Did you know that Herbert Hoover spoke Chinese to his wife to keep their conversations private? There’s a stockpile of hidden facts about the 46 presidents that you don’t know. Keep scrolling to know some surprising facts about the country’s most important politicians throughout history.
1. George Washington’s false teeth were made from elephant and walrus tusks, gold, and ivory not wood.
2. James Madison was Princeton University’s first graduate student.
3. John Quincy Adams enjoyed skinny-dipping in the Potomac River in the early mornings.
4. Martin Van Buren coined the word “OK.”
5. William Henry Harrison had a pet goat.
6. John Tyler had 15 children. Yes, you read it right. It’s more than any other president and two of his grandsons are still alive today.
7. James K. Polk was the first president to serve coast to coast.
8. Millard Fillmore’s first wife was his teacher.
9. Franklin Pierce, during his presidency, was arrested for running over a woman with his horse.
10. James Buchanan bought slaves in Washington, D.C., and quietly freed them in Pennsylvania.
11. Abraham Lincoln was honored in the wrestling hall of fame. He was only defeated once out of approximately 300 matches!
12. Andrew Johnson, in his youth, was apprenticed as a tailor. Even as president, he used to make his own suits.
13. Ulysses S. Grant smoked a ton of cigars. He smoked at least 20 a day!
14. Not only ambidextrous, but James A. Garfield could also write Latin with one hand and Greek with the other at the same time!
15. Chester A. Arthur owned 80 pairs of pants. He was known for his impeccable attire, earning him the nickname “Elegant Arthur.”
16. Grover Cleveland was the first and only to be married in the White House. And also the only president to serve two non-consecutive terms.
17. William McKinley always wore a red carnation on his lapel as a good luck charm. While greeting a line of people in 1901, he gave the flower to a little girl. Seconds later, he was shot by an assassin and died eight days later.
18. Woodrow Wilson is the only president to have a Ph.D.
19. William Taft, a.k.a “Big Bill”, was the fattest president in American history. Once he got stuck into the White House bathtub and had to call his advisers for help to get out of it.
20. Herbert Hoover spoke Chinese to his wife to keep their conversations private. Also, his son had two pet alligators!
21. John F. Kennedy was awarded a Purple Heart. He received this for his service in WWII.
22. Franklin D. Roosevelt’s wife, Eleanor, was actually his fifth cousin. She was also the niece of Theodore Roosevelt, FDR’s idol and U.S. president No. 26.
23. Harry S. Truman does not have a middle name. His parents gave him the middle initial “S” as a tribute to his maternal grandfather, Solomon Young, and his paternal grandfather, Anderson Shipp Truman.
24. Dwight D. Eisenhower installed a putting green at the White House and played more than 800 rounds while in office — exceeding the record of any other president.
25. Richard Nixon partly funded his first political campaign with money he won playing poker while in the Navy.
26. Gerald Ford was a model in his 20s. He was featured on the cover of Cosmopolitan magazine in 1942.
27. Ronald Reagan loved jelly beans. He once placed a standing order of 720 bags per month to be delivered to the White House and various federal buildings.
28. Jimmy Carter filed a UFO sighting in 1973. He called it “the darndest thing I’ve ever seen.”
29. Andrew Jackson had a pet parrot he taught to curse.
30. John Adams was the first to live in the White House.
31. George H. W. Bush loved wearing colorful, patterned socks.
32. Calvin Coolidge’s nickname was “Silent Cal.”
33. Benjamin Harrison never touched light switches because he was afraid he would be electrocuted. Ironically he was the first president to have electricity in the White House.
34. Warren G. Harding gambled away a set of White House china.
35. Ruther Ford B. Hayes was the only president to be wounded in the Civil War.
36. The University of California awarded Ronald Reagan for the Most Nearly Perfect Male Figure. The prize was the opportunity to pose nearly nude for an art class learning to sculpt the human body.
37. Thomas Jefferson founded the University of Virginia.
38. Zachary Taylor’s nickname was “Old Rough and Ready.”
39. Bill Clinton is a two-time Grammy winner.
40. Richard M. Nixon is one of the most well-known western names in China. The other two are–– Jesus Christ & Elvis Presley
41. Monrovia, the capital of Liberia, is named after James Monroe.
42. Lyndon B. Johnson was a teacher before becoming president.
43. George W. Bush was the head cheerleader during his high school.
44. Barack Obama’s high school nickname on the basketball team was “Barry O’Bomber,” which he earned due to his awesome jump shot. Also, Obama loves collecting comic books.
45. Donald Trump owns 17 golf courses around the world.
46. While a student at the University of Delaware, Joe Biden once got probation for a prank in which he sprayed the dorm director with a fire extinguisher.
Image Credits: Wikipedia
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