I am a collector of historical fun facts, especially those pertaining to United States history and the presidents. Below are some pictures I took of historical sites and exhibits during my travels, along with some of my own commentary. On my bucket list is to visit all the presidential libraries -- every president from Hoover to Obama has a presidential library operated by the National Archives and Records Administration. These libraries house historical documents and double as a museum dedicated to the president's life and legacy.

The Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library (Austin, Texas)

The Archives

A Replica of LBJ's Oval Office

A portrait of George Washington can be seen on the far side -- many presidents include a portrait of Washington in their Oval Offices. Not seen in this photo are two more portraits that LBJ specifically hung on his wall: Franklin D. Roosevelt and Andrew Jackson. The inclusion of FDR is rather obvious -- LBJ was a disciple of his both during and after FDR's presidency. One can argue that LBJ's Great Society programs were modeled after the New Deal. The inclusion of Jackson, however, perplexed me, especially since Jackson has always been a controversial figure since his presidency. I had a conversation about this with a man named Stephen, who works as a docent at the library; his thought is that LBJ saw himself and Jackson as "outsiders" to the American elite, and therefore representative of common folk. Indeed, Jackson is the first president born in a log cabin, while LBJ hailed from a small, poor town in the Texas Hill Country.

A View from a Replica of Lady Bird Johnson's Office

This view from a replica of the former first lady's office includes UT's football stadium, the skyline of downtown Austin, and the Texas capitol building.

The George H.W. Bush Presidential Library (College Station, Texas)

A Relic of Old Political Party Color Coding

Today, Americans recognize that red is the color of the Republican Party and blue is the color of the Democratic Party. However, this convention is rather new to American politics, only beginning in the election of 2000. Before this, all manner of colors were used to represent the two parties. This box of straws was placed in movie theaters during the 1988 election. Moviegoers could select a blue straw to show support for Bush (the Republican candidate) or a red straw to show support for Michael Dukakis (the Democrat candidate).