Get to Know Our Presidents Presidential Fun Facts George Washington Washington didn’t have teeth, and he had to wear dentures! He was obsessed with keeping teeth cleaned and even made sure his horses had their teeth brushed every day! John Adams Adams was the first president to live in the White House.
He was one of only two presidents who signed the Declaration of Independence. Thomas Jefferson Jefferson had a pet grizzly bear cub at the White House!
He was a speleologist—a cave explorer!
James Madison Madison was the shortest of all of our presidents. He was only 5’4”!
Madison and his wife used to serve all their guests ice cream. James Monroe Monroe was shot in the shoulder during the Revolutionary War, but they never took the bullet out! The White House was painted white during his presidency. It was just the color of wood before that. John Quincy Adams Adams was the first president to have his photograph taken.
He used to go for a swim in the Potomac River every morning at 5 a.m.!
Andrew Jackson Had a pet parrot named Poll who could whistle and talk. She didn’t always speak politely though…
Jackson was involved in several duels. One of the bullets from a duel was lodged in his chest the rest of his life!
Martin Van Buren Van Buren used to be called “Old Kinderhook” after the town he was from. It was shortened to “O.K.” and this led to the word okay!
He was the first president to be born after the United States was a country. William Henry Harrison Harrison gave the longest inauguration speech in history—he talked for two hours!
He caught pneumonia during his inauguration and died a month later. John Tyler Tyler got married on his birthday. He was one of the only three presidents to marry while in office.
He wasn’t elected president, but he became president when William Henry Harrison died.
John K. Polk Polk made 5 promises when he ran for president, and he was able to keep all of them.
One of his promises was to get California from Mexico, and he did it! Zachary Taylor Taylor never lived in one place long enough to register to vote, so he didn’t vote in an election until he voted for himself!
He was one of six presidents to be born in a log cabin. Millard Fillmore Fillmore had a bathtub installed in the White House—there wasn’t one there before!
He never had a Vice President since he had been the VP for Zachary Taylor and became president when he died. Franklin Pierce Pierce memorized his entire inauguration speech and gave it without even looking at his notes!
He was the first president to put a Christmas tree in the White House. James Buchanan Buchanan was the only president who was never married.
When a prince from England came to visit, he brought so many people that Buchanan had to sleep in the hallway of the White House! Abraham Lincoln Lincoln grew a beard because a little girl wrote him a letter to tell him he would look better with facial hair!
Before Lincoln was president, he failed as a shopkeeper, businessman, farmer, and lost elections for several different political offices. Andrew Johnson Taught himself everything he knew—he never went to school! Some friends taught him the alphabet and he taught himself to read from there.
He served in the military during the Civil War. Ulysses S. Grant Grant once got a speeding ticket for riding his horse and buggy too fast!
Grant made Yellowstone the first national park. Rutherford B. Hayes Hayes had the first telephone installed in the White House.
The election for his presidency was very close and the votes from three different states had to be recounted! James A. Garfield Garfield was shot in the back, and doctors were never able to find the bullet. He died 11 weeks later.
He had a dog named “Veto.” Chester A. Arthur Arthur loved fishing for salmon!
He was called “Elegant Arthur” because he was stylish. He had 80 pairs of pants! Grover Cleveland Cleveland had part of his jaw removed because of cancer, but doctors gave him a rubber jaw in its place.
He was president when the State of Liberty was given to the United States by France. Benjamin Harrison Electric lights were installed when Harrison was president. All previous presidents had to use candles!
He was the first president to go to a baseball game. Grover Cleveland Cleveland was the only president to serve two terms that were not right in a row.
He was the first president to have a baby while in office. Her name was Ruth, and Baby Ruth candy bars are named for her! William McKinley McKinley volunteered for the Union Army during the Civil War. He was only a teenager, so one of his jobs was to bring food and coffee to the men on the battlefields.
He liked to wear a lucky red carnation in the buttonhole of his vest. Theodore Roosevelt Roosevelt once fought a pack of mountain lions because they were attacking his dogs.
The teddy bear was named after Roosevelt when he refused to shoot a bear cub on a hunting trip. William Howard Taft Taft was very plump. He even got stuck in the White House bathtub!
He became a Supreme Court justice after being president. Woodrow Wilson Wilson began his career as a teacher and was even the president of Princeton University before becoming president.
He didn’t learn the alphabet until he was nine and didn’t learn to read until he was eleven! Warren G. Harding Harding was the first president to ride in a car to his inauguration.
Many people think Harding may have died from being poisoned! Calvin Coolidge Coolidge had pet raccoons named Rebecca and Rueben.
Coolidge slept ten hours each night and took a nap every afternoon.
Herbert Hoover Hoover approved “The Star-Spangled Banner” as our national anthem.
He did not accept money for being president, choosing to donate his earnings instead. Franklin D. Roosevelt Roosevelt was elected to be president for four terms.
His dog once bit the British Prime Minister! Harry S. Truman Truman read all of the books in his public library growing up. It had more than 2,000 books in it!
He kept a pet goat named Dewey’s Goat at the White House. Dwight D. Eisenhower His dog was banned from the White House because it went to the bathroom on the floor of a very important room!
He played football in college until he had to quit the team because he injured his knee. John F. Kennedy Kennedy was a Boy Scout growing up.
He had to wear special shoes because his right leg was longer than his left leg. Lyndon B. Johnson Johnson ran away from home when he was 15 and worked as a grape picker.
He became president when JFK was assassinated. He was sworn in as president on an airplane. Richard M. Nixon He wanted to be an FBI agent before becoming president, but they turned him down.
He was president when man landed on the moon. Gerald Ford Ford was a fashion model before becoming a politician.
He was named Leslie Lynch King, Jr. when he was born, but his name was changed when his mother remarried. Jimmy Carter Carter was the first president to be born in a hospital! Others before had been born at home.
He could read 2,000 words a minute! Ronald Reagan Reagan was an actor before he became president.
He kept a jar of jelly beans on his desk during his presidency. Indiana’s governor, Mitch Daniels, used to work for Reagan, and now he keeps jelly beans on his desk! George H. W. Bush Bush flew in 58 combat missions in World War II.
He hates broccoli and refuses to eat it! Bill Clinton Clinton’s pet cat, named Socks, had its own web site!
He was the governor of Arkansas before be became the president. George W. Bush Bush’s father, George H.W. Bush, was also the president!
He used to be a part owner of the Texas Rangers baseball team. Barack Obama Obama doesn’t like ice cream because he worked at Baskin Robbins in high school.
He used to be a law professor at a University of Chicago.