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February 18, 2005

In honor of Presidents' Day, some presidential firsts: James Madison (1809-17) was the first president to wear long trousers. Previous presidents had all worn knee breeches. The first sitting president to be photographed was James K. Polk, in 1849. Millard Fillmore's wife, Abigail, had the first cooking stove installed in the White House during her husband's administration (1850-53). When the cook couldn't figure out how it worked, Fillmore went to the Patent Office, read the stove's patent, and then taught the cook how to use it. Teddy Roosevelt was the first president to ride in an automobile (a Columbia Electric Victoria in 1902) and, after leaving office, the first president to fly in an airplane (a Wright biplane in 1910).

Source: University of Missouri, Kansas City, School of Education (www.umkc.edu/imc/prestriv.htm)