As a rule, presidents tend to be extraordinary people, but there are just some facts about the presidents that are hard to believe.
From skinny dipping to record numbers of offspring there’s a lot to learn about our past and present Commanders in Chief.
Here, we’ll share an interesting fact about each of the men that have held the title.
George Washington: Although George Washington was the first American millionaire, he had to borrow $1,500 in 1789 to travel for his inauguration.
John Adams: John Adams is the first president whose son became president.
Thomas Jefferson: After the Library of Congress was burned during the War of 1812, Thomas Jefferson sold his personal library of 6,487 books to the Federal government to restart it.
James Madison: At 5’4″, James Madison was the shortest president-Lincoln was the tallest.
James Monroe: Once, James Monroe chased the Secretary of the Treasury out of the White House with tongs.
John Quincy Adams: John Quincy Adams liked to go skinny dipping in the Potomac.
Andrew Jackson: As a prank, Andrew Jackson invited prostitutes to the annual Christmas Ball.
Martin Van Buren: Martin Van Buren was the first president to be born an American citizen-all before him were British before the American Revolution.
William Henry Harrison: Although he gave the longest inauguration speech of any president, William Henry Harrison died in office after serving just one month, the shortest term of any president.
John Tyler: John Tyler fathered more children than any other president-15 among 2 wives in his lifetime.
James K. Polk: It’s believed that Polk worked so hard while serving as president that he weakened himself, as he died shortly after leaving office.
Zachary Taylor: Zachary Taylor’s nickname was “Old Rough and Ready” because of his sloppy dressing.
Millard Fillmore: Queen Victoria once declared Millard Fillmore the most handsome man she’d ever seen.
Franklin Pierce: Franklin Pierce perfected the comb-over.
James Buchanan: James Buchanan never married, and was the first president to send a transatlantic telegram. It was to Queen Victoria in 1858.
Abraham Lincoln: Lincoln only had 18 months of schooling. After that, he was self-educated and had a habit of reading.
Andrew Johnson: As a teenager, Andrew Johnson was sold as a servant to a tailor with his brother, and ran away 2 years later.
Ulysses S. Grant: By the time he was 9, Ulysses S. Grant was so good at breaking horses, many farmers came to him for assistance.
Rutherford B. Hayes: Rutherford B. Hayes was the first president to have a telephone and a typewriter in the White House, and began the tradition of the Easter Egg Roll of children on the White House Lawn.
James A. Garfield: James Garfield was the first President to campaign bilingually, in both English and Spanish.
Chester A. Arthur: Chester Arthur was a sharply dressed man, owning over 80 pairs of pants, which he often changed several times a day.
Grover Cleveland: Grover Cleveland’s nickname was Uncle Jumbo.
Benjamin Harrison: Benjamin Harrison was accidentally shocked by electricity in the White House, and refused to touch a switch. He often went to bed with the lights on.
Grover Cleveland: Grover Cleveland was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States, the only president in American history to serve two non-consecutive terms in office
William McKinley: When William McKinley’s wife suffered epileptic seizures at public events and dinners, he would just drape his handkerchief over her face.
Teddy Roosevelt: Teddy Roosevelt often ate a dozen eggs for breakfast.
William Taft: William Taft was so large that an over-sized bathtub had to be brought into the White House.
Woodrow Wilson: Woodrow Wilson may have had an undiagnosed learning disability, as he could not read during the first decade of his life.
Warren G. Harding: Harding liked to sneak off to burlesque shows.
Calvin Coolidge: Calvin Coolidge’s swearing-in oath was administered by his father, a Notary Public and Justice of the Peace.
Herbert Hoover: Herbert Hoover wanted White House servants to be “invisible,” so they had to jump into the nearest closet to avoid being seen when he or the First Lady were close.
Franklin D. Roosevelt: FDR was the only president ever elected to 4 terms.
Harry Truman: The University of Missouri’s mascot is Truman the Tiger, named after Harry Truman.
Dwight D. Eisenhower: Eisenhower carried 3 coins in his pocket for good luck.
John F. Kennedy: Before being elected President, JFK won the Pulitzer Prize for his book, “Profiles in Courage.”
Lyndon B. Johnson: LBJ was elected president of his 11th grade high school class.
Richard Nixon: Richard Nixon proposed to his wife Pat the first night he met her. She refused, but agreed after 2 years.
Gerald Ford: Although he loved golf, spectators had to watch out because of his wild shots.
Jimmy Carter: As a child, Jimmy Carter shot his sister in the rear end with a BB gun after she threw a wrench at him.
Ronald Reagan: The Secret Service code used for Ronald Reagan was “Rawhide.”
George H.W, Bush: George H.W. Bush played on a Yale baseball team that reached the finals of the College World Series twice.
Bill Clinton: As Governor, Clinton served all of the hired help at the Governor’s mansion Thanksgiving dinner before he and his family ate.
George W. Bush: George W. Bush currently holds the title of the president with both the highest and lowest approval ratings in history.
Barack Obama: Barack Obama worked in Baskin-Robbins as a teen, which sparked a lifelong distaste for ice cream.
Donald Trump: His family’s name was originally Drumpf or Drumpft, but changed to Trump when the Thirty Years’ War occurred in the 1600s.
Joe Biden: He is a car enthusiast and owns a 1967 Corvette Stingray, which his father gave to him as a wedding gift.
