“The Van Buren supernova!” he declares. “Exploding star. Only appeared in 1858.” “So how,” asks Watson, the penny dropping with an audible clang, “could it have been painted in the ...

When Martin Van Buren arrived in Washington to be sworn in as a senator in 1821, he told a friend he planned to “build up a party” for himself. It was an odd time to be party-mongering ...

Born: December 5, 1782, in Kinderhook, New York... Martin Van Buren allied himself with President Andrew Jackson, who in turn rewarded Van Buren with cabinet positions and the vice presidency.