As we approach Presidents Day, we at Her Campus like to look at some of the facts about our presidents. Particularly, ones that the average person may not know. Here are some fun, interesting facts about some of our presidents.
1. The capital of Liberia was named after James Monroe.
James Monroe was widely known for his support of the colonization of Liberia, leading them to name their capital city Monrovia.
2. The phrase “OK” was made popular by Martin Van Buren.
Martin Van Buren’s support groups came to be known as “O.K. Clubs” because of his roots in Old Kinderhook, NY.
3. After his presidency, William Howard Taft swore in later presidents.
William Taft is the only person to ever serve at the head of two branches of government; serving as both the President and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
4. Woodrow Wilson had a PhD.
Woodrow Wilson received the degree from Johns Hopkins in Political Science and History and also passed the Georgia bar exam, even though he never finished law school.
5. Calvin Coolidge’s morning ritual was extremely weird.
Every morning Calvin Coolidge had someone rub Vaseline on his head while he ate his breakfast in bed.
6. Richard Nixon was a poker player.
Within in six months of learning how to play poker, Richard Nixon won enough money to fund his first congressional campaign.
7. George W. Bush was a cheerleader in high school and college.
Besides being a baseball player in high school, George W. Bush was his schools head cheerleader and on Yale’s cheerleading time during his time in college.
8. The “Teddy Bear” got its name from Theodore Roosevelt.
Story has it that Theodore Roosevelt refused to shoot a bear cub one day which inspired toy manufacturers to manufacturer the ever popular “Teddy Bear”.
9. George H. W. Bush was inspiration for the Japanese word “Bushusuru” which translates to “to do the Bush thing”.
“To do the Bush thing” is “to publicly vomit” and after George H. W. Bush vomited on the Japanese Prime Minister, this phrase became popular in Japan.
10. Three Presidents died on July 4th.
Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and James Monroe all died on July 4th.
11. John F. Kennedy was the first of three things:
JFK was the first Roman Catholic to be president, the first Boy Scout to be president, and the first president to be born in the twentieth century.
12. There are only two presidents buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
William Howard Taft and John F. Kennedy are both buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
13. Jimmy Carter was the first president to be born in a hospital.
Jimmy Carter was born on October 1, 1924 in the Wise Sanitarium in Plains, GA.
14. Benjamin Harrison was scared of electricity.
Benjamin Harrison was so scared of being electrocuted to the point that he never turned on switches himself.
15. Gerald Ford modeled during his college years.
Gerald Ford modeled for the John Robert Powers’ agency while he was in college.