Monday, July 6, 2009

Nation & World

10 Things You Didn't Know About Sarah Palin

Posted August 29, 2008

1. Sarah Louise Palin (nee Heath) was born Feb., 1964, in Sandpoint, Idaho. Her family moved to Alaska when Sarah was an infant. Her father, Chuck, is a retired schoolteacher.

2. She attended Wasilla High School where she played point guard on the state champion basketball team. Her nickname was "Sarah Barracuda."

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin

3. Palin graduated in 1987 from the University of Idaho with a degree in journalism. She worked briefly as a sports reporter in Anchorage.

4. She refers to her husband, Todd, as the "First Dude." He's worked as a commercial fisherman and as a production operator on the North Slope for BP. He enjoys snowmobiling and has won the Tesoro Iron Dog, billed as the world's longest snowmobile race, four times.

5. Palin and her husband have five children, Bristol, Piper, Track, Willow, and Trig. Trig, born in 2008, has been diagnosed with Down syndrome. Her son Track joined the army in 2007.

6. Her favorite meal is moose stew.

7. She comes from a family of outdoor enthusiasts. Her parents, Chuck and Sally Heath, enjoy hunting and fishing, and have both completed marathons.

8. Palin was named Miss Wasilla in 1984 and was a runner-up for Miss Alaska. In 1996 she was elected mayor of Wasilla.

9. She's a lifetime NRA member and enjoys hunting, fishing, and snowmobiling.

10. Elected in 2006, she's Alaska's first female governor and the youngest governor elected in the state.

See photos of Sarah Palin.

Sources:

  • Anchorage Daily News
  • Vogue
  • Washington Post
  • Almanac of American Politics
  • Associated Press
  • Washington Times
  • Biography Resource Center Online

Reader Comments

News for Reaganite J. LaGoy

I worked to recall Gov. Reagan who favored church schools and damaged public education. As a regent of our Land Grant Colleges, he made them START CHARGING TUITION. He had pals who lend money. They're still getting trillions from interest paid on student loans. After grads become doctors, etc., they're still in debt so they raise their prices. A guard at a men's prison told me Reagan cut number of guards, so male rapes increased. Glass bottles were used in coolers then. A prisoner, ordered to re-fill a cooler, bled to death when a bottle broke and there were no nearby guards. Reagan cut number of state inspectors. There were trench collapses on workers. Some freeway sections had substandard materials and broke in earthquakes. He fired air control workers and DEREGULATED several industries, The recall failed partly because some crooked notaries refused to notarize them free. Precinct numbers had to be with each signature and many didn't recall theirs. Some county clerks closed offices at odd times to prevent presentation on time. A student borrowed my notes and wrote a paper that was used to change the law so since then precinct numbers are not needed.

Whitney says God has a plan for everyone

What was God's plan for sadists who turned the screws on Inquisition victims? And for the pope who put Galileo under house arrest, hindering advance of science all those years? And for Columbus who enriched Catholic Spanish monarchs with New World gold, killing off most of the natives in the process? And for priests who were too ignorant to tell Henry the Eighth that sperm determine gender? And for HItler, and the Watergate Crooks? Isaiah 7:45 has God saying "I create evil, I the Lord do all these things." Many comments are based on unquestioning endorsement of absurd stories told by Bible authors. I was stunned to learn that Palin accepted a photo of human footprints in fossil dinosaur tracks. How embarrassing. Maybe that one revelation of her reasons to accept Creationism could cause her to resign before other gaps in education came to light. I advise environmentalists to see what she does about who profits from Alaska oil.

Bet You Didn't Know She's the Queen of Wackos

With Palin resigning for reasons yet to be explained, no question none of us expected this latest weirdness from Wasilla's beauty queen Sarah Palin.

If the soon-to-be ex-governor of Alaska is trying to keep up with Mark Sanford, she just bested him as the wackiest republican.

Add your thoughts

Your comment will be posted immediately, unless it is spam or contains profanity. For more information, please see our Comments FAQ.

advertisement

U.S. News Weekly

Subscribe Today

Order the new U.S. News Weekly digital magazine at a special low introductory price!

advertisement

Barack Obama

Obama's Inner Circle

Get to know close advisers, cabinet officials, and more.

Your Photos

President Barack Obama speaks about combat troop level reductions in Iraq as he addresses military personnel at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune.

Obama in Your Town

Has the president visited your town? Send your photos to obamaphotos@usnews.com, and we'll post our favorites online.

Courtesy Greg Meinert

Thousands cheer as Obama becomes the 44th president.

Your Inauguration Photos

Thanks for sending us such great shots from this historic event.


A baby kissing an Obama poster for Washington Whispers.

Your Campaign Photos

We asked to see your personal election pictures and you delivered.

Public Poll

Do you fear losing your job in this market?

View Results

Washington Whispers

Washington Whispers

Joining to Fight Obama

The GOP is using Obama to recruit House candidates.

advertisement

Put U.S. News on Your Site

Keep up with the latest headlines by adding our news widget to your website.
Get this widget ยป


NEWSLETTER

Sign up today for the latest headlines from U.S. News & World Report delivered to you free.

RSS FEEDS

Personalize your U.S. News with our feeds of blogs and breaking news headlines.

U.S. NEWS MOBILE

U.S. News daily briefings are also available on your mobile device.

WIDGETS

Embed exclusive U.S. News headlines, rankings, columns, and blog postings to your Web site, blog, or social network.

Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our Terms and Conditions of Use and Privacy Policy.
Make USNews.com your home page.