Famous Presidents of the US

1. Abraham Lincoln:

He was born Feb 12, 1809, in Hardin Country, Kentucky. His family
upbringing was modest; his parents from Virginia were neither wealthy
nor well known. At an early age, the young Lincoln Abraham lost his
mother and his father moved away to Indiana. Abraham had to work hard
splitting logs and other manual labor. But, he also had a thirst for
knowledge and worked very hard to excel in his studies. This led him to
become trained as a lawyer. He spent eight years working on the Illinois
court circuit; his ambition, drive and capacity for hard work were evident
to all around him. He also had a good sense of humor and was depreciating
about his looks.

If I were two-faced, would I be wearing this one? He married Mary

Todd and had four children, although three died before reaching maturity.

2. John F Kennedy

He was Americas second youngest elected president. He oversaw one of

the most crucial moments in the Cold War (Cuban Missile Crisis) and
sought to affirm Americas beliefs in basic human rights by calling for civil
rights legislation and an attack on poverty and degradation. Assassinated
in November 22, 1963, his tragic death shocked America and the world.
He was born in May 1917, John F. Kennedy came from an illustrious
political family; his father Joseph Kennedy was a leading member of the
Democrat party and Joseph encouraged John F. Kennedy in his political
ambitions after the war. John graduated from Harvard after completing a
thesis on Appeasement in Munich His thesis was later converted into a
successful book Why England Slept.

3. Franklin D. Roosevelt

He was born on January 30, 1882, and died on April 12, 1945, often
referred to by his initials FDR, was the thirty-second President of the
United States. He served through the Great Depression and the Second
World War.
The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.

FDR was elected during the height of the Great Depression in 1932 and
remained President until his death in 1945. During his period of presidency
he oversaw an expansion of the Federal Government and helped America
lose its isolationist stance as it joined World War Two and helped
formulate the United Nations. He was an influential figure in both
American and world politics. Roosevelt came from a privileged
background, but was influenced by his headmaster at Groton School in
Massachusetts who inculcated the importance of Christian duty in helping
less fortunate people.

4. Lyndon Johnson

He was the 36th President of the US from 1963 to 1969. It was one of the
most turbulent and influential periods in American politics. Lyndon
Johnson helped to implement great society reforms extending welfare
support and civil rights legislation. He also presided over an escalation of
American involvement in Vietnam which proved increasingly
controversial.

Johnson was born on August 27, 1908, in central Texas. Growing up in the
Great Depression, he gained a firsthand perspective on poverty and the
great society reforms he later implemented were an attempt to make this
kind of poverty a thing of the past.

He successfully won election to the House of Representatives in 1937,

aged only 29. During the Second World War he served in the navy, winning
the Silver Star for service in the Pacific. In 1948, he was elected to the
Senate and become the youngest minority house leader in 1953. He
worked closely with Dwight D Eisenhower and helped to get some of his
policies through the Senate.
3 Reading: Before they were famous

Before they were famous

1. Did you know that Rod Stewart worked as a grave digger or that Mick
Jagger was once a porter in a mental hospital? If you find you are stuck
in a rut and dream about being famous, dont give up. Some of the most
famous celebrities started their working lives in some very simple Jobs.

2. When Madonna first arrived in New York looking for fame and fortune,
she only had $35 in her pocket. She took a job working at Dinky Donuts in
Times Square, but later lost her job for squirting jam at one of the
customers.

3. Bob Geldof had many different Jobs before he started working as a

music journalist. While working in London, one of his Jobs was as a hot
dog salesman in Soho. In 1975 he found fame as the lead Singer of the
Irish band, The Boomtown Rats. He has strong political ideas too, and he
organized concerts like live Aid to try and change the situation in Africa.

4. Before being an actor. Johnny Depp used to sell pens. He used to

telephone people to sell them pens with their names printed on them. But
he didnt enjoy the job; sometimes he tried using different voices on the
telephone to make the job more interesting.

5. When Texas released their first single, Sharleen Spiteri was working as
a hairdresser in Glasgow. She says she loved the job because her clients
told her such shocking gossip. I was a great hairdresser she says
People told me everything!

6. Before Annie Lennox became famous she worked in a bookshop. She

then spent time singing in pubs and clubs and worked as a waitress in
Hampstead, London, Where she met Dave Stewart. They eventually
formed the Eurythmics and went on to have many chart successes.