does the right ever get anything right?
You might want to learn to read. I said nothing about numbers. Although I guess you're technically correct in that FDR, another authoritarian favorite, probably issued the worst of the worst (Japanese Internment). The first executive order came from Washington and he ordered his subordinates to report on their current status. That's the kind of thing executive orders are intended for. He actually got a lot of flack for stating that the United States was going to have neutral or positive relations with England and France during the time. And that's policy, not even law per say. My how things have shifted eh?
There have been Presidents who have tried, and largely failed (FDR did successfully intern the Japanese for example, it was later ruled illegal however) - to write law, in the past. But they were more exceptions in that most of their orders were not of that nature.
A large % of Obama's orders are basically writing law or attempting to write law and establish policy.
Anyway, the explosion in the use of these basically came with the Federal Reserve, and much larger government. Not coincidentally. But more government, rah rah rah, right? Gotta love authoritarianism.