Congress sets January 7, 1789 as the date by which states are
required to choose electors for the country’s first presidential
election. A month later, on February 4, George Washington was
elected president by state electors and sworn into office on
April 30, 1789.

Vice President Al Gore (above) conceded defeat to George W. Bush
in his bid for the presidency, following weeks of legal battles over
the recounting of votes in Florida, on December 13, 2000.     

In a televised speech from his ceremonial office next to the White
House, Gore said that while he was deeply disappointed and
sharply disagreed with the Supreme Court verdict that ended
his campaign, ”partisan rancor must now be put aside.”

“I accept the finality of the outcome, which will be ratified next
Monday in the Electoral College” he said. “And tonight, for the
sake of our unity as a people and the strength of our democracy,
I offer my concession.”

Gore had won the national popular vote by more than 500,000
votes, but narrowly lost Florida, giving the Electoral College to
Bush 271 to 266.

George W. Bush (left) shakes hands with Al Gore.

Harry S. Truman on election night 1948, holding up a copy of the Chicago Daily
Tribune declaring ‘’Dewey Defeats Truman.”

On November 3, 1948, the Chicago Tribune jumps the gun and
mistakenly declares New York Governor Thomas Dewey the
winner of his presidential race with incumbent Harry S. Truman.

Many of America’s major newspapers had predicted a Dewey
victory early on in the campaign. A New York Times article
editorialized that “if Truman is nominated, he will be forced
to wage the loneliest campaign in recent history.” Perhaps
not surprisingly then, Truman chose not to use the press as
a vehicle for getting his message across. Instead, in July
1948, he embarked on an ambitious 22,000-mile “whistle
stop” railroad and automobile campaign tour.

CARLATA BRADLEY

Carol Elizabeth Moseley Braun (Moseley-Braun)

MIKE GRACIA

Howard Hughes in the Spruce Goose pilots seat.