Presidential birthday gifts from years gone by

Finding the perfect birthday gift can be tough -- and when that gift is for the President of the United States? Well, that certainly ups the ante.

In honor of President Obama's 53rd birthday on August 4th, we took a look back at presents that presidents (say that five times fast!) of years gone by received.

Some were edible, like the cookies Ronald Reagan was given from a troop of Girl Scouts in 1996. He insisted on paying in the end, so technically he bought them for himself ... but we'll overlook that detail.

The photo archives show that cake seems to be the most common "gift" given. No matter who the president was, the treats had one thing in common: they were huge.

Check out some vintage shots of presidents about to get a sugar rush:

Roosevelt's cake in 1940 was actually so big, it broke while it was in transit. The 300-lb. behemoth eventually made it to his office, and it looked pretty delicious. President Kennedy had a lot more luck with his cake, though he did have to look up about seven tiers to see the top.

Other gifts got presidents movin' and shakin', like the bowling alley built for Truman in 1947. In 1959, President Eisenhower was presented with a replica of Bobby Jones' famous "Calamity Jane" putter as visions of a golf game no doubt danced in his head.

Some gifts went down in infamy, like the necktie President Clinton wore in 1996. There was nothing wrong with the Zegna accessory ... except that it was reportedly given to Clinton by an intern we'd come to know as Monica Lewinsky.

Here's hoping that President Obama likes his gifts -- whatever they may be.


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