Abraham Lincoln, U.S. President. Seated portrait, facing right by Anthony Berger in 1864United States of America -
He was born on February 12, 1809 in Hardin County, Kentucky.
Today he would be 204-years-old.
The 16th President of the United States (1861-1865) is best known for signing the Emancipation Proclamation and passing the 13th Amendment, ending slavery in the U.S.
He kept the Union from falling apart, presiding over the Civil War, which was eventually won by the north. His Gettysburg Address of 1863 became the most quoted speech in American history.
John Wilkes Booth assassinated him on April 14, 1865. Historians today wonder how Lincoln would have handled the recovery of the Civil War. Would America be different?
The Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC is one of the most visited places on earth. Linclon's face is one of four to be carved into Mount Rushmore.
The photo in this story was taken by Anthony Berger in 1864. It was the basis for the image on the $5 bill.
[Abraham Lincoln, U.S. President. Seated portrait, facing right]
Repository: Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA, hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print
