November 12, 2003
*Ask Jen
Reader Jeff wants to know, "How far away can thunder be heard? What causes it?"
Thunder can be heard easily six to seven miles away, and occasionally as far as 20 miles away. The sound waves of thunder are the result of the expansion and contraction of air heated by lightning. Intense claps of thunder are caused by repeated lightning in a previously heated path of air.
Reader Pete writes, "How many senators have been elected President?"
Fifteen. For the list, please look in the extended entry.
Do you have a question for me? You can e-mail it. If I know the answer, I'll answer it. If I don't, I might make something up.
(Source: Senate.gov, which doesn't have good working links to individual pages.)
James Monroe
Senator, 1790-1794
President, 1817-1825
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John Quincy Adams
Senator, 1803-1808
President, 1825-1829
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Andrew Jackson
Senator, 1797-1798; 1823-1825
President, 1829-1837
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Martin Van Buren
Senator, 1821-1828
President, 1837-1841
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William Henry Harrison
Senator, 1825-1828
President, 1841
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John Tyler
Senator, 1827-1836
President, 1841-1845
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Franklin Pierce
Senator, 1837-1842
President, 1853-1857
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James Buchanan
Senator, 1834-1845
President, 1857-1861
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Andrew Johnson
Senator, 1857-1862; 1875
President, 1865-1869
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Benjamin Harrison
Senator, 1881-1887
President, 1889-1893
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Warren G. Harding
Senator, 1915-1921
President, 1921-1923
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Harry S. Truman
Senator, 1935-1945
President, 1945-1953
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John F. Kennedy
Senator, 1953-1960
President, 1961-1963
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Lyndon B. Johnson
Senator, 1949-1961
President, 1963-1969
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Richard M. Nixon
Senator, 1950-1953
President, 1969-1974
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On the Senator-Presidents:
7 of the first 15 Presidents were Senators.
Only 8 of the last 28 were Senators.
And none since Nixon (Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush 41, Clinton, Bush 43). That's a current streak of six "non-Senatorial" Presidents.
Posted by: The Commissar at November 12, 2003 10:02 AMGuess Tricky Dick soured the pot.
Posted by: Pete at November 12, 2003 12:17 PM
Jew