Fun (Maybe True) Facts About Presidents

Illustration by Mia Johnson/Foghorn
How much do you really know about our presidents? USF history professor Bernard Von Bothmer enlightens us with some allegedly true facts about our famous leaders in honor of President’s Day.

1. William Howard Taft, 27th president, (1909 -1913) got stuck in his bathtub at the White House. The staff had to lever him out with a crow bar. Poor chubby.

2. Calvin Coolidge, our 30th president, (1923-1929) slept for 10 hours a night and took a 2-hour nap every day. He effectively slept through half of his presidency. Who knew running the country allowed for so much free time?

3. Both 2nd president John Adams (1797-1801) and 6th president John Quincy Adams (1825-1829) liked to skinny dip in the Potomac River. What a distinguished family of nudists.

4. Abraham Lincoln, our 16th, (1861- 1865) had a shopaholic for a wife. Hopefully those weren’t tax dollars.

5. After 32nd president Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933-1945) got married, his mom bought the townhouse next door and installed connecting doors. Talk about intrusive.

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