If you enjoy strange facts and weird historical knowledge, then this week’s column is for you. The following unusual bits of information have to do with our U.S. Presidents.
George Washington had only one tooth, and wore dentures made from animal teeth and ivory. As a result of his dental problems, he rarely smiled.
John Adams and Thomas Jefferson both died on the same day, July 4, 1826.
James Madison was the shortest U.S. president. He stood only 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighed just 100 pounds.
Andrew Jackson was a general in the War of 1812 and became a national hero after defeating the British at the Battle of New Orleans.
Abraham Lincoln, at 6 feet 4 inches, was the tallest U.S. president. He was also the only president to receive a patent. It was for a device that helped lift boats over shoals.
Andrew Johnson never attended school and credited his wife with teaching him how to read and write.
Ulysses S. Grant was a gifted writer. His autobiography, written as he was dying from throat cancer, is considered possibly the best ever written by a U.S. president.
Rutherford B. Hayes owned eight different dogs. They all lived with him and his wife at the White House.
Benjamin Harrison was the first president to use electricity in the White House.
Theodore Roosevelt was blind in one eye after suffering a boxing injury while president. He then switched to jiu jitsu instead.
Woodrow Wilson kept a flock of sheep on the White House grounds to eat the grass so they wouldn’t have to mow.
Calvin Coolidge did not like to talk and was typically quiet in social settings.
In order to stay physically fit, Herbert Hoover played Hooverball every morning. This was a game his doctor invented. Similar to tennis, it was played by throwing a 6 lb. medicine ball over an 8 ft. net.
Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Scottish Terrier Fala had his own press secretary and is still remembered as one of the bestloved of all presidential dogs.
The S in Harry S Truman’s name did not stand for anything. He was also the only president in the 20th century who did not go to college.
Dwight D. Eisenhower was the first president to use helicopters as a more efficient way of travel, as opposed to riding in limousines.
John F. Kennedy was the youngest person ever elected president (at age 43), and the first Catholic.
Lyndon B. Johnson and his wife, Lady Bird, were married in 1934 with a ring bought at Sears for $2.50.
Richard Nixon was an avid bowler. He was also an accomplished musician who could play five instruments: piano, saxo phone, clarinet, accordion, and violin.
Gerald Ford played football at the University of Michigan and could have played in the NFL. He received offers from the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers after graduation but turned them down.
After a naval career, and before his entrance into politics Jimmy Carter was a peanut farmer in Plains, Georgia.
Ronald Reagan starred in over 50 films before entering politics.
During the filming of the movie Bedtime for Bonzo in 1951 he was almost killed by a chimpanzee. The chimp grabbed his necktie and pulled it tight, choking him until he could be rescued by crew members.
During WWII, George H. W. Bush, at age 19, became the youngest pilot in U.S. Navy his- tory. He flew 58 combat mis sions, and in 1944 was rescued after being shot down over the Pacific.
Bill Clinton drove a 1970 El Camino in high school. The bed was lined with Astroturf.
George W. Bush grew up in Midland, Texas, and was a cheerleader in high school.
Barack Obama worked at Baskin-Robbins as a teenager, but he dislikes ice cream. And he never drinks coffee.
One of the most interesting presidents in history, Donald Trump is a germaphobe who prefers to not shake hands. And his hair is real. His wife Melania cuts his hair.
Joe Biden owns a 1967 Corvette Stingray and enjoys eating ice cream. While serving as a Senator, he was known for long rambling speeches and off- thecuff remarks. During one such speech, then Senator Obama wrote a note to an aide that read, “Shoot. Me. Now.”
Like all of us, presidents are strange people too… typewriterweekly.com © 2022 Jody Dyer
