John Quincy Adams and Jack the Ripper

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Unraveling A Giant Mystery  

Long before I embarked on this presidential biography project, I was a big fan of horror. Just how big a fan became evident my first week of college.

10 Things James Monroe Loved

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Don't underestimate "The Last of the Cocked Hats."

James Monroe might be the most experienced and least appreciated president ever. I'll do my best to honor the overlooked memory of the fifth president with this list of ten things he loved.

How to Teach Your Baby About Slavery

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One picture book gets it so wrong – 

and one gets it righter than it should.

One of my earliest memories is of me throwing a massive tantrum in front of the television. My parents were watching the local news, and they refused to believe me when I insisted it was a re-run.

Died on the Fourth of July... Almost

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Three presidents died on the 4th of July.

One broke the curse.

It's well known that John Adams and Thomas Jefferson famously died on the same day – July 4th, 1826. Their simultaneous passing on the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence is viewed as a wonderfully patriotic cosmic coincidence, or at least a victory of the human will to hang on. (Or possibly some good old-fashioned euthanasia.)