Celebrate Presidents Day by learning fun, interesting facts about US presidents
Anthony Robledo
USA TODAY
Presidents Day is here. It’s a day to commemorate the nation’s 46 chief executives dating back to the face of the one-dollar bill.
Did you know Presidents Day, a federal holiday, is originally meant to celebrate the first U.S. president George Washington and was just called “Washington’s Birthday” when established in 1879? In fact, the federal government still uses its former name, according to the Department of State.
There’s a lot to know about the first president from his successful liquor distiller business to only being a scholar in name because he never attended college.
But he’s not the only U.S. president with information many are unaware of. Here are some lesser-known fun and interesting facts about U.S. presidents.
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John Adams and Thomas Jefferson both died on July 4
Second president John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, the third president, died just within hours of each other.
What made the coincidence even more odd was that the two died on July 4, 1826, just 50 years after the original American Independence Day.
James Madison was the shortest president
Before there were “short kings” there was James Madison. America’s fourth president was also the shortest standing at 5’4” and weighing just over 100 pounds.
John Quincy Adams went skinny-dipping daily
Sixth president John Quincy Adams used to go skinny-dipping in the Potomac River. The activity was part of his morning routine for years.
Martin Van Buren was the first president born in the US
Unlike Washington, Martin Van Buren, the eighth president, was the first president to be born in the U.S. The previous seven were born as Britain subjects.
John Tyler was a father to 15 children
John Tyler not only ran a country but a village. The 10th president fathered 15 children, more than any other. From 1815 to 1860 he welcomed eight sons and seven daughters before his death in 1862.
Abraham Lincoln may have had Marfan Syndrome
Sixteenth president Abraham Lincoln was considered to be the tallest president. His 6’4 height could be explained by him possibly having Marfan Syndrome, a genetic disorder that affects connective tissue from the fibers that support organs to other body structures.
Andrew Johnson befriended mice at the White House
The rumors that Andrew Johnson did not officially have any pets isn’t entirely true. The 17th president apparently befriended a family of white mice during his impeachment.
Johnson was also the first president to ever be impeached when the House of Representatives voted to do so after he removed Secretary of War Edwin Stanton from the cabinet, breaching the Tenure of Office Act. The Senate acquitted in a 35-19 vote – just one vote short of the two-thirds required to convict him.
Benjamin Harrison was afraid of touching light switches
President Benjamin Harrison was the first president to live in an electrified White House. The 23rd president and his wife Caroline Harrison both refused to touch light switches out of fear of an electric shock as electricity was very new in the U.S. at the time.
White House staff took on the extra task of turning on and off light switches to avoid taking any chances of electrocution.
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William McKinley was on discontinued $500 bill
William McKinley, the 25th president, had his face and likeness featured on the $500 bill.
The Federal Reserve and the Department of the Treasury discontinued the bill in 1969. The bill is now worth more than just $500, with some collectors willing to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars under the right conditions.
Racoons lived at the White House during Calvin Coolidge’s term
It was quite common to find raccoons around the White House when Calvin Coolidge lived there. The 30th president grew up surrounded by wildlife when he lived on a secluded farm in Plymouth Notch, Vermont and he took his affinity for raccoons when he moved to the Oval Office.
In November 1926, a “cohort of well-intentioned admirers” shipped him a live racoon to roast for Thanksgiving dinner. The Coolidge family refused to eat their friend and a few weeks later the racoon appeared for Christmas in a red ribbon along with the title “Rebecca Raccoon of the White House.”
According to a book on Calvin Coolidge, Rebecca even had a presidential diet during his tenure where she ate chicken, eggs, persimmons, green shrimp and cream. She even made public appearances at summer parties and Easter egg rolls.
Franklin D. Roosevelt was a movie buff
Becoming president doesn’t mean the end of having hobbies. In addition to being the only president to ever serve more than two terms, Franklin D. Roosevelt was known for his love of cinema. The 32nd president found movies to be an escape from the responsibilities of being president during the Great Depression and World War II.
“He especially liked comedies, particularly the work of the 1930s and 1940s comedy team Abbott and Costello. He even invited them to perform at the White House several times while he was President,” the FRD Library and Museum website reads.
Gerald Ford used to be a model before president
There’s no denying that appearances often matter for voters in presidential elections. It might have helped that Gerald Ford, the 38th president, had some modeling experience before his term.
After graduating from Yale in 1941, Ford earned extra cash as a model. After joining the Navy in 1942, he even appeared on the cover of Cosmopolitan magazine in his uniform, though he never received official credit. He eventually served in World War II until its end in 1945.
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