Calvin Coolidge's Pet Raccoon, Rebecca

Yes, the Coolidges had a pet raccoon living with them in the White House.  Rebecca, as she was named, was delivered as a gift to the first family in 1927 and was intended to be served as Thanksgiving dinner. But the Coolidge's "pardoned" the animal and Rebecca became a hit with the White House press corps, who reported on her regularly. Rebecca even hosted the White House Egg roll with first lady Grace Coolidge...

KEEP COOLidge Poster

Check out my animated version of this 1924 Calvin Coolidge poster:

Vanity Fair's "Impossible Interview" between Calvin Coolidge and Greta Garbo

In it's first incarnation (from 1913 to 1936) Conde Nast's Vanity Fair published an imaginary conversation between two notoriously tight-lipped public figures, President Calvin Coolidge and actress Greta Garbo. Awkward much? 

KEEP COOLidge, Slogan & Song

Calvin Coolidge's popular 1924 campaign slogan "Keep Coolidge" was also turned into a song, a rendition of which is available here from Vermont Public Radio (his home state). Favorite lyric: "Calvin Coolidge is a man of action, not talk". That line was probably still an understatement, considering that his nickname was Silent Cal.

The 1924 election was rather uneventful since the financial boom of the roaring 20's overshadowed the scandals of Coolidge's predecessor, Warren Harding, and the Democrats had a difficult time uniting behind one candidate. In fact, the President didn't really have to campaign at all. A hard thing to believe in 2011.