5 December: Martin Van Buren

Born this date in 1782 was Martin van Buren, 8th US President. 10 facts about him:

1. He was the first president to be born after the American Revolution, and therefore the first president to be born as a citizen of the USA.
2. He is the only president to date for whom English was a second language. His family and community spoke Dutch.
3. He was born in Kinderhook, New York, one of five children of a farmer and tavern keeper, and christened Maarten van Buren. As a young man, he worked in the tavern.
4. He was just 5 feet, 6 inches tall, and had reddish hair, which resulted in nicknames like “Little Magician,” “Sly Fox,” and “Red Fox of Kinderhook”.
5. Another nickname used by his supporters in the 1840 election was “Old Kinderhook”. They formed the OK Club and marched with placards marked OK. The expression, "OK", came into popular usage at about the same time as a result.
6. A less flattering nickname, "Martin van Ruin" was bestowed upon him by opponents during the economic depression called the Panic of 1837 which began during Van Buren's time in office. There was a run on the banks, many closed and people lost lost their jobs and their life savings. Van Buren didn't believe the government should do anything to help. This could well be why he only served one term and lost the elections in 1844 and 1848.
7. Another historic event which happened during his presidency was the rebellion of Africans on board the Spanish schooner La Amistad in 1839. His administration supported the Spanish government's demand that the ship and its cargo (including the Africans) be turned over to them, and even appealed against the Supreme Court's ruling that the Africans were legally free and should be transported home to Africa.
8. He blocked the admission of Texas as a state of the union, partly because of tensions with Mexico, which had been in control of Texas until 1836, but also because it was a slave state, which had many people in the north concerned that adding Texas would be part of a “slave-owner conspiracy”. Texas became the 28th state in 1845.
9. He was a widower when elected president. He'd married his childhood sweetheart and cousin Hannah Hoes in 1807 and had five children with her, but she died of tuberculosis in 1819 at the age of 35. Van Buren never married again, but neither did he mention her at all in his autobiography. “A gentleman of that day would not shame a lady by public references,” is the reason the White House’s website gives for this glaring omission. The duties of First Lady during his presidency were carried out by his daughter in law, Angelica Singleton.
10. He retired back to his home town of Kinderhook, where he'd bought a farm, and spent the rest of his days as a farmer. He outlived all four of his immediate successors: Harrison, Tyler, Polk, and Taylor; and saw more successors ascend to the Presidency than anyone else – eight of them, including Abraham Lincoln. Van Buren died in 1862 at the age of 79.

A Very Variant Christmas

Last year, Jade and Gloria were embroiled in a bitter conflict to win back their throne and their ancestral home. This year, Queen Jade and Princess Gloria want to host the biggest and best Christmas party ever in their palace. They invite all their friends to come and bring guests. Not even the birth of Jade's heir just before Christmas will stop them.

The guest list includes most of Britain's complement of super-powered crime-fighters, their families and friends. What could possibly go wrong?

Gatecrashers, unexpected arrivals, exploding Christmas crackers and a kidnapping, for starters.

Far away in space, the Constellations, a cosmic peacekeeping force, have suffered a tragic loss. They need to recruit a new member to replace their dead colleague. The two top candidates are both at Jade and Gloria's party. The arrival of the recruitment delegation on Christmas Eve is a surprise for everyone; but their visit means one guest now faces a life-changing decision.

Meanwhile, an alliance of the enemies of various guests at the party has infiltrated the palace; they hide in the dungeon, plotting how best to get rid of the crime-fighters and the royal family once and for all. Problem is, they all have their own agendas and differences of opinion on how to achieve their aims.

Not to mention that this year, the ghosts who walk the corridors of the palace on Christmas Eve will be as surprised by the living as the living are by them.

Themes 

Christmas; superheroes; reunions; parties; life choices; shocking surprises; mistaken identity; kidnap and rescue.

Reasons not to read it

• It's a bit short. You could probably read it in one sitting.
• Most of the action takes place at a Christmas party. In a palace.
• It's all about Christmas but there doesn't seem to be a schmaltzy moral message.
• There are a couple of babies and some small children in it - and one nearly gets eaten.
• Santa appears in it, but he isn't really Santa.
• Superheroes. Again.
• Not to mention a whole bunch of super-villains. Again all new ones and not the ones we know from Marvel or DC.

Available from Amazon and Amazon Kindle