1946 Jimmy Carter graduated from the Naval Academy.

1953 Jimmy's father dies and he resigns from the Navy to run the family peanut business.

1962 Jimmy Carter is elected to the Georgia state legislature.

1976 The U.S. Bicentennial.

1976 Jimmy Carter is elected President.

1979 Militant Iranians take the U.S. Embassy staff hostage.

1980 A failed rescue attempt for the people held in the embassy fails. Nine service men die.

1980 Jimmy Carter is defeated in the presidential race by Ronald Reagan.

1981 The hostages in Iran are released the last day in office for Jimmy Carter.

Jimmy Carter
1976 - 1980
39th President

Jimmy Carter was born in Plains, Georgia on October 1, 1924.

Jimmy Carter, President from 1977-81, was the first President to be born in a hospital.

Jimmy Carter's Vice President was Walter Mondale (1977-1981).

He was the only President born in Georgia

Carter was one of four Baptist Presidents.

At the age of 9, he bought 5 huge bales of cotton for 5 cents a pound. He stored the cotton and sold it a few years later when the price had more than tripled.

A giant peanut-shaped balloon was part of his Inauguration Day parade.

Jimmy Carter was the only president who commanded a submarine.

His brother Billy was popular during Jimmy's time as President. He even had a beer named after him, Billy Beer.

Jimmy had a pet dog named Grits.

Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter in a Presidential campaign debate.
September, 1976, Philadelphia.
National Archives and Records Administration.

President Carter insisted on being called "Jimmy" not "James."

Jimmy Carter is a speed-reader: he has been clocked at 2,000 words a minute with 95 percent comprehension.

Jimmy Cater studied nuclear physics at Annapolis.

He had a dog named Grits.

President Carter was a Democrat

He ended much of the ceremony and pageantry that had marked official receptions in the White House. He got rid of the trumpeters that announced the presidential family and the color guard. State dinners ended far sooner--about 11:00 p.m.

Jimmy Carter, 1977.
Library of Congress

Amy Carter was 9 when her father became president. She attended public schools near the White House and had a tree house built on the White House grounds. When she labeled White House trees as a school project, her father thought it was a good idea and made it official. Now all of the White House trees have labels with their common and Latin name as well as information about who planted them or gave them as a gift.

Jimmy Carter after leaving office supported the efforts of Habitat for Humanity. An organization the builds houses for poor Americans.

Quick Facts

39th President
1977-1981

Born: Plains, Ga. Oct. 1, 1924

Inaugurated as President
Jan. 20, 1977

Party: Democratic

References:

• The Presidents of the United States. 22 September 2004
• Davis, Gibbs and Ilus. David A. Johnson. Wackiest White House Pets. New York: Scholastic Press, October 2004
• James, Barber and Amy Pastan. Smithsonian Presidents and First Ladies. New York: DK Publishing, 2002
• Harnsberger, Caroline Thomas. Treasury of Presidential Quotations. Chicago: Follett Publishing Company, 1964
• Kane, Joseph Natan. Facts about the Presidents from Washington to Johnson. New York: H.W. Wilson Company, 1964.
• National Park Service Web Site on Presidential Trivia: http://www.nps.gov/pub_aff/pres/trivia.htm.

Additional Sources:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents
http://www.historyplace.com/specials/portraits/presidents/index.html
www.freep.com
http://www.umkc.edu/imc/prestriv.htm
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Rhodes/4062/trivia.html
http://www.freep.com/news/inaug/trivia/index.htm
http://www.ipl.org/div/potus/

If you have comments or corrections, please send them to jim@anewadventure.org.