Q&A

Have there ever been any other twins in the White House, besides the Bush daughters? - E.H.
According to a wide search of government and Internet resources, Barbara and Jenna Bush are the only set of twins who have lived in the White House. Their father, President Bush, is also the only president to father twins.
Other elected officials have twins and triplets. Former Vice President Nelson Rockefeller, former Gov. Howard Dean of Vermont and Matt Walsh, a former governor of Indiana, are all fathers of twins.
Former Michigan Gov. John Engler is the father of triplet girls.
The National Center for Health Statistics lists some interesting facts about births in the United States.
According to its most recent statistics, a total of 4,138,349 births were registered in the United States in 2005, a 1 percent increase over 2004. The total number of births has generally increased since 1997.
The number of births declined slightly for non-Hispanic white women, but increased for all other race and Hispanic origin groups between 2004 and 2005.
Multiple birth statistics for 2005 include:
- Number of twin births: 133,122.
- Number of triplet births: 6,208.
- Number of quadruplet births: 418.
- Number of quintuplets and other higher-order births: 68.
Which U.S. vice presidents have died in office, and what were the circumstances? - E.H
Seven vice presidents have died while serving in office, but none died in the past 95 years.
The first VP to die while in office was George Clinton, who held two terms under two different presidents.
He served his first term under Thomas Jefferson from 1805 until 1809, having previously spent two separate terms as the first and third governor of New York.
After the 1808 election, he continued as vice president under James Madison before passing away during his second term on April 20, 1812, at the age of 72
Clinton's successor, Elbridge Gerry, did not take office until almost a year later, on March 4, 1813, and the office was thus vacant. Gerry was formerly the governor of Massachusetts and a representative from the state. He became ill during the fall of 1814 and died on Nov. 23 at the age of 70.
The next vice president to die in office was William Rufus King, the 13th vice president, serving under Franklin Pierce.
King was born in Sampson County, N.C., and graduated from the University of North Carolina before serving as a U.S. representative. He was elected in 1852 and took the oath of office in Cuba on March 24, 1853.
Consequently, for the only time in this nation's history, Congress passed legislation allowing the vice president-elect to be sworn in outside the country, because of King's poor health.
He died of tuberculosis after only 45 days in office on April 18. He had held the office since March 4, the date of the inauguration in Washington.
Henry Wilson, a senator from Massachusetts, served as Ulysses S. Grant's second vice president from March 4, 1873, until 1875. On Nov. 22 of that year he died in bed in his office at age 63.
Ten years later, on Nov. 25, 1885, another sitting vice president, Thomas Hendricks, died in office. Hendricks, who was Grover Cleveland's second-in-command, had been inaugurated in March earlier in the year.
 At the end of the 19th century, Garret Hobart of New Jersey became the 24th vice president, elected with William McKinley in 1896. Hobart served from March 1897 until his death on Nov. 21, 1899, of heart failure.
James S. Sherman served in office under William Howard Taft from 1909 to 1912 before dying of a kidney infection Oct. 30.
Before Congress passed the 25th Amendment in 1967, the vice presidency would often remain vacant if the office holder died or if he succeeded to the presidency.
Has a president ever divorced in the White House? - E.H.
No. A few U.S. presidents were widowers when they were elected, and a few lost their wives while they were in office. James Buchanan is the only president who never married; Ronald Reagan is the only one who ever divorced. And that was long before he ran for president. None has split up with a spouse while in office.
There was a divorce-related scandal during the presidential campaign of Andrew Jackson.
Jackson and his wife, Rachel, married in 1791, believing that her first husband had filed for divorce in 1790. It turned out that he had not obtained a divorce, and he brought suit on grounds of adultery. Once the divorce was finalized, the Jacksons remarried in 1794. "They had made an honest mistake, as friends well understood, but whispers of adultery and bigamy followed Rachel as Jackson's career advanced in both politics and war," says a biography of Rachel Jackson on the White House's official Web site.
My young niece wants to know what a Yankee Doodle is, and why "Yankee Doodle Dandy" is considered a (somewhat) patriotic song. - S.M.
"Yankee Doodle went to town, a-riding on a pony, stuck a feather in his hat and called it macaroni."
Hmmm. Who writes these things?
The song didn't begin as a patriotic song. It was written about American soldiers, but from a not-so-flattering British perspective.
The original tune goes back to about 1500 in Holland, where a nonsense song began with the words "Yanker dudel doodle down." Over time, as the song spread to other parts of Europe, the words changed. In England, "Yanker dudel" gradually became "Yankee Doodle."
The word "macaroni" in the song doesn't refer to pasta, but is derived from slang used in England to describe young men of the late 18th century who traveled to Italy and came back as fancy pants - that is, too interested in fashion. The "Yankee Doodle" song mocks the American rube who thinks that sticking a feather in his hat would make him appear trendy.
The familiar version of "Yankee Doodle Dandy" came about in the 1750s, when an English army surgeon named Richard Schuckburgh took the old lyrics and turned them into a song making fun of untrained American troops during the French and Indian War. American troops took a liking to the song and made it their own. "Yankee Doodle" was sung and played in many camps, and American soldiers often whistled it in battle.
Did the law pass that allows veterans not in uniform to salute the flag? - A.G.
Yes. It's now a law that veterans and service members who are not in uniform are permitted to salute the flag. The common situation for this is when the national anthem is played, or the flag passes in a parade. Previously, the proper form was for them to place their hand over their heart, as civilians do.
Before the law was passed, there was no penalty associated with veterans and service members out of uniform who chose to salute the flag. But the law was changed to recognize the right of those who served to salute the flag, whether in uniform or blue jeans.