884
Both Theodore Roosevelt’s mom and his wife died.
1912
Arizona became a state. William Howard Taft was president.
1962
Jackie Kennedy showed off the newly refurbished White House on TV.
1979
Iranians stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, holding 52 American diplomats hostage for more than a year.
Doodle inspired by All the Shah's Men: An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror, by Stephen Kinzer. This book was eye-opening … not in a good way. In a holy-crap-this-is-so-complex-and-appalling-and-I-don’t-have-words-to-articulate-the-ickiness kind of way. I highly recommend it.
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… and because I don’t want to end on a huge bummer, I’m throwing in one more doodle from the same book. It has nothing to do with Valentine’s Day, except if you force it. Kermit Roosevelt, Jr. was Theodore and Edith Roosevelt’s grandson. If Alice Roosevelt (who died on Valentine’s Day) had lived, Theodore wouldn’t have married Edith. And Kermit, Jr. wouldn’t exist.
In any case.. he did exist. And I don’t like him. While in the CIA, he did some really shady shit, the effects of which we may still be experiencing today. Also, he worked with those evil AF Dulles brothers. (If I came up with a list of people I don’t like, this trio would all have a comfy spot on the list.)
While under cover, Roosevelt used the pseudonym James Lockridge. When he’d miss a shot playing tennis, he’d yell “OH, ROOSEVELT!” in frustration. (Can you imagine Tom Cruise’s character yelling “OH, HUNT!” while under cover in Mission Impossible? Probably not. But guess what? His co-star Simon Pegg (Benji) was born on Valentine’s Day.)
To save his cover, he claimed to be a super-passionate Republican who used FDR’s name as a curse.
Oh, Roosevelt.
Follow along on Instagram for more doodles and presidential trivia.
