After weeks of plummeting confidence in our political leaders, it's only fitting that this past week's trivia deal with a certain lack of popularity. Much to my dismay, no one got the correct answer this week, which was...
John Quincy Adams! Since the Federalist party withered away, the Democratic-Republican party was all that remained, and 4 candidates sought the presidency in the year Adams ran (1824). Adams received a mere 30.9% of the vote while Andrew Jackson led with 41.3%.
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| Austere much? |
Since no candidate achieved a majority of the electoral vote, the House of Representatives was called upon to decide the winner. Following the 12th Amendment, the House was only permitted to vote on the top three candidates, Jackson, Adams, and William Harris Crawford, leaving "The Great Compromiser," Henry Clay, out of the running. Detesting Jackson, Clay - who happened to be Speaker of the House - threw his support and those of his cohorts behind Adams. Jacksonians were red with anger over the "corrupt bargain," but he'd have his time in the White House eventually.
Other choices were known for close wins in the popular vote, but, with the exception of Lincoln (the top choice for 2 people - he won with 39.8% in 1860), they did not have the third or fourth candidates necessary to truly divide the vote like the 1824 election. Yep, that's a total Ralph Nader burn right there.
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| Why you gotta do me like that, Danger. |
This week's trivia question might be a tough one: you've got to know the 4 major sports to get it, and even then it's a tough call. Here it is:
Which of the following retired star athletes is the oldest?
- Bobby Orr (hockey)
- Julius Erving (basketball)
- Eric Dickerson (football)
- Reggie Jackson (baseball)
Good luck!
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