adrian is rad

Headlines like that (on the front page of today’s Palo Alto Daily News) always make me laugh, even if they do have some reason. They remind of Onion-style headlines of the “Oxygen Still Necessary for Living” type.

Martin Van Buren was an interesting president, not particular for what he did—after all, his main presidential legacy was the Panic of 1837 (does that look familiar to anyone?)—but for who he was.

He was:

• the first president to be born an American citizen.
• the only president to not speak English as a first language. (he was raised speaking Dutch). [1]
• the first president from New York.
• one of two people to have been the Secretary of State, President and Vice President. (the other way Thomas Jefferson[2])

[1] Imagine the backlash today about such a person: how unamerican can you get?

[2] Awesome band name that I came up with in 11th grade and recorded a total of one song (in German) with: DJ TJ and the Founding Fathers.