Abraham Lincoln. Theodore Roosevelt. Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Lyndon B. Johnson. They grew up and lived in very different worlds--Lincoln was poor and uneducated, his frontier cabin home deep in the harsh wilderness; Theodore Roosevelt hailed from an elegant home in the heart of New York City and traveled the world with his family; Franklin Roosevelt loved the outdoors surrounding his family's rural estate where he was the center of attention; and Lyndon Johnson's modest childhood home had no electricity or running water but provided a window into Texas politics.

So how did each of them do it--rise to become President of the United States? What did these four kids have individually--and have in common--that made them the ones to lead the country through some of its most turbulent times?