Every February, Americans take a day off of work to celebrate the presidents — the chief executives whose ideas, policies and foibles have helped to shape our history. So it's only fitting that you take a moment to test your knowledge about these 44 prominent Americans with a 20-question quiz from "Presidential," the Washington Post podcast that explores the presidents' lives and legacies.
Catch up on "Presidential" by downloading episodes on iTunes.
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The beginning is a very good place to start. Who was the first president of the United States?
John Adams
Thomas Jefferson
George Washington
Benjamin Franklin
Who was the 40th president of the United States?
George H.W. Bush
Bill Clinton
Ronald Reagan
Jimmy Carter
Who was the only president to be elected to more than two terms in office?
Theodore Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
John Adams
John Quincy Adams
Which president has lived the longest life (so far)?
Ronald Reagan
John Adams
Herbert Hoover
George H.W. Bush
Who of the following was an actual president of the United States?
William Henry Harrison
Harrison Henry Williams
William Henry Harris
George Harrison
Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images
Who was the first president to live in the White House?
George Washington
John Adams
Thomas Jefferson
James Madison
Who was the only president who never married?
Franklin Pierce
James K. Polk
James Buchanan
William Howard Taft
Which future chief executive, upon accepting the nomination of his party for president, spoke of “community organizations spread like stars throughout the nation” shining like “a thousand points of light?”
George H.W. Bush
George W. Bush
Barack Obama
John F. Kennedy
Which president lived at the Hermitage?
James Monroe
Abraham Lincoln
Andrew Jackson
Martin Van Buren
Which president's voice is featured in what's believed to be the oldest presidential voice recording?
Grover Cleveland
Benjamin Harrison
William McKinley
Theodore Roosevelt
Which of these presidents was never a member of the Whig party?
James Madison
Zachary Taylor
William Henry Harrison
Abraham Lincoln
Which first lady took on such a large role in managing her bedridden husband’s affairs that some said she was a de-facto "acting president."
Edith Wilson
Abigail Adams
Harriet Lane
Martha Washington
"Tippecanoe and Tyler Too" is one of the most enduring campaign slogans in U.S. history. Who is the "Tyler" that it references?
Steven Tyler
James Tyler
John Tyler
Abraham Tyler
What did the "S" in Harry S. Truman stand for?
Steven
Simon
Sanderson
S
Which president used a chunk of his inaugural address to lodge this complaint about his job: “The appointing power vested in the president imposes delicate and onerous duties. So far as it is possible to be informed, I shall make honesty, capacity and fidelity indispensable prerequisites to the bestowal of office, and the absence of either of these qualities shall be deemed sufficient cause for removal.”
Millard Fillmore
John Tyler
Grover Cleveland
Zachary Taylor
Which of these jobs did Herbert Hoover hold just before he was elected president in 1928?
Secretary of the interior
Secretary of commerce
Governor of Oregon
Senator from Iowa
Who of the following was not a member of Lyndon B. Johnson’s immediate family?
Lady Bird Johnson
Lulu Belle Johnson
Luci Baines Johnson
Lynda Bird Johnson
Who was the last president not to attain a bachelor’s degree?
Theodore Roosevelt
Warren G. Harding
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Harry S. Truman
Which of these presidents worked as a tailor before running for office?
Zachary Taylor
Lyndon B. Johnson
Andrew Johnson
Bill Clinton
Which president said this?
“Always remember, others may hate you, but those who hate you don't win unless you hate them. And then you destroy yourself.”
Ronald Reagan
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Jimmy Carter
Richard Nixon