On the brink of history...

The day has come.

January 20. 2009 is a few hours away. On this day, we will swear in Barack Obama as the 44th president of the United States.

Actually, he is only the 43rd man to hold this office, as Grover Cleveland served two non-consecutive terms as the 22nd and the 24th president.

Other interesting presidential trivia?

Nine presidents never attended college: Washington, Jackson, Van Buren, Taylor, Fillmore, Lincoln, A. Johnson, Cleveland, and Truman

The most common religious affiliation of the elite few elected to President is Episcopalian, followed next by Presbyterian.

Obama will be the first president born outside the continental US. He was born in Hawaii.

The tallest president was Lincoln at 6'4", the shortest? James Madison at 5'4".

4 people won the popular vote but lost the Presidency: Andrew Jackson won the popular vote but lost the election to John Quincy Adams (1824); Samuel J. Tilden won the popular vote but lost the election to Rutherford B. Hayes (1876); Grover Cleveland won the popular vote but lost the election to Benjamin Harrison (1888); Al Gore won the popular vote but lost the election to George W. Bush (2000).

James Buchanan was the only president never to marry.

3 Presidents died on the 4th of July: John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe. Adams and Jefferson died in the same year.

George Washington's salary while president was 25k, G. W. Bush's? 400K. One would argue the latter is way overpaid. Then again, you couldn't pay me enough to be President.

Tuesday we witness history as Barack Obama becomes the first African American to be sworn in as President. I think it speaks a true testament to this nation that this barrier has finally been broken. 150 years ago, the Civil War took place to end slavery, yet discrimination lived on. The 60's brought the courageous civil rights movement where names like Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks became etched in history. And now, we see an African American elected to the highest position of the most powerful country in the world. Yes we can, America.

I think the next 4 years are going to be a time of trial as we are in a recession with an ever growing debt and a war that continues, but I think Obama brings hope, restores faith that America can rise up. That we can restore out economy, that we can bring home our soldiers overseas, that we can restore respect to our nation.

Whether you voted for him or not, let's give him the chance he deserves. Things could not be any worse than they are right now, after 8 years of this current administration. So tune in on Tuesday as we watch history....

If only I had the day off...oh well, I'll have to watch it on DVR.