Cleveland's Secret Surgery

Over the years, many presidents have gone to extreme lengths to mislead the country about their health. Never a good idea. In 1893, Grover Cleveland became aware of a strange spot on the roof of his mouth. His doctor, Major Robert O’Reilly, took a biopsy of a growth that appeared to be "nearly the size of a quarter with cauliflower granulation." Results of the test revealed it to be a nonmalignant though troublesome cancer, making surgery necessary. But Cleveland didn't want his condition to be known so as not to panic the financial markets. An elaborate scheme was put in place to hide his condition, which wasn't revealed until nine years after his death. On July 1, 1893, the first of two delicate oral surgeries was performed on Cleveland on the Oneida, a yacht owned by Commodore Elias Benedict. In addition to several teeth, a large chunk of Cleveland's upper left jaw and palate was removed. Eventually, the deep recess was filled with a rubber implant which the president wore for the rest of his life.

The Biggest Supreme Court Losers

With David Souter retiring, President Obama has his first opportunity to make a mark on the U.S. Supreme Court. But the nomination process can be a minefield of potential stumbles and mistakes. If history is an indicator, Obama shouldn't have too much of a problem, especially because of the large Democratic majority in the Senate. Most nominees are confirmed. But some presidents have had more difficulty than others. The all-time loser is John Tyler, with a whopping eight failures: four of his nominations were withdrawn, one rejected, and three others died in the U.S. Senate due to lack of formal action. (Several of Tyler's nominations were of the same candidates.) Behind Tyler are Grant and Fillmore with three failures, then Washington, Madison, Polk, Cleveland, Lyndon Johnson, Nixon, and Reagan with two each. The most recent Senate rejection was Reagan's choice of Robert Bork (pictured) in 1987. The latest nominee withdrawal was George W. Bush's selection of Harriet Miers.

Work on Those Final Words

Most people would agree that a president's last words should be memorable and inspiring. But it hasn't always worked out that way. Millard Fillmore, after eating some soup, said, "The nourishment is palatable" and then expired. Ulysses S. Grant reportedly uttered "Water!" before he died. Lyndon Johnson's "Send Mike immediately!" is memorable for having been uttered into his bedroom telephone upon feeling ill. Some presidential final phrases reflect that they weren't aware of their impending doom. Just before Oswald's bullet hit him, John F. Kennedy answered, "That's obvious," to Mrs. Connolly's question: "Mr. President, you can't say that Dallas doesn't love you." Moments before Booth put a bullet in his head, Abraham Lincoln said, "It doesn't matter," when his wife refused to hold his hand. Other presidents had the opportunity to be rather eloquent, such as Dwight Eisenhower's, "I've always loved my wife, my children, and my grandchildren, and I've always loved my country. I want to go. I'm ready to go. God, take me." Grover Cleveland's, "I have tried so hard to do right," is rather touching. Theodore Roosevelt's final words, "Please put out the light," seem inadvertently perfect. But the award for the lamest final words goes to Andrew Johnson, who said, "I need no doctor. I can overcome my troubles." (Photo of Andrew Johnson, Library of Congress)

44 Oaths From 43 Americans

There's nothing like a presidential blunder that presents an opportunity for a quick history lesson. Such a moment came on January 20, 2009, just seconds into Barack Obama's inaugural address when he said, "Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath." Obama's speechwriter was close...but no cigar. While Obama is indeed the 44th president, only 43 men have actually taken the oath. That's because Grover Cleveland served two non-consecutive terms as the 22nd and 24th president. Cleveland was first elected in 1884, but was defeated in 1888 by Benjamin Harrison despite winning the popular vote. Cleveland made a comeback in 1892, soundly defeating Harrison.