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WHITE HOUSE

How Presidents Celebrate Birthdays–PICTURES

By Chris Heller

Updated: August 4, 2011 | 6:33 p.m.
July 27, 2011 | 5:14 p.m.

Win McNamee/Getty Images

Cupcakes bearing the likeness of U.S. President Barack Obama are displayed at Madame Tussauds Wax Museum on Obama's 50th birthday August 4, 2011 in Washington, DC. On Obama's 50th birthday, the replica Oval Office at Madame Tussauds was decorated with party balloons, streamers and presents, while the figures the Obamas, Bill and Hillary Clinton and Oprah Winfrey were outfitted with party hats and noisemakers.

Debt-ceiling talks were resolved just in time for President Obama to make his 50th birthday party in Chicago this week. In this gallery, we take a look at how Obama and other presidents celebrated—or didn't celebrate—their birthdays.

How U.S. Presidents Celebrate Birthdays -- Pictures

<p>Cupcakes bearing the likeness of U.S. President Barack Obama are displayed at Madame Tussauds Wax Museum on Obama's 50th birthday August 4, 2011 in Washington, D.C.</p> - Win McNamee/Getty Images

<p><strong>Barack Obama</strong>: Obama celebrated his 50th birthday Wednesday night in true political fashion: at a fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee. </p> - SCOTT OLSON/GETTY IMAGES

<p><strong>Barack Obama</strong>: Obama's 50th birthday celebration was attended by R&B singer Jennifer Hudson and Obama's former chief of staff, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. </p> - JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images

<p><strong>Ronald Reagan: </strong>Reagan was ambushed on his 72nd birthday in 1983 when his wife Nancy surprised him at the end of a press conference with cake. The sneak attack didn't affect his wit, though. After reporter Sam Donaldson said, "You understand we won't sell out for a piece of cake," Reagan quipped, "Oh, you've sold out for less than that."</p> - Ronald Reagan Library/Stringer/Getty Images

<p><strong>Franklin D. Roosevelt: </strong>FDR's 52nd birthday set the bar for all future presidential parties. Roosevelt rented out the Waldorf-Astoria hotel in New York City, while 6,000 parties around the country were thrown in his honor. According to <em>Time</em>, the festivities included 52 young girls, "<a href="http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1914439,00.html">one for each year of the President's life</a>," who mimicked a giant birthday cake by holding electric candles above their heads.</p> - AFP/Getty Images

<p><strong>John F. Kennedy: </strong>Quite possibly the most famous presidential party ever, JFK celebrated his birthday in 1962 with a fundraiser in New York City that drew 15,000 guests -- including Marilyn Monroe, who cooed her now-famous "Happy Birthday, Mr. President," fueling rumors of an affair.</p> - Stringer/Getty Images

<p><strong>Bill Clinton:</strong>He modeled his 50th birthday celebration after JFK's infamous blowout, throwing a party at Radio City Music Hall in 1996 that <a href="http://articles.latimes.com/1996-08-19/news/mn-35756_1_radio-city-music-hall">raised $12 million for the Democratic Party</a>.</p> - Stringer/AFP/Getty Images

<p><strong>Harry Truman:</strong>He may not have thrown a party, but Truman's 61st birthday was one for the ages. On that day in 1945, the Allied Forces formally accepted the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany, ending World War II in Europe.</p> - Associated Press

<p><strong>Teddy Roosevelt: </strong>The 26th president celebrated his 50th birthday in subdued fashion compared to today's standards. According to <em><a href="http://timestraveler.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/28/wednesday-oct-28-1908/">The New York Times</a></em>, Roosevelt spent the day riding "his favorite saddle horse," then had dinner with his immediate family. By 11 p.m., "the White House apparently had sunk into slumber."</p> - Wikimedia Commons

<p><strong>George W. Bush:</strong>The 43rd president received birthday wishes from Chinese President Hu Jintao and Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2006, but the highlight of his 60th birthday was an <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13734822/ns/politics/t/bush-marks-th-birthday-low-key-way/">unexpected ending</a> to the day's press conference. When Bush learned that <em>India Globe</em> reporter Raghubir Goyal shared his birthday, he called him up for a celebratory photo.</p> - Brendan Smialowski/Stringer/Getty Images

<p><strong>Warren Harding:</strong>He had plenty to celebrate in 1920—not only did he turn 55, but he also won the presidential election that night in a landslide.</p> - Wikimedia Commons

<p><strong>RELATED GALLERIES:</strong> <a href="http://www.nationaljournal.com/whitehouse/obama-grabs-some-burgers-pictures-20110803">Obama Grabs Some Burgers</a> | <a href="http://www.nationaljournal.com/pictures-where-the-obamas-eat-in-d-c--20110712">Where the Obama's Eat in D.C.</a> | <a href="http://www.nationaljournal.com/whitehouse/another-year-older-presidential-birthday-milestones-pictures-20110729">Another Year Older: Presidential Birthday Milestones</a> | <a href="http://www.nationaljournal.com/whitehouse/how-presidents-celebrate-birthdays-ndash-pictures-20110727">How Presidents Celebrate Birthdays</a></p> - Getty Images

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Play of the Day! 05/23/12

Play of the Day!

Obama's Wake Up Call

Florida Capitol

STATES

QUIZ: Guess the Capitol

Clintons

White House

Medal of Freedom Honorees

Jim Morin: GOP and Greece

Political Humor

Morin's Animated World

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