U.S. Presidents: Facts 1

George Washington

Dentures were made from ivory, gold, and human and animal teeth—not wood.

John Adams

died on July 4, 1826, (alongside Thomas Jefferson), on the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

Thomas Jefferson

Had a pet mockingbird named Dick

James Madison

"Father of the Constitution"; stood 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighed under 100 pounds.

James Monroe

First president to have an outdoor inauguration in Washington, D.C.

John Quincy Adams

Loved skinny-dipping in the river, and was once trapped by a female reporter who sat on his clothes until he answered her questions.

Andrew Jackson

Taught his parrot to swear. At his funeral, the parrot was kicked out for screaming out profanities

Martin Van Buren

Kept two tiger cubs as pets, gifts from the Sultan of Oman.

William Henry Harrison

-Gave the longest inaugural speech (105 minutes)

-first president to die in office.

John Tyler

-His ENTIRE cabinet except one person resigned

-First president to have a veto overridden by Congress.

-only president who didn’t have a party

James K. Polk

First president to retire after serving only one term by choice.

Zachary Taylor

Only president whose remains were exhumed to test for poisoning; results showed no arsenic poisoning.

Millard Fillmore

Declined an honorary Oxford degree because he could not read it.

Franklin Pierce

Was accused of running over a woman with his horse

James Buchanan

Only unmarried U.S. president. Was most likely gay

Abraham Lincoln

Only president to hold a U.S. patent (No. 6,469).

Andrew Johnson

Buried with his head resting on a copy of the Constitution.

Ulysses S. Grant

Born Hiram Ulysses Grant; changed his name because his initials spelled "HUG."

Rutherford B. Hayes

Had the first telephone in the White House. The phone number was just “1”

James A. Garfield

First presidential candidate to spend over $1,000,000 on a campaign.

Chester A. Arthur

First president sworn in at his private residence.

Grover Cleveland

Personally answered the White House telephone, and only President to serve two non consecutive terms

Benjamin Harrison

First president to have electricity in the White House; feared the light switches after being shocked.

William McKinley

-Had a parrot named Washington Post that he made the white house greeter. It would catcall women and spoke Spanish.

-Also, this president was the first to use campaign buttons

Theodore Roosevelt

Shook 8,513 hands in one day (January 1, 1907), setting a world record at the time.

William Howard Taft

-Got stuck in a White House bathtub

-Began the tradition of the president throwing the ceremonial first pitch at a baseball game.

Woodrow Wilson

Only president buried in Washington, D.C.

Warren G. Harding

-First sitting president to visit Canada and Alaska.

-His dog would attend cabinet meetings and was known as the first ever “First Dog” (just like First Lady)

Calvin Coolidge

Only president sworn into office by a former president (William Howard Taft).

Herbert Hoover

Donated all of his presidential salary to charity.

Franklin D. Roosevelt

served hot dogs to the king and queen of England

Harry S. Truman

The "S" in his name does not stand for anything.

Dwight D. Eisenhower

Installed a putting green on the White House lawn.

John F. Kennedy

During World War II, a Japanese ship crashed into his military boat, leaving him and his crew stranded on a deserted island. He carved a cry for help onto a coconut shell. Friendly locals swam the coconut to the military base to save them. He kept that exact coconut on his White House desk.

Lyndon B. Johnson

Graduated high school at age 15.

Richard Nixon

First president to visit all 50 states while in office.

Gerald Ford

Received 2 NFL offers before his time as president. (From the Detroit lions and the Green Bay packers)

Jimmy Carter

First president sworn in using a nickname ("Jimmy").

Ronald Reagan

Appeared in 53 Hollywood films before becoming president.

George H.W. Bush

Only president to have served as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations.

Bill Clinton

Became governor of Arkansas at age 32, and was youngest governor at the time and youngest ever in Arkansas history.

George W. Bush

First president since John Quincy Adams to follow his father into the presidency.