8 Weird Facts About US Presidents
Presidents' Day is upon us, and that means random bank holidays, sales, and presidential trivia. Read on for some fun facts about U.S. Presidents.
1. George Washington was a foulmouthed jerk
Washington had such a fiery temper that Alexander Hamilton resigned from his cabinet after a tirade from Washington for being a mere two minutes late. Washington also wrote smutty letters, some of which were burned by multi-millionaire J.P. Morgan, Jr., who had recently acquired some.
2. John Adams made political criticism illegal
Adams signed the Sedition Act, which made it illegal to criticize politicians in print. It expired before it could be tested in the Supreme Court to decide its constitutionality.
3. John Quincy Adams did a lot of naked swimming
Adams did a lot of skinny dipping in the Potomac River, and after one of his swims was interviewed by journalist Anne Royall (becoming the first president to be interviewed by a woman) after she sat on his clothes.
4. Martin Van Buren popularized the term "OK"
While trying to be reelected, Van Buren used the word "OK" in his campaign as a reference to his nickname "Old Kinderhook," which greatly helped to popularize the term "OK."
5. William Henry Harrison was president for only a month
Harrison famously gave an almost two-hour long inaugural speech in freezing winter weather while not wearing adequate winter clothing, ended up getting pneumonia, and died after only a month in office.
6. Zachary Taylor might have originated the term 'First Lady'
Legend says that he coined the term 'First Lady' during the eulogy of Dolley Madison, wife of James Madison; however, there is no record of this.
7. Millard Fillmore refused an Oxford degree
Fillmore was given an honorary degree from Oxford but refused to accept it because he felt that he had not earned it.
8. Teddy Roosevelt continued giving a speech after being shot
Roosevelt survived an assassination attempt after his eyeglasses case and a 50-page speech folded in half were penetrated by the bullet. He kept giving his speech with blood dripping down his shirt, and kept the bullet in his skin for the rest of his life.