By Bonnie Adams, Government Editor
Region – Today is Tuesday, Nov.6, the 311th day of 2012. And yes, at long last, it is here – Election Day!
In honor of this important day, here's some presidential and election trivia:
Four candidates have won the popular vote but lost the presidency: Andrew Jackson, Samuel J. Tilden, ??Grover Cleveland, and of course, Al Gore.
Eight presidents lost their bids for a second term: John Adams, John Quincy Adams, Martin Van Buren, Benjamin Harrison, William Howard Taft, Herbert Hoover, Jimmy Carter, and George H.W. Bush.
Three presidents died on the 4th of July – John Adams and Thomas Jefferson (who died hours apart) and James Monroe. Calvin Coolidge was born on the 4th of July!
The oldest man to be elected president was Ronald Reagan was 69 years and 11 months; the youngest was John F. Kennedy (age 43 years, seven months).
Eight presidents died in while in office: ?W. Harrison (after having served only one month), Zachary ?Taylor, Abraham Lincoln, James Garfield, William McKinley, Warren Harding, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and John F. Kennedy.
Four of those presidents were assassinated: Lincoln, Garfield, ?McKinley, and Kennedy. Unsuccessful attempts were made on the lives of Theodore Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan.
The most common religious affiliation among presidents has been Episcopalian, followed by Presbyterian. If elected, Mitt Romney would be the first Mormon president.
The ancestry of 42 presidents is limited to the following seven heritages, or some combination thereof: Dutch, English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh, Swiss, or German.
By tradition, Election Day is always held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. This dates back to a time when much of the country was agrarian. By early November, the harvest would have been nearly complete and the severe winter weather would not have yet arrived. Holding the election on a Tuesday also meant that people traveling distances to polling places would not have to travel on the Sabbath.
Women received the right to vote in the US. In 1920; although several have made attempts, there has never been an American woman president.
130 million people or approximately 64 percent of eligible voters participated in the 2008 election.
Born on this day – ?Pat Tillman, the former NFL player who left to join the U.S. Army and was killed by “friendly fire” in Afghanistan; (1976); the composer of “The Stars and Stripes Forever,” John Phillips Souza (1854;) and the man who invented basketball, James Naismith (1861).
Here are six tips for the day:
1. Check out these great pictures taken at the eighth annual Veterans Memorial 5K Road Race/Walk that was held in Shrewsbury, Sunday, Nov. 4.
http://communityadvocate.com/2012/11/05/supporting-veterans-and-their-families-in-shrewsbury/
2. The Westborough Board of Assessors has recently completed a reassessment of all property values within the town in an effort, they said, to equalize assessments at 100% of fair market value as of January 1, 2012. For more information on how to review those assessments go to:
http://www.town.westborough.ma.us/Public_Documents/WestboroughMA_Assessor/Reassessment_Info
3. The Brain Injury Association of Massachusetts (BIA-MA) will present a “How You Are SMART: Using Your Strengths to Navigate Life After Brain Injury” workshop Wednesday, Nov. 7, from 10 a.m. to noon, at the BIA-MA office in Westborough.
http://communityadvocate.com/2012/10/04/westborough-bia-ma-workshop-2
4. The DivorceCare session will be resumed by Grace Baptist Church in Hudson, Nov. 7, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. DivorceCare is a 15-week video series and support group. During each session, a nationally recognized expert will cover such topics as loneliness, depression, financial struggles, childcare, forgiveness and reconciliation. Small group discussion will follow.
http://communityadvocate.com/2012/10/19/hudson-divorcecare-session-resumes/
5. The town of Hudson is holding a seasonal flu clinic this year for all Hudson residents six months of age or older on Thursday, Nov. 8 at the Hudson Senior Center. To register for a flu shot at the clinic, visit www.MyLocalClinic.com
http://communityadvocate.com/2012/09/28/hudson-seasonal-flu-vaccination-clinic-2/
6. Homeowners and/or boat owners who use Lake Quinsigamond / Flint Pond located in Shrewsbury, Worcester and Grafton are advised that a drawdown will start on or about Tuesday, November 13. For more information go to:
http://www.shrewsbury-ma.gov/egov/docs/1352127850760.htm