More than 230 years after George Washington was sworn in as the first US president, almost 50 US others have been inaugurated as the leader of one of the most influential countries on the planet.
It's not that difficult to name some of them - but what about putting them in the order of when they took office? Do you know which Roosevelt was first, and who was the senior President Bush?
Test your memory with this Bitesize quiz featuring 12 presidents from throughout US history. Once you've correctly sorted the list below, beginning with the earliest president in office, you can click 'Show more' on the columns beneath it to reveal more information about them. We'd just like you to swear an oath of allegiance first that you won't peek in advance… Good luck!
Towards Civil War
John Quincy Adams: The 6th President of the United States (1825-1829)
Adams was the first US president who followed in his father’s footsteps. John Sr was George Washington’s vice president before succeeding him in the top job. In his first annual message, John Quincy Adams proposed an ambitious plan for roads and canals that would bring the different parts of the USA together.
Millard Fillmore: The 13th President of the United States (1850-1853)
Fillmore was a member of the Whig party, making him the last US president to date who was not affiliated with either the Republican or Democrat parties. He led the country during the 1850 Compromise between the North and South of the USA as tensions rose between states where slavery was prohibited and those in which it was legal.
Abraham Lincoln: The 16th President of the United States (1861-1865)
Lincoln’s presidency coincided with the American Civil War. On 19 November 1863, Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address during the dedication for the National Cemetery of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania. His short speech - fewer than 300 words - went on to become one of the most famous in history. Lincoln won a second term as president but he was assassinated in 1865.
Grover Cleveland: The 22nd and 24th President of the United States (1885-1889, 1893-1897)
Until Donald Trump won the 2024 US election, Grover Cleveland was the only person to serve one term as president, then return four years later for a second term. His 1886 marriage to Frances Folsom meant he was also the only president to wed while in the White House.
Into the 20th Century
Theodore Roosevelt: The 26th President of the United States (1901-1909)
When he first took office, Roosevelt was the youngest president in US history, aged just 42. He was responsible for the establishment of the Panama Canal and also won the Nobel Peace Prize for mediating in the Russo-Japanese War.
Franklin D Roosevelt: The 32nd President of the United States (1933-1945)
US presidents are restricted to serving a maximum of two terms. The only exception so far is Franklin D Roosevelt (the fifth cousin of Theodore Roosevelt), who had four terms in office. He died in April 1945, just a few months before World War Two came to an end in Europe.
John F Kennedy: The 35th President of the United States (1961-1963)
President Kennedy’s first term in office was cut short when he was assassinated while travelling through Dallas, Texas, in an open-topped car on 22 November 1963. He was president during the Cuban Missile Crisis - the closest the Cold War came to a nuclear war between the USA and the Soviet Union.
Jimmy Carter: The 39th President of the United States (1977-1981)
The former peanut farmer was responsible for signing into law the US departments of energy and education in the late 1970s. He was a frequent visitor to Wales and a fan of the poet Dylan Thomas. He died in 2024, aged 100.
Modern times
Ronald Reagan: The 40th President of the United States (1981-1989)
An actor and film star before he became a politician, President Reagan was in the White House for much of the 1980s. Less than three months after his 1981 inauguration, he was shot in an attempted assassination, but recovered and was back in work quickly. The Soviet Union began to break up while Reagan was in office which saw a gradual end to the Cold War. He also had a strong working relationship with UK prime minister Margaret Thatcher.
George HW Bush: The 41st President of the United States (1989-1993)
Vice president to Ronald Reagan, President Bush’s time in office coincided with some of the major events in 20th Century history. The end of the Cold War and the fall of the Berlin Wall both happened early on in his time in office. President Bush was also in power during the Gulf War in Kuwait. He died in 2018, aged 94.
George W Bush: The 43rd President of the United States (2001-2009)
Members of the Bush family served as president either side of Bill Clinton’s tenure in the White House. George W Bush, the son of 41st president George Bush, was in power when there were attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington on 11 September 2001. In the 2000 US election, a close contest between President Bush and the Democrat’s Al Gore hinged on the Florida result which was finally resolved in Bush’s favour.
Barack Obama: The 44th President of the United States (2009-2017)
When he was elected in 2008, Barack Obama was the first black person to become president. Among the bills he brought in were the Affordable Care Act, the Fair Pay Act and policies intended to help the country recover from the global recession. He served two terms and was succeeded by Donald Trump following the 2016 election.
This article was published in January 2025
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