I haven’t celebrated President’s Day since my elementary school days–and by celebrating, I mean doing projects and “fun activities” about the presidents. I remember coloring in a “fun facts” book, which gave me an idea for this article. Our presidents are known for doing great things, but there are other fun things about our presidents that many don’t know. Here are 10 weird but cool facts about some of our presidents:
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Abraham Lincoln was an accomplished wrestler when he was younger, and he was given an honor in the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. He only lost a match once out of the 300 he participated in.
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Andrew Jackson owned a parrot and taught him swear words. It was said that the parrot once disturbed a sermon with its incessant profanity and had to be removed from the room.
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When Franklin D. Roosevelt was five, his fifth cousin Theodore Roosevelt told him, “Don’t ever grow up to become President”.
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Thomas Jefferson had an intense love for books; he restocked the Library of Congress with his own collection of books when it was burned down in 1814.
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John Quincy Adams was known for skinny dipping in the Potomac River every morning.
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John Adams and Thomas Jefferson (when they were still acquaintances) visited Shakespeare’s home and broke a piece off of one of his chairs as a souvenir.
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James Madison was the smallest president ever: he stood at 5’4 and weighed 100 pounds.
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Woodrow Wilson’s wife, Edith Bolling Galt, is a descendant of Pocahontas.
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Bill Clinton has two Grammys ( for Best Spoken Word Album and Best Spoken Word for Children).
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In high school, Barack Obama was nicknamed, “O’Bomber” for his basketball skills.
Facts are from: KQED Art, History.com, Jackson in America, neatorama.com, The Washington Post