This was the beginning of the so-called âbaby boom.â In 1947, another 3.8 million babies were born; 3.9 million were born in 1952; and more than 4 million were born every year from 1954 until 1964, when the boom finally tapered off. By then, there were 76.4 million âbaby boomersâ in the United States.
In 1888, Benjamin Harrison received 233 electoral votes to Grover Clevelandâs 168, winning the presidency. But Harrison lost the popular vote by more than 90,000 votes. In 2000, George W. Bush was declared the winner of the general election and became the 43rd president, but he didnât win the popular vote either. Al Gore holds that distinction, garnering about 540,000 more votes than Bush. However, Bush won the electoral vote, 271 to 266.
Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush also experienced similar high approval numbers, garnering 67% and 61% favorable ratings, respectively, after their first elections. Obama will leave office with lower approval ratings than Clinton, who was at 66% in Gallupâs final poll while he was president. But the outgoing president will leave far more popular than Bush, whom 34% of Americans approved of when he left office.