Via The Rich Ten
Here are ten odd facts about U.S. Presidents you probably did not know. These outrageous facts are not found in any American textbooks and are not taught in any curriculum, except for here. Check them:
10. Andrew Johnson
The induction of Andrew Johnson as Abraham Lincoln’s vice-president in 1865 was cut short a bit by the fact that Johnson was incredibly drunk. He’d been drinking whiskey in an effort to medicate himself for typhoid fever and was so drunk by the time he was sworn in that he garbled his oaths, and had to abandon his attempts to swear in new senators.
9. Harry S. Truman
The KKK was a powerful political group in the 19th and 20th Centuries. President Harry S. Truman was asked to join the “racist” organization. According to some accounts, he was actually inducted, although other sources claim that he was “never active.” Other accounts claim that though he gave the KKK a $10 membership fee, he demanded it back and was never initiated.
8. Warren G. Harding
29th U.S. president Warren Harding (1865-1923) repeatedly made love to a younger woman, Nan Britton, in the White House closet. On one occasion, Secret Service agents had to stop his wife from taking down the closet door.
7. Embarrassing Presidential Nicknames
Embarrassing presidential nicknames: Andrew Jackson was nicknamed the ‘Old Hickory’, Ulysses S. Grant was branded as ‘Unconditional Surrender Grant‘, short-lived William Henry Harrison was referred to as ‘Tippecanoe’, and Zachary Taylor was known as ‘Old Rough And Ready’.
6. James Garfield
Twentieth president James Garfield had a merrymaking trick in which he would at once write in Latin with one hand, and Ancient Greek with the other. Show-off. Garfield was one of four Presidents to be assassinated.
5. Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt was almost assassinated by saloon keeper John Schrank on October 14, 1912. His life was spared thanks to a steel eyeglass case and his 50 page speech he was carrying in his jacket, both of which the bullet had to pass through.
4. Presidential Code Names
The Secret Service has code names for the president, vice-president and their family members. Ronald Reagan was ‘Rawhide’, George H. W. Bush was ‘Timberwolf’, Bill Clinton was ‘Eagle’, George W. Bush was ‘Trailblazer’ and Barack Obama is ‘Renegade’. Al Gore’s daughter Karenna regularly complained that she was put on the spot and told to pick out her own code name; she quickly regretted opting to be called ‘Smurfette’ wherever she went.
3. William Taft
William Taft was the fattest American president. He was so obese that he occasionally got stuck in the White House bathtub, and had to be helped out by aides. He eventually invested in a bigger tub.
2. Tallest Presidents Trend
In every election since the World War II, the taller of the two major party candidates were victorious 75% of the tme. Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter and George W. Bush are the only post-war presidents to have defeated their rivals who happened to be taller than them. Since 1900, nobody under the height of 5ft 9in has ever received a presidential nomination.
1. Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson, the third and smartest President of the United States was not just one of the major Founding Fathers and the principal author of the Declaration of liberty – he also invented the swivel chair. Rumors also circulate that he may have been autistic. He was high functioning and may have suffered from a milder form of ASD, Asperger’s Syndrome.
