Obscure American history trivia

Further back.

 

John Paul Jones. One of my childhood heroes. Served under Catherine the Great. Wanted to say he fought the Turks in the Black Sea. Correspondence exists from where he regretted sinking a Turkish ship because it galleys were filled with slave rowers who he could hear screaming for help.

 

Catherine was so taken by him that she broke her own rule that said any foreign military officer transferring to Russia is automatically reduced in rank. He began as a Real Admiral under the name of Pavel Jones.

Rival officers were suspicious and/or jealous of him, however, so his career stagnated, and he eventually retired and moved to Paris.

 

Bonus question, who played Catherine the Great in the 1959 film about JPJ?

 

First President born in the United States.
First President born west of the Mississippi.
Last President without a degree.
Last President without any higher education.

 

Bette Davis?

I take it ya mean after 1789 bc GW was born in America but not the US. Was it Andrew Jackson?

Eisenhower?

Truman?

The last one is definitely Trump

 

I'm guessing the first one is Van Buren

 

West of Mississippi: Truman?
Degree: Roosevelt, Teddy?
Higher: Teddy?

 

Teddy went to Harvard and I think he graduated but not sure

 

Is the first Martin Van Buren?

 

Teddy was a Harvard man, BA 1880.

Truman was a HS graduate, went to business school for a year and took law classes part time.
There is considerable confusion on the matter; several sources say his credits probably qualified him for a law degree but by that stage of his career he had already been elected to several positions and he didn't pursue the degree since he had no plans to practice law. In 1996 a historical review revealed Truman had filled requirements for admission to the Missouri bar and he was granted a posthumous law license.