Many presidents had interesting middle names. Some are David, Herbert Walker, Fitzgerald, and Quincy. But Harry Truman's was very interesting. When Truman was born in Lamar, Missouri, on May 8, 1884, his parents wanted to name him after one of his grandfathers, Shippe or Solomon. Truman's parents couldn't decide which one to choose. Since both of the names started with S...

They just made his middle name S!

Although Truman had to wear thick glasses in his youth, he wasn't afraid to participate in activities. Truman took piano lessons, worked on his parents’ farm, and rode his Shetland pony. He also enjoyed chasing frogs in his backyard. Truman's favorite thing to do in his spare time was reading. By the time he was fifteen, he had already read every book in his hometown library, Independence Library!

When Truman was young, he moved to Independence, Missouri, so he could go to better schools. He graduated from Independence High School in 1901 at the age of seventeen. Although Truman went to college, he never graduated. Truman looked all over his town for jobs until one day in 1903 he found a “HELP WANTED” sign at an Independence bank. He went inside, and signed a contract to be a bank clerk. Three years later he became homesick, and he went back to work on his family farm. He continued as a farmer for the next ten years.

Two years later, following the eruption of World War I, Truman joined the Missouri National Guard as an artillery officer. During his service in World War I, Truman was promoted to captain and sought action in many military campaigns in France. Following his return in 1918, Truman opened a clothing shop and later married his childhood friend, Elizabeth “Bess” Virginia Wallace. Five years later, in 1922, Truman’s clothing shop failed.

In 1922, Truman was elected with the help of business owner and “political boss” Thomas Pendergast to a county judge position and served for several years. Pendergast also handpicked Truman to run for the 1934 US Senate seat. Truman was reelected to serve a second term in 1940 and served as chairman of a committee investigating the national defense program.

In 1944, Truman was nominated to run as Franklin D. Roosevelt vice president and was sworn on January 20, 1945. Only 82 days later, on April 12, 1945, Truman became the 33rd President of the United States upon the death of FDR.