> Friday's Fast Facts
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Why Election Day Is the Day It Is:
- November was selected because the harvest work was done.
- Tuesday was selected because many people had to travel the day
before to reach the polling place. Since most people did not travel
on Sunday for religious reasons, they did not want it to be on a
Monday.
- They did not want Election Day to fall on November 1st because it
is All Saints Day.
- They did not want Election Day to fall on the first of the month
because many shop keepers did their books for the preceding month on
the 1st.
(about.com)

"Ballot" and "bullet" are both derived from words for "balls". The
Greeks dropped a white ball when they favored a candidate, and a
black when they were against. The term "blackballed" comes from
this, too.
(indian-elections.com)

Number of US Presidents who were born in England: 8.
Number of Presidents who never attended college: 9.
Number who went to Harvard: 6.
Number who went to Yale: 5.
Number of Presidents who never served in Congress: 18.
Rank of Episcopalian among religious affiliation of US Presidents: 1.
Number of Presidents who served as Vice Presidents: 18.

Vice Presidents were originally the presidential candidates
receiving the second-largest number of electoral votes. The Twelfth
Amendment, passed in 1804, changed the system so that the electoral
college voted separately for President and Vice President.

Number of Presidents who won the presidency but lost the popular
vote: 4.
(Information Please)

"In this sad world of ours, sorrow comes to all; and, to the young,
it comes with bitterest agony, because it takes them unawares." -
Abraham Lincoln; Letter to Fanny McCullough