20 Bizarre and Fascinating Facts About the US Presidents

They’re the leaders of their generations, stalwarts of democracy. The Presidents of the United States of America bear a great responsibility as leaders of the free world, and are among the most distinguished individuals of their times. They are respected, admired, and held in the greatest of esteem.

But that doesn’t stop them from being a little weird at times. Everyone has their quirks; and the President of the United States is certainly no exception. Here are a few of the more obscure facts about the country’s leaders from all throughout its history:

1. Carpenter/Dentist for Hire — A lot of jokes have been made over time about George Washington’s infamous wooden teeth. He did, after all, reportedly have only one real tooth left in his mouth at the time of his inauguration and needed a full set of chompers to function properly. Much to the chagrin of would-be presidential comedians, however, Washington most likely never had wooden teeth. Wood was an impractical material to use for false teeth, as it’s prone to rot inside a moist mouth. Washington actually had false teeth of sturdier stuff: hippopotamus ivory, lead, and cow’s (and perhaps horse and donkey) teeth. They were a bit big for his mouth, which explains why he looks somewhat perturbed in a few of his portraits.

2. Seat of Office — You can probably thank Thomas Jefferson for your work productivity. Or lack thereof, depending on how you use your swivel chair. Jefferson is credited with the invention of the swivel chair, the first of which he settled his presidential behind on when drafting the Declaration of Independence. The next time you spin yourself dizzy on this fixture of the modern workplace, you can thank the third president of the USA for the nausea.

3. The White… Zoo? — We’ve all fallen in love with the presidential pets. From Liberty the Golden Retriever to Bo the Portuguese Water Dog, we’ve all been fascinated with the pooches and kitties that live in the White House. The House has seen a more… varied set of animals over its long history, however. While JFK went the cute and cuddly route with a bunny, Herbert Hoover actually had two alligators as pets while in office. Other exotic pets included Coolidge’s lion cubs, Tax Reduction and Budget Bureau; and Harrison’s pet goat, Whiskers. Theodore Roosevelt had one of the most impressive arrays of animals for a president, with a one-legged rooster counting among his more unique pets.

4. It’s All Latin and Greek to Me! — While every president has had his own share of unique talents, James Garfield takes the cake when it comes to showing them off. The country’s twentieth president was well-versed in both Latin and Ancient Greek, and was quite proud of being ambidextrous. One of his favorite party tricks was to simultaneously write in one of the archaic languages with his left hand, and the other one in the right. Needless to say, more than a few people were impressed with his ability. Whether or not they all understood what he was writing is another story.

5. Pull Over, Mr. President — Most people these days would be surprised to know that speed limits existed before cars filled the streets. There were actual laws regulating how fast one could ride his horse. It was rather embarrassing, then, when Ulysses S. Grant found himself being pulled over for going over the speed limit. The arresting officer eventually realized that he had just pulled over the president himself, and decided to waive the violation. Grant, however, insisted that no one, not even the president, was above the law, and requested that he be issued a $20 fine.

6. The Presidential Pad — We’ve all been enchanted by the First Lady. Hillary Clinton, Michele Obama, and Jacqueline Onassis are just a few of the women who’ve graced the White House with their presence. Over the course of American history, only one president has ever taken office as a bachelor. James Buchanan entered and ran the Oval Office as the nation’s most eligible single. He wasn’t without a First Lady, however; in lieu of a wife, he decided to have his niece, Harriet Lane, take the role on.

7. His Own Worst Enemy — John Tyler has a rather unique claim to fame among his presidential peers. Twenty years after his administration, Tyler joined the Confederacy. Thanks to the politics of the day, many of those who chose to become a part of the faction were declared enemies of the state. Because of this, Tyler has the distinction of being the only President to ever have been proclaimed an enemy of the USA.

8. Wide Load — Just looking at picture of William Howard Taft compared to the long line of presidents is enough to tell you that he was a very large man. This is a fact that his aides knew all too well. The former president reportedly had the embarrassing problem of getting stuck in his bathtub. He needed the help of his aides to get out of the bath on more than one occasion. Thankfully, Taft eventually adjusted things to accommodate his girth and bought a new, larger bathtub.

9. Walking Tall — The image of the president is often one of grandeur. These larger-than-life personalities are thrust into office and given the responsibility of running the nation. With all this power, it’s easy to envision them as large, imposing people. This, of course, isn’t true; James Madison will be the first to attest to that. The former president stood at a height of 5 feet, 4 inches — far from what most people would consider a towering presence.

10. The Skinny of Adams — Frequenters of the Potomac River during John Quincy Adams’ administration must have gotten an eyeful of their president at the time. The former president reportedly went skinny-dipping in the Potomac every day. He believed that bathing and swimming in the river’s cold waters was good for his constitution. It might have done wonders for him, but what about the constitutions of those who saw him?

11. White-Hot Hottie in the White House — Girls tend to develop crushes on the president; the notorious Obama Girl can tell you that. Whatever the basis of the appeal is — looks, charm, or others — the President of the United States of America tends to break a few girls’ hearts. While not as notoriously sought-after as Bill Clinton (for example), 13th president Millard Fillmore was quite the heartthrob in his time. In fact, Queen Victoria herself once said that Fillmore was the most handsome man she had ever met!

12. Eat Your Heart Out — Literally! — It’s often been said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. The nutrition a good, heavy breakfast provides allows for optimum nutrition and health. Except, perhaps, for good old Teddy Roosevelt. The ex-president was known for his hearty appetite which, ironically, may not have been so good for his heart after all. He was reported to consume a dozen or so eggs for breakfast! Think of all that cholesterol!

13. President Prankster — George Clooney would be an ideal pick to play Andrew Jackson if a biopic were ever made of the former president. Like Clooney, Jackson was a notorious prankster, often playing tricks on guests and the White House staff. It seems to have been a habit from his childhood years. One of his favorite tricks was moving the outhouses around, so that guests would get confused as to where they’d head for some “private time”.

14. Hometown Hero — George Washington is often credited as the nation’s first president. However, he wasn’t the first US-born president in the nation’s history. That distinction belongs to Martin Van Buren, who was in office from 1837 to 1841. All the other presidents before Van Buren were born in the colonies, before America was a country. Meaning, technically, they weren’t actually born in the United States.

15. The Long and Short of It — William Henry Harrison owns two presidential records, although neither of them is very flattering. His inaugural address was the longest in recorded history, clocking in at approximately one hour and forty-five minutes. He is also, unfortunately, the record-holder for the shortest American presidency. Harrison died of pneumonia just thirty days after his inauguration.

16. Mr. Tough Guy — It’s no secret that the earlier presidents were made of some pretty hardy stuff, especially with the rough and tumble world of the olden days. While the likes of Washington were clearly tough individuals, James Polk was perhaps one of the toughest. At the young age of 17, Polk was able to survive a gallstone operation without the use of anesthesia or antiseptics! Thanks to modern medical technology, we no longer have to worry if the current president will be able to go through that sort of ordeal unscathed.

17. A Little to the Left — While looking at presidential portraits and photos, those with keen observational skills may notice something a little peculiar about those that depict James Buchanan. According to historical accounts, Buchanan always tilted his head a little to the left. This was apparently due to a problem with his vision — while one eye was nearsighted, the other one was farsighted! This imbalance made it necessary for him to tilted his head in an effort to get a more accurate picture of things.

18. The Party-Boy President — You’d think that the responsibility of running an entire nation would put a serious crimp on a president’s schedule, but that wasn’t the case with Chester A. Arthur. The former president was an energetic individual who often enjoyed painting the town red. He refused to let his hectic presidential schedule get in the way of that, and frequented night clubs while he was in office. In fact, historical accounts say that he was rarely ever home before 2 a.m.!

19. Give Him a Hand — Hand-shaking wasn’t always recognized as the customary way of greeting the president. In the earliest years of the presidency, bowing was considered more proper. Thomas Jefferson changed things around, though, when he chose to shake people’s hands rather than bow to them. He felt that it was more down-to-earth, yet respectful at the same time. William McKinley later kicked things up a notch with his enthusiasm for handshakes. Some historians contend that McKinley holds the record for the most presidential handshakes in a certain span of time — he supposedly repeated the gesture 2,500 time in a single hour!

20. Call Him Tiger Woodrow — Many presidents were casual golfers; it’s a great, fun sport that’s relatively low on physical impact, making it an ideal pastime for busy individuals. Woodrow Wilson, however, is considered to have been the single most avid golfer to have ever served in the Oval Office. Wilson was known to golf at any time of the year, in any season — even in the winter! He used special black golf balls in order to avoid getting his ball lost in the white snow.

President’s Day usually means lot of school plays, so you’ll want to be sure to look the part with our president costume kits. And keep the holiday fun going with our great St. Patrick’s Day Costumes and Easter Costumes.

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