Interesting Facts About American Presidents
Interesting Facts About American Presidents
Image source: "George W. Bush Presidential Center dedication" by The White House - https://www.flickr.com/photos/whitehouse/8734795025/in/photolist-6Ur7BD-6r8wt4-6iSEXH-jDJWU2-jDKf2t-jDMfQ1-eiS7fv-8ZwCne-iLNjyg-pbAC1T-9c8A1y-nQbWWZ-9c8vWU-eiS7fe-87ThPV-eiS7jp-eiXQJu-b4biM6-iLSfxy-9rS2jw-9sdAZt-qCHMh6-xRgKbc. Licensed under Public Domain via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:George_W._Bush_Presidential_Center_dedication.tif#/media/File:George_W._Bush_Presidential_Center_dedication.tif
2. Many people were interested in Warren G. Harding’s dog, Laddie Boy. To satisfy that curiosity, Harding wrote letters to the press pretending to be Laddie Boy.
3. Even though the 30th president was a pretty quiet gentleman, Calvin Coolidge was known for playing jokes on his staff.
4. Herbert Hoover worked many jobs such as weeding onions and delivering newspapers before and during his time as a student at Stanford University in California.
5. President Woodrow Wilson was the last president to ride to his inauguration in a horse drawn carriage.
6. Franklin D. Roosevelt was the first president to fly overseas on official business.
7. A failed business led Harry Truman to seek a career in politics.
8. Eisenhower was a big fan of golf. In fact, he added a putting green to the White House and played more than 800 rounds of golf while in office.
9. While Kennedy was not a great student as a youngster, one of his college papers was published as a book.
10. Lyndon B. Johnson hated to waste electricity. He earned the nickname “Light Bulb Lyndon” because he would often storm around the White House, turning off unneeded lights.
11. George Washington’s best school subject as a boy was math. He wrote his lessons in ink on heavy paper; then his mother or a teacher sewed the paper into notebooks.
12. John Adams was the first president to live in the White House. Only about six rooms were finished. Mrs. Adams had to dry laundry in the East Room.
13. Thomas Jefferson was the first president who had guests shake his hand instead of bow to him. He had dinner guests placed at a round table so everyone felt equally important.
14. James Madison was mostly responsible for writing the first ten amendments to the US Constitution-the Bill of Rights.
15. To go to school, James Monroe had to leave home early in the morning and walk through the forest. He often carried a rifle and shot game along the way.
16. Abraham Lincoln not only was a great president but also was a great wrestler! He was defeated only once in about 300 matches.
17. Ulysses S. Grant’s real name was Hiram Ulysses Grant. But when he went to the military academy, they thought he was Ulysses Simpson Grant. Afraid he may be teased for his real initials (H. U. G.), he never fixed the mistake.
18. President Andrew Johnson educated himself with the help of his wife, who taught him how to write and do arithmetic.
19. Rutherford B. Hayes was a spelling champ in elementary school. He boasted, "Not one in a thousand could spell me down!"
20. James A. Garfield used to entertain friends by writing Greek with one hand while, at the same time, writing Latin with the other.
21. Chester Arthur traveled widely while president. He visited Florida and Yellowstone National Park and attended the opening of the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City.
22. While president, Grover Cleveland learned he had mouth cancer. To keep it a secret, surgeons removed Cleveland’s upper left jaw on a yacht as it steamed up the EastRiver in New York. After that, Cleveland wore a rubber jaw.
23. Benjamin Harrison was named for his great-grandfather, who was a signatory of the Declaration of Independence.
24. William McKinley’s portrait was featured on the $500 bill. The US Treasury last printed this bill in 1934.
25. After his first wife passed away Theodore Roosevelt spent two years on a ranch in the Badlands, living in his saddle, driving cattle, hunting big game, and even capturing an outlaw.
26. Through American history, presidents have brought not just their families to the White House. They have brought their pets as well. President Obama’s family has two famous pets, Portuguese Water Spaniels named Bo and Sunny.
27. President John Quincy Adams’ alligator took up residence in the bathroom in the East Room of the White House. It was a gift from the Marquis de Layfayette, and the President enjoyed showing it off to guests.
28. A zebra, a hyena, several lions, and a coyote were just part of the collection of pets owned by President Theodore Roosevelt.
29. President Abraham Lincoln had goats and a turkey.
30. James Buchanan, the 15th President, had an elephant.
31. President Barack Obama (presidential term: 2008- ) collects Spiderman and Conan the Barbarian comic books.
32. Eight presidents have been left-handed: Barack Obama, George H.W. Bush, Ronald Reagan, Gerald Ford, Harry
S. Truman, Herbert Hoover, James Garfield, and Grover Cleveland. Because using one’s left hand was actively discouraged until recently, there may have been more with a tendency toward left handedness.
33. Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President, was the tallest U.S. President at 6 feet, 4 inches.
34. James Garfield, the 20th President, was the first left handed President.
35. Before Theodore Roosevelt came to office, the White House wasn't even called the White House! People called the building the President's Palace, President's House, and the Executive Mansion. Theodore Roosevelt officially named it the White House in 1901.
36. Theodore Roosevelt was the first American citizen to win the Nobel Prize.
37. Theodore Roosevelt was the first American president to ride in an airplane.
38. Theodore Roosevelt was the first president to ride in a submarine. It was called the U.S.S. Plunger.
39. Theodore Roosevelt coined the famous line, "speak softly and carry a big stick” as he said that a powerful leader must be willing to use force when necessary while practicing the art of persuasion.
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