Investigating the calm inside a hurricane
Barack Obama not only made history by becoming the first African-American US president, but he's also one of the youngest to take office. Obama was 47 at the time of his inauguration.
Ulysses S. Grant was elected president in 1868 and took office the following year at the age of 46. Grant made history at the time, becoming the youngest president up to that date.
Millard Fillmore took office after President Zachary Taylor died in 1850. Fillmore was 50 at the time.
John Tyler served from 1841 to 1845. He was 51 at the time of his presidential inauguration.
Franklin Pierce served as president from 1853 to 1857. Pierce was 48 when he took office.
The former speaker of the House of Representatives and governor of Tennessee served as the 11th US president from 1845 to 1849. He was 49 when he landed the top job.
The 30th president of the United States took office at the age of 51.
FDR was elected president four times, making him the only US president to have served more than two terms. Roosevelt was 51 at the time of his first inauguration in 1933.
Chester A. Arthur began his presidential term in 1881, at the age of 51.
William McKinley was in office from 1897 until his assassination in 1901. He was 54 at the time of his inauguration.
William Howard Taft was the only person to serve as both chief justice and president of the United States. He was sworn in as president at the age of 51.
The eighth president of the United States was 54 when he took office.
Rutherford B. Hayes was also 54 years old when he was sworn in as the nation's 19th president.
Herbert Hoover became president in the year the Great Depression hit the country—1929. He was 54 at the time.
The 39th president of the United States served from 1977 to 1981. Jimmy Carter was 52 when he took office.
George W. Bush served as the 43rd US president from 2001 to 2009. Bush was also 54 when he took office.
The president who issued the Emancipation Proclamation was 52 at the time of his inauguration in 1861.
LBJ took office in 1963, following the assassination of John F. Kennedy. The 36th president of the United States was 55.
Grover Cleveland holds a special place in American history; he's the only presidential candidate to win the office, lose the presidency in an election, and then come back to become president again. Cleveland was 47 during his first inauguration in 1885.
The former US secretary of state served as the nation's sixth president from 1825 to 1829. Adams took office at the age of 57.
Benjamin Harrison was sworn in as the 23rd president of the United States in 1889, and served until 1893. He was 55.
The former president of Princeton University and governor of New Jersey was sworn in as the 28th president of the United States in 1913, at the age of 56.
The American Founding Father became the first president of the United States in 1789. George Washington took office at the age of 57.
The Founding Father served as the fifth US president, from 1817 to 1825. Monroe was 58 at the time of his inauguration.
Andrew Johnson was 57 at the time of his inauguration as the 17th president of the United States, in 1865.
The "Father of the Constitution" was 57 when he was sworn in as the fourth president of the United States, in 1809.
The Founding Father behind the Declaration of Independence was 57 when he became president.
The former leader of the American Revolution became the nation's second president in 1797. John Adams was 61 at the time.
Richard Nixon took office as the 37th president of the United States in 1969. He was 56 years old.
Andrew Jackson became the seventh president of the United States in 1829, aged 61.
Gerald Ford served as the 38th US president, from 1974 to 1977. He was 61 at the time of his inauguration.
President Truman took office in 1945, at the age of 60.
Eisenhower was sworn in as the 34th president of the United States in 1953. He was 62.
The American military leader began his term as the country's 12th president in 1849, at the age of 64.
William Henry Harrison died just 31 days after being sworn in as the ninth president of the United States. Harrison was 68.
Ronald Reagan was sworn in as president at age 69, and ended his presidency at the age of 77. He remains one of the oldest US presidents in history.
James Buchanan was 65 when he took office as the 15th president of the United States, in 1857.
George H. W. Bush served as the 41st US president from 1989 to 1993. Bush was 64 at the time of his inauguration.
Donald Trump was 70 years old at the time of his presidential inauguration, making him the second-oldest US president to take office.
Joe Biden took office in 2021, at the age of 78: making him the oldest president in US history.
JFK was just 43 when he took office as president of the United States in 1961. President Kennedy's tenure abruptly came to an end with his assassination in 1963. Although Roosevelt is the youngest president, John F. Kennedy is the youngest elected president in US history.
Teddy Roosevelt is the youngest US president in history, at the age of 42. Roosevelt became president in 1901, after William McKinley was assassinated.
Sources: (U.S. News & World Report) (Pew Research Center) (Deseret News)
See also: How every US president died
After being governor of Arkansas for 12 years, Bill Clinton became the 42nd US president at the age of 46.
James Garfield had been in office for just 200 days when he was assassinated in 1881. Garfield was 49 when he became president.
Warren G. Harding served from 1921 until his death in 1923. Harding took office at the age of 55.
In this gallery, we bring you the oldest and youngest US presidents in history. Click through to find out who they are.
Can you guess who the youngest US president was? Hint: it wasn't JFK
Most were in their fifties at the time of their inaugurations
LIFESTYLE Usa
In 2021, Joe Biden made history by becoming the oldest American president ever. But how does he compare with other US presidents throughout history? The median age for American presidents on the day of their inauguration is actually 55 years old. However, there have been many who were considerably younger, and older, when they took office.
In this gallery, we bring you the oldest and youngest US presidents in history. Click through to find out who they are.