Soo Line: Time for a quiz about your presidential smarts (Because, by George, Presidents Day is Feb. 16)

by Soo Greiman  

Think you still remember what you learned in school about U.S. presidents? Let’s find  out.  

As a kid at Orange Elementary School, February meant learning about two of our  favorite presidents — Abraham Lincoln and George Washington — whose birthdays fall just 10  days apart. Lincoln was born Feb. 12, and Washington on Feb. 22.  

In 1968, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which shifted several  federal holidays to Mondays. The change took effect in 1971, officially creating Presidents Day  on the third Monday in February and giving Americans a three-day weekend.  

Maybe it’s just me, but it sometimes feels like we don’t give Lincoln and Washington  quite the attention they deserve now that their birthdays are combined. But that’s just one  opinion.  

So here’s your challenge for 2026 — a Presidents Day trivia quiz covering history, fun  facts and modern presidents. Honest Abe would approve. Test your all-American brain and see  how many of these 12 questions you can get right.  

Presidents Day  

Quiz 

1. Which president and first lady were the first residents of the White House? 
A. George and Martha Washington  

B. Ronald and Nancy Reagan  

C. John and Abigail Adams  

D. Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd Lincoln  

2. Which president served more than two terms in office?  

A. Gerald Ford  

B. Theodore Roosevelt  

C. Franklin D. Roosevelt  

D. John Quincy Adams  

3. What were George Washington’s dentures made of?  

A. Old wood  

B. Ivory, animal bones and human teeth  

C. Early plastic  

D. Chewing gum  

4. Which president wore a ring containing a lock of Abraham Lincoln’s hair on Inauguration  Day?  

A. Martin Van Buren  

B. Theodore Roosevelt  

C. Andrew Jackson  

D. Barack Obama  

5. From which country did the United States win its independence in 1776? 
A. Canada  

B. Great Britain  

C. Mexico  

D. China 

6. At which president’s inauguration did such a large drinking celebration occur that White  House staff moved the alcohol outside and locked the doors to end the party? 
A. Andrew Jackson  

B. Jimmy Carter  

C. Zachary Taylor  

D. Jack Daniels  

7. Though his opponent won the popular vote, which president was declared the winner of the  Electoral College in 2000 by the Supreme Court?  

A. Dwight D. Eisenhower  

B. George W. Bush  

C. John Adams  

D. Rutherford B. Hayes  

8. Which president ended the military draft?  

A. Millard Fillmore  

B. Grover Cleveland  

C. Richard Nixon  

D. Lyndon Johnson  

9. Which president famously got stuck in a White House bathtub?  

A. William Howard Taft  

B. James K. Polk  

C. Dwight D. Eisenhower  

D. Bill Clinton  

10. Which president banned alcohol from the White House at the request of his first lady? 
A. Millard Fillmore  

B. Rutherford B. Hayes  

C. Calvin Coolidge  

D. Jimmy Carter  

11. Who was the first U.S. president to die while in office?  

A. Franklin Pierce  

B. Chester A. Arthur  

C. Franklin Pierce  

D. William Henry Harrison  

12. Which president received a speeding ticket while in office?  

A. Thomas Jefferson  

B. William Jennings Bryan  

C. Ulysses S. Grant  

D. Andrew Jackson 

Answers  

1. C — John and Abigail Adams  

2. C — Franklin D. Roosevelt  

3. B — Ivory, animal bones and human teeth  

4. D — Barack Obama  

5. B — Great Britain  

6. A — Andrew Jackson 

7. B — George W. Bush 

8. C — Richard Nixon  

9. A — William Howard Taft 

10. B — Rutherford B. Hayes 

11. D — William Henry Harrison 

12. C — Ulysses S. Grant