For some reason I find myself irked by much of the coverage of the election of Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner. The linked article, and even the omniscient Stephen Colbert, report that she will become Argentina's first female president.
While it is true that she will be the first elected female president, the honor of "first female president" goes to Isabel Peron, third wife of Juan Peron.
This fact was seared into my mind during a college bowl competition. I was the captain of USD's college bowl team, about to lead my team to victory against Stanford in a close match. With one minute left on the clock, the moderator began his question, "This woman, the first to be a head of state in the western hemisphere..." I tapped my buzzer and immediately answered "Isabella Peron". My heart sank as a three minute time-out was taken and the moderator consulted with "experts" to see if my having added an "a" to madam presidente's given name made the answer wrong. Fortunately they let it slide, and USD went on to victory. Go Toreros!
So I guess I feel like I am now the special custodian of this piece of trivia. No wonder, then, I should be annoyed by the media's oversight.
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