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How Much Does It Cost To Mail a Letter?
While Pat Nixon was in the White House, the cost of a first class postage stamp "jumped" from five to six cents! In 2006 it "jumped" to 39 cents! What happened? Let's find out!
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How Do Flowers Get Their Names?
Did you know that there was a flower called the Pat Nixon Rose? How do flowers get their names, anyway? Let's find out!
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How Old is Mickey Mouse? THAT OLD???!
Mickey Mouse turned 40 in 1968, when Richard Nixon was elected to the Presidency. He'd already had a grand and glorious career and there was more to come. If Mickey was 40 in 1968, how old is he now?
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Rock the Vote, but When?
In 1971, during Richard Nixon's presidency, the 26th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified, giving the vote to all citizens 18 years of age and older. Since then, at least until 2004, the number of 18-21 year-olds who have actually voted has not been high. What do YOU think the voting age should be?
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The Death Penalty: Right or Wrong?
In 1972, while Pat and Richard Nixon were in the White House, the Supreme Court of the United States struck down most state laws enabling the death penalty. The Court did not strike down the dealth penalty itself, but ruled that the language of the laws enabling it were "arbitrary and capricious," and as such, violated the Eighth Amendment prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment. It would be seven years before the next person was executed by the state (Utah) under laws that had been substantially rewritten.
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Emergency? Dial 9-1-1!
The first 9-1-1 emergency call in the United States was placed in February of 1968, just about a year before Pat and Richard Nixon entered the White House. The history of the IDEA of 9-1-1, however, goes back further than that. How far? Let's see!
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May, 1970: Tragedy at Kent and Jackson State
One of the most tragic events stemming from the social unrest of the entire Vietnam War period were the deaths of two college students at Jackson State University (Mississippi) and four students at Kent State University (Ohio). Occurring as a result of protests over President Nixon's announcement on April 30th, that the United States had sent troops into Cambodia, the student shootings by military and law enforcement personel shocked the nation, and created even deeper divisions among the citizenry. It was one of the darkest times in the nation's history.
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Be an Entrepreneur!
During the presidency of Richard Nixon, a new way of delivering mail was invented by a young entrepreneur named Frederick W. Smith. His company, which he named Federal Express, grew to be a major competitor with the U.S. Post Office, and spawned several other delivery companies. In the ensuing years, a number of young entrepreneurs have started hugely successful companies, often based on new ideas of how to manage a company. Let's look at some of them.
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Protecting Our Natural World: Issues of Conservation
In the summer of 1970, President Nixon formed the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to address "concern with the condition of our physical environment--land, water, and air." These two agencies were especially tasked with understanding and regulating polutants of various kinds, but they were only a part of a larger picture of considervation that had existed in the United States since the middle of the 19th century.
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