It was the 140th anniversary of Harry Truman’s birthday this week, as he was born May 8, 1884. So it’s a perfect time to visit the Harry Truman home in Independence, Missouri. Truman lived here for more than a half century, from the time of his 1919 marriage to Bess Wallace Truman until his death in 1972. Conveniently, the home is just one mile from the Truman Presidential Library and Museum.
Truman in 1944 was a surprise selection as Franklin Roosevelt’s running mate, but served as vice president for only a few months before becoming president upon FDR’s death in 1945. He was re-elected in 1948, but left office in 1953 with abysmal approval ratings. Today, though, Truman is consistently ranked by historians as one of the country’s 10 best presidents.
Truman also has somewhat of a connection to one of the biggest stories in the world right now, the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. On May 14, 1948, 76 years ago this week, Truman was the first world leader to recognize the state of Israel after Israelis proclaimed the establishment of a Jewish nation in the Middle East. The creation of Israel sparked the Arab-Israeli War of 1948, one of many battles in a long-running struggle that persists today.
See more Travel Photos of the Week here.