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In our darkest hours, it is comforting to know that the leaders of our country are doing everything they can to save us, whether it’s fighting off an alien invasion or trying to prevent a giant asteroid from obliterating us all. Here are some of our favorite fictional presidents who saved the day!

President Thomas J. Whitmore – Independence Day: Yes, many cities around the world were destroyed and countless lives were lost, but when it came down to it, we were fortunate that the President of the United States happened to be a decorated fighter pilot.

President Whitmore did his best at stopping the alien invasion from a cockpit, but his rousing speech before the massive assault on the motherships will never be forgotten.

President James Marshall – Air Force One: When Air Force One was hijacked by Russian terrorists, President Marshall didn’t run to protect himself. He used the emergency escape pod as a diversion, hiding on the plane so he could take it back from the bad guys, including a double-crossing Secret Service agent.

In the end, he saved his family and democracy, telling the Soviets, “GET OFF MY PLANE!”

President Tom Beck – Deep Impact: 1998 was a year that sharply divided America. Were you a fan of Deep Impact or Armageddon? You can’t like both, ok!

While Armageddon grossed more at the box office and spawned a terrible Aerosmith song, Deep Impact was more scientifically accurate and also had Morgan Freeman as President Beck, so choose your side wisely.

President David Palmer – 24: The presidents of the 24 universe faced disasters and adversity constantly, only to be helped or taken down by Jack Bauer. Out of all them, there is no president who was more respected by Bauer than David Palmer, who had to deal with threats of nuclear and biological weapons during his presidency.

President Palmer was shown to be a strong leader, but perhaps his greatest strength was putting his trust in Jack when no one else did.

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Are there any presidential heroes that you love but we left off our list? Let us know in the comments!

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Brian Morell is an awesome librarian from New York City. He writes about his travels and life at That Long Yellow Line and about music for The Ruckus. Follow him on Twitter @goodinthestacks.

Image via Topsy Turvy

Darwin’s birthday is here, and it’s time we celebrated his other great accomplishment: a truly historic beard. A secondary sex characteristic in male humans, and a secondary magnum opus, Darwin achieved a beard that outstripped the facial hair of many of his peers.

Charles Darwin—traveler, naturalist, and father of evolution—would have celebrated his 205th birthday on this day, and in honor of this most momentous occasion, let’s look at the explorers who, in their respective works of literature, braved the perils and uncertainties of new worlds, either in the pursuit of knowledge, or the avoidance of the mundane.

It's February, and if you find yourself surrounded by pink and red and drowning in chalky conversation hearts that's because Valentine's Day is fast approaching. (Pssst, it's February 14^th for any of you are currently freaking out because you forgot.) Despite the fluffy nature of the holiday and the focus on “twue wove” it's not the day for everyone.

Maybe you prefer to spend Valentine's Day listening to Morrissey in the dark, maybe you're just like President Snow and the mere sight of people holding hands disgusts you, maybe you just have a problem with rampant consumerism. Whatever the case may be, we have created an anti-Valentine's Day list just for you. Get out your hankies (or your noisemakers, because you may be a sadist), because these literary couples do not find their happily ever after.

WARNING: beware of spoilers all ye who enter here (duh).

For about as long as we’ve been able to imagine computers, they’ve had a place in our science fiction stories. Whether it’s the machines in Karel Capek’s 1921 play R.U.R (which, fun fact, coined the term “robot”), or The Engine in Gulliver’s Travels, these machines have provided information, service, and plot devices for decades. Sometimes, though, computers go bad, and when that happens, you best be armed with prayer, and a good hammer.

February 10 is Clean Out Your Computer Day, and though it might seem like a chore, I beseech you, please organize your PC. Make sure you know what programs are running, and where all your important documents are. Makeover your MacBook. Dote on your desktop. Because if we don’t keep a close eye on these suckers, they’ll be coming for us.

And if you still don’t understand the urgency of our plight, take a look at these six fictional computers that, in their own special ways, almost trounced humanity:

How exactly have we lived this long since The Walking Dead's midseason finale? I'll keep this spoiler-free, but AMC's adaptation of the hit comic series left viewers on the edge of their seats—and probably without much sanity.

Luckily, the show is resuming its fourth season on February 9, but if that's still too long for you to wait, check out some of these other awesome zombie-themed books and stories to help quench your undead thirst.

1. The Walking Dead comics: The series that started it all, this is the first thing fans of the TV show should turn to in order to get an idea of what happens next to Rick Grimes and Co. Written by Robert Kirkman and illustrated by Tony Moore and later Charlie Adlard, The Walking Dead is one of the most talked-about comics in recent memory, and although it’d be a feat in and of itself to collect each monthly issue in a tangible format, compiled versions are readily available for you to sink your teeth into.

2. Warm Bodies: A cool twist on the zombie genre, Isaac Marion’s novel is pretty great. It tells the story of R, a zombie living in an airport during the apocalypse. He’s not super fond of his new life and, because he still holds on to bits and pieces of life as a regular human, feels like the black sheep of the group of zombies he lives with. One day he meets a living girl named Julie, and everything starts to change.

Warm Bodies is an awesomely original romantic comedy that doesn’t skimp on the blood, guts, and horror that zombie fans have come to know and love, so it’s definitely something to check out and enjoy. Plus, Marion has released a Warm Bodies prequel online called The New Hunger, and is planning on a sequel to be completed in mid- to late-2014.

(image via We're Alive)

3. We’re Alive podcast: Okay, okay, it’s not a book, but We’re Alive is a perfect way to get your zombie fix all the same. Located on the Nerdist podcast network, We’re Alive is a podcast that tells the story of Michael Cross, a solider in the Army Reserve.

He’s in college when the outbreak hits, and the podcast takes on the style of old time radio to tell Michael’s story, along with all of the other survivors he encounters along the way. At over 100 episodes, there’s plenty of story for you to listen to, and We’re Alive is bound to keep you entertained for weeks to come.

4. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: From Quirk’s own Seth Grahame-Smith, it’s Pride and Prejudice and Zombies! The book that kickstarted the mashup genre, PPZ takes Jane Austen's classic, beloved Pride and Prejudice and fills it with something that everybody loves—zombies.

Grahame-Smith keeps Austen's olde-English language intact while inserting references to zombies and shotguns among the sideways glances and secret longings between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy to create a new story while still remaining faithful to Austen's. There's no better way to make romantic tension even tenser than the potential for a zombie outbreak at any moment, so strap on your zombie-kicking boots and give Pride and Prejudice and Zombies a try.

5. World War Z: Taking the zombie genre in yet another new direction, Max Brooks' World War Z uses an oral history style to tell its story. Taking place ten years after the Zombie War, World War Z is a series of interviews with survivors conducted by an agent of the United States Postwar Commission. What makes this novel really cool is that the people interviewed are from all over, so readers get a glimpse at how the Zombie War affected people everywhere, and not just a core group of characters.

World War Z also has a great audiobook, which features a cast made up of the likes of Nathan Fillion, Martin Scorsese, Simon Pegg, John Turturro, and Brooks himself. It might not be the best thing to curl up with at night if you're easily spooked by zombies—or apocalypses—but Brooks has created an awesome zombie narrative, and it's definitely worth checking out.