Let’s dive into some fun and interesting facts about the Presidents of the United States up to 2015. Each president has a unique story, and these facts make history exciting!
Did you know that George Washington didn’t have wooden teeth? His dentures were made from materials like lead, brass, bone, and even hippopotamus ivory!
John Adams loved to skip school to go fishing or hunting. He was quite the rule-breaker!
Thomas Jefferson and his rival, John Adams, both passed away on the same day: July 4, 1826.
James Madison was the shortest president at just 5’4″. He’s often called the “Father of the Constitution.”
James Monroe was the only candidate in the 1820 election, so he won without any competition!
John Quincy Adams had a pet alligator that lived in the East Room of the White House. How cool is that?
Andrew Jackson taught his parrot to swear and was the first president to ride a train.
Martin Van Buren was the first president born as a U.S. citizen and had two pet tiger cubs.
William Henry Harrison had the shortest presidency, serving only one month in office.
John Tyler wasn’t very popular; his entire cabinet resigned because of his unpredictable nature.
During James K. Polk’s time as president, the United States grew by one-third in size!
Zachary Taylor was a war hero but served only one year as president.
During Millard Fillmore’s presidency, California became a free state.
Franklin Pierce was once arrested for accidentally running over an old lady with his horse.
James Buchanan was the only president who never married.
Abraham Lincoln was the tallest president and the only one to hold a patent.
Andrew Johnson never went to school but was known for his strong determination.
The “S” in Ulysses S. Grant’s name doesn’t stand for anything; it was added by mistake.
Rutherford B. Hayes was the first president to let women practice law.
James A. Garfield liked to juggle Indian clubs to stay fit.
Chester A. Arthur became president after James A. Garfield was assassinated.
Grover Cleveland is the only president to serve two non-consecutive terms.
Benjamin Harrison was the first president to have electricity in the White House, but he was afraid to use it!
William McKinley was the first president to ride in a car.
Theodore Roosevelt was the first American to win a Nobel Peace Prize.
William Howard Taft was the last president with facial hair.
Woodrow Wilson’s second wife was a direct descendant of Pocahontas.
Warren G. Harding officially ended World War I.
Calvin Coolidge had a pet dog named Peter Pan.
Herbert Hoover was an orphan by age nine and became a millionaire.
Franklin D. Roosevelt had a half-brother and loved collecting stamps.
The “S” in Harry S. Truman’s name doesn’t stand for anything.
Dwight D. Eisenhower was the first president with a pilot’s license.
John F. Kennedy started the Peace Corps with an executive order.
Lyndon B. Johnson was known for playing tricks on people.
Richard Nixon once claimed that Walt Disney kidnapped him while he was vice president!
Gerald Ford was born Leslie King Jr.
As a child, Jimmy Carter stole a penny from church and got in trouble with his dad.
Ronald Reagan was a movie star before he became a politician.
George H. W. Bush met the famous baseball player Babe Ruth while playing at Yale.
Bill Clinton is known for playing the saxophone.
George W. Bush often said his dad was a better president than he was.
Barack Obama won a Grammy Award in 2006, but not for music!
These quirky facts show how each president has added something special to American history. Isn’t learning about history fun?
Presidential Pets: Many U.S. Presidents had unique pets. Choose one president from the article and draw a picture of their pet. Then, write a short story about an adventure that the pet might have had in the White House. Share your story with a friend or family member and ask them what kind of pet they would have if they were president.
Height and History: James Madison was the shortest president at 5’4″, and Abraham Lincoln was the tallest. Measure your height and compare it to these presidents. How many inches taller or shorter are you than each of them? Create a simple bar graph to show the heights of a few presidents mentioned in the article. Discuss with your classmates how height might have affected their lives or leadership.
Presidential Timeline: Create a timeline of the presidents mentioned in the article. Use different colors to highlight interesting facts about each president. For example, use blue for presidents with unique pets, red for those with interesting hobbies, and green for those who made significant contributions to history. Display your timeline in the classroom and see how many fun facts you can remember about each president!
