Q: Cam Newton was on three teams that won national championships: Florida, Blinn (Texas) College and Auburn. Did he receive championship rings for each of these?
—Billy Rogers, Atlanta
A: Cam Newton, who won the Heisman Trophy and led Auburn to the national championship last fall, has national championship rings from Florida (2008 national champion) and from Blinn College (2009 National Junior College Athletic Association national champion), a spokesman with the Auburn athletic department told Q&A on the News in an e-mail. He will receive one from Auburn "once the rings have been produced."
Q: Was Samuel Huntington the actual first president of the United States and was George Washington number nine?
— Jeffrey Bashuk, Decatur
A: It's actually a trick question, Peter Charles Hoffer, a history professor at the University of Georgia, told Q&A on the News in an e-mail. "If founded by the Declaration of Independence, then the presidents of the Congress were our first presidents. But commonly, the first president of the United States under that title was Washington," he wrote. Huntington, who represented Connecticut, served as president of the Continental Congress from 1779 to 1781. During that time, the Congress ratified the Articles of the Confederation and adopted the name "United States." He later served as governor of Connecticut from 1786 until his death in 1796. Washington served as U.S. president from 1789 to 1797.
Lori Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or e-mail q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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