I had never heard of Paul Jennings until we encountered him on a Nerd Trip to Montpelier, home to our fourth president James Madison. Jennings was a slave who served as Madison’s personal assistant during the White House years and afterward. Jennings is a fascinating witness to history, writing the first White House memoir, called “A Colored Man’s Reminiscence of James Madison,” published in 1865. I bought a copy at the Montpelier gift shop.

Happy Birthday to George Washington. The “Father of Our Country” was born February 22, 1732.

There are lots of places with connections to George Washington, so you know we’ve encountered him on a Nerd Trip or two!