Fun Facts About the Presidents: Part 4

History 4 Minutes

Jimmy Carter believed in UFOs

In 1973, four years before becoming the 39th president of the United States, Jimmy Carter filed a report of a UFO sighting in Georgia in 1969. He called it “the darnedest thing I’ve ever seen.” He promised, if elected president, to disclose government information about UFOs, but backpedaled while in office.

Abraham Lincoln was a licensed bartender

Before he became the 16th president, Abraham Lincoln was a bartender and bar owner. He partnered with a friend to buy a bar in Illinois but gave it up to become a lawyer shortly thereafter. He remains officially the only U.S. president to be a licensed bartender.

John Adams named his dog Satan

Plenty of U.S. presidents have had dogs as pets in the White House, but only one had a dog named after the devil himself. Satan was one of the pooches belonging to the second U.S. president, John Adams. No word on whether Satan lived up to its name.

We had a 24-hour president

Ever hear of President David Rice Atchison? If the answer is no, that’s probably because he was only president for a day. In 1849, the inauguration of Zachary Taylor landed on a Sunday, and the religious incumbent refused to be sworn in on a holy day. He had Atchison stand in for him.

James Monroe attacked his rival with red-hot tongs

After backing down from running against James Monroe in the presidential election, William H. Crawford accepted a position as his secretary of the Treasury. During a fight between the two men, the fifth U.S. president chased the politician out while brandishing a set of tongs from his fireplace.

Thomas Jefferson had a comically positioned bed

Jefferson famously served out his tenure at his estate, Monticello. Though his home was vast in size, he preferred to squeeze his bed into a tiny alcove that provided zero room at the foot and head of the bed. He’s thought to be the originator of the alcove bed layout.

Presidents Day is technically called Washington’s Birthday

Presidents Day has a more complex history than one might think. After George Washington died in 1799, his supporters recognized his birthday as a day of remembrance. In 1885, his birthday became a federal holiday for the country. Later, in 1968, a new bill made certain federal holidays on Mondays and combined birthday celebrations for Washington and Lincoln into Presidents Day. According to the United States Code, however, that February holiday is technically still called Washington’s Birthday and never officially changed to Presidents Day. Federal code permits local governments and private businesses to name federal holidays whatever they want, so most states call it Presidents Day.

Three presidents married while in office

President John Tyler remarried in 1844 after the death of his first wife. Woodrow Wilson also remarried after the death of his wife, in 1915. And before his wedding, Grover Cleveland was one of two White House bachelors. (The other was James Buchanan, who never married.) Cleveland is also the only U.S. president to marry in a White House ceremony.

Martin Van Buren made “OK” popular

Experts don’t definitively know the origin of “OK.” People suggest it has origins in Native American language or Sub-Saharan African language, among other possibilities. They do know that Martin Van Buren helped popularize the expression. One of his nicknames was “Old Kinderhook,” the town he was from in New York. During his election campaign in 1840, people held signs with, and chanted, “OK.”

“Billy Possums” was meant to replace “Teddy Bears”

President Theodore Roosevelt inspired the name “Teddy Bears.” Roosevelt chose not to shoot a bear on a hunting trip, asking to put down the already injured bear humanely instead. Newspapers made cartoons of the event, and Morris Michtom, a candy shop owner, asked Roosevelt’s permission to sell stuffed bears in his shop and call them “Teddy Bears.” Once William H. Taft became president, toy makers worried that the bears wouldn’t be as popular. They came up with an alternative toy to name after Taft—”Billy Possums.” In 1909, the U.S. president ate possum in Georgia, inspiring the rival toy that never came close to the popularity of the Teddy Bear.

Ronald Regan consulted with an astrologist while in the White House

Joan Quigley was Ronald and Nancy Reagan’s astrologist while they were in the White House. Quigley only met the president once, but she did communicate regularly with the first lady. Quigley was reportedly responsible for timing conferences, speeches, takeoffs and landings, and even the State of the Union address. The president kept a color-coded calendar of good and bad days according to astrological rules and circumstances, based on information from Quigley. In her book, Quigley even claims she could have predicted the assassination attempt on his life—but at the time she hadn’t drawn up his charts.

George H.W. Bush inspired a Japanese slang word

In 1992, George H.W. Bush vomited on the prime minister of Japan at a state dinner in Tokyo while in Asia for a 12-day trip. After the incident, the term Bushu-suru—”do a bush”—became a popular Japanese slang word for vomiting.

John Quincy Adams kept a detailed, 51-volume diary

Here’s the last of our president facts: John Quincy Adams began keeping his 14,000-page journal in 1779 at the age of 12. He continued until shortly before his death in 1848. People can read the whopping 51 volumes online.

SOURCE: READERSDIGEST

Unknown's avatar

Published by pat frederick

Published

76 thoughts on “Fun Facts About the Presidents: Part 4”

  1. Morning All
    cold again–only 20* but not as cold as it was earlier this week!
    I never go to after Christmas sales, does anyone?
    we will be doing our walmart run this weekend instead of new year’s eve though. i hate to go out then.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Morning, Pat! Nope – no sales for me at all! I was going to make a WM run today but decided to put it off until tomorrow. I’m guessing there will be a lot of people making exchanges today. The fog has gone, thankfully, temp is at 35. We may have gotten some snow but the only place I’m seeing it is on the rocks under the cottonwood tree – may just be frost that fell off the tree since there is none anywhere else.

      Wheezer was waiting – I’m beginning to think his antics may be more about the now-missing tuna that I stopped giving him. He walked over to it, sniffed, then moved back to the side to hunker down again. I went out and petted him a couple of times and when I came inside, he did the same thing – sniffed, then hunkered down. After a few minutes, he finally ate, then departed. Shudda known – sex or food is all that motivates strays.

      Liked by 1 person

  6. Just The News: “There was a dead body found on a wheel well of a United Airlines plane after it landed at Maui’s Kahului Airport in Hawaii on Christmas Eve. 

    “Upon arrival at Kahului airport in Maui on Tuesday, a body was found in the wheel well of one of the main landing gears on a United aircraft,” United told DailyMail.com in a statement on Wednesday.

    The plane left Chicago Tuesday morning and arrived in Maui at 2 p.m. local time. While it’s unknown how and when the person accessed the wheel well, according to the outlet, “United is working with law enforcement authorities on the investigation,” the airline’s statement said. 

    “The Maui Police Department is currently conducting an active investigation regarding a deceased individual discovered on an incoming flight from the mainland this afternoon. At this time, no further details are available,” police said in a statement, as reported by Hawaii News Now.”

    Liked by 1 person

  7. https://www.timesofisrael.com/lev-tahor-members-bust-into-guatemala-shelter-to-recapture-kids-rescued-in-raid/

    Our Take: Now this is an interesting story. And by “interesting,” I mean disgusting and despicable.

    I’m sure there are certain commenters who will rush to call me an antisemite for reporting on this story—because, sadly, Americans all across the political spectrum have been conditioned to embrace identity politics, and lump entire demographics together based on specific traits or characteristics.

    The “Right” thinks they are immune to such witchcraft, but just look at how Christian Zionists foolishly conflate the citizenry of Israel—which is only 73% Jewish—with the entire Jewish population worldwide. For those wondering, there are reportedly 15.8 million Jews in the world, and only 7.2 million of them have Israeli citizenship—meaning that less than half of the world’s Jews (45%) identify as Israeli.

    And yet, the Republic Party has trained us like seals to equate the criticism of Israel—a foreign government—with antisemitism, which is perhaps one of the most draconian and un-American things a mainstream political party has ever achieved. (One of the main reasons I detest the Republican Party—because at their core, they are not only anti-free-speech, they are against the criticism of government; and they use Jesus Christ as the vehicle to push their communist ideals. At least the Democrats admit that they hate God.)

    I’ve dedicated quite a bit of copy on the Brief exploring the nuance of Judaism, and have documented that– unlike Christianity and Islam—it lacks a centralized doctrine. Sure, all sects claim lineage to the Torah, but so do both Christianity and Islam, as the Torah is merely the first five books of the Old Testament. (Otherwise known as “The Pentateuch.”) But as I’ve also documented, there have been a number of Jewish texts that have been written since the death of Christ, one of those being the Talmud, and there are a number of things often attributed to Islam on the internet that are actually found in the Talmud– including child marriage, and pedophilia—things that this radical sect (Lev Tahor) practices.

    Just look at this picture of Jewish women from the Lev Tahor community. Do they remind you of anything?

    A quick search of this sect, Lev Tahor, will yield stories of child trafficking, child marriage, forced pregnancy, and the systemic oppression of women in the same manner we attribute to [Islamic] Shariah Law. And these stories come from all over the world, including Bosnia, Guatemala, Mexico, Israel, and New York City.

    Take a look at this story from this past March, when three brothers who led the Lev Tahor, from Monsey, New York, faced criminal trial for trafficking children for sex. They showed up to court with a copy of the Talmud and told the judge that they don’t recognize US/New York law, they follow the [Jewish] law of the Talmud. The judge had to explain to them that their rejection of secular law was not a criminal defense.

    Do any of you remember the take I did months back on the Pale of Settlement? When Russia had to create that special zone of settlement to contain this rabbinic culture? Because these Yiddish communities refused to acknowledge Russian law and would tell their people to ignore it?

    I think it’s past time that we stop lumping all Jewish people together into one group, and stop conflating the Jewish religion with the political actions of the Israeli government. It is an institution of mortal men, and should not be treated as anything more. — GhostofBasedPatrickHenry

    Liked by 1 person

    1. anyone in this country, native born OR foreign born who does not accept OUR laws should leave. they should be given a week or a month or whatever to liquidate their holdings here and then escorted to an airport. this is not an a la carte country where YOU get to pick and choose which laws to follow.

      Liked by 1 person

  8. “‘Ok, Who Got Me The MAGA Hat?’ Asks Kamala Harris As Jill Biden Stifles Laughter”

    Politics · Dec 24, 2024 · BabylonBee.com

    Article Image

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — The traditional unwrapping of presents at the White House took an awkward turn this morning when Jill Biden started snickering uncontrollably after Kamala Harris opened up a gift containing a brand new MAGA hat.

    According to sources, the morning started off peacefully with chocolate chip pancakes for everyone and a bottle of red wine for Harris before the officials gathered to open presents.

    “It’s nice and round… is it another Pinot?” Harris asked while feeling the present before tearing open the wrapping paper. “Hang on a second. Okay, people, real funny. Who got me the MAGA hat?”

    Harris reportedly glared around the room from face to face, dismissing Joe Biden, who was still eating his pancakes, and finally settling on Jill Biden, who was unsuccessfully trying to hold back guffaws in the corner.

    “Did you see her face? So classic!” Jill Biden said later, still struggling to hold back her laughter. “I had to go all the way to Alabama to find that baby. It’s an unopened original MAGA hat from 2016. Serves her right for all the monkey business earlier this summer. Merry Christmas, Kamala! Hope that gift brings you joy!”

    At publishing time, insiders said that the mood at the party had grown even more uncomfortable after Jill Biden opened her present to find a Fisher Price Doctor’s Kit from the vice president’s office.

    Liked by 1 person

  9. “National Debt Paid Off With The Change In Dan Crenshaw’s Swear Jar”

    Politics · Dec 20, 2024 · BabylonBee.com

    Article Image

    U.S. — President Joe Biden proudly announced Friday that America’s crippling national debt had officially been paid off in full by using the money found in Congressman Dan Crenshaw’s swear jar.

    “My thanks to that pirate fella in Congress,” Biden said proudly. “That was one heck of a swear jar, folks. Sometimes it pays off to curse like a sailor. Someone suggested checking his swear jar, and we found 40 trillion… hundred and million… sixty-two… billion… hundreds of… money.”

    Crenshaw, who made headlines this week for profanity-laced exchanges on X with conservative journalist Nick Sortor and social media personality Catturd, refused to accept thanks from Biden, instead calling it his patriotic duty to swear at Americans until the national debt was paid.

    “It was the only [expletive] way to pay off the debt and I [expletive] did it,” he told reporters. “So, [expletive] you!”

    Sources confirmed Biden’s statement that Crenshaw had over 40 trillion dollars stored in the swear jar, meaning he still had some left over to continue trading stocks. This is important, Crenshaw said, because he needs that money to pay back into the swear jar.

    “The American people are forever in your debt, guy,” Biden said. “Now we can afford all those Green New Deal programs you hate so much. Thanks for… for… anyway.”

    At publishing time, Crenshaw had been reached for further comment and responded by saying “[unprintable].”

    Liked by 1 person

  10. “Can you imagine what the fantasy-land is like that they all live in? They gave Joe an award for being Joe…

    President Joe Biden displays his Clinton Global Citizen Award with former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, First Lady Jill Biden and former president Bill Clinton during the Clinton Global Initiative annual meeting in New York on Sept. 23, 2024.

    Okay, you may ask, ‘Just what the fuck is a ‘global citizen’ and why would they deserve an award? Well, you can keep on asking because I don’t have a clue beyond the fact that it’s some bullshit, blow-smoke-up-somebody’s-ass kinda thing.”

    Liked by 1 person

  19. just got back in. did some shoveling–the stuff is coming off the roof finally. boy is it ever hard! and stuck to the deck like it was glued. i had to use the shovel to beat on it to break some of it up. that side of the house is already out of the sunlight so maybe i can get some more done tomorrow.

    Liked by 1 person

  25. EXCERPT: “Rep. Ann Kuster (D-NH) did her best AOC impersonation, claiming in exit interviews that she was leaving Congress in part because Donald Trump tried to get her killed during the Capitol protests on January 6th. Kuster made the comments both with Roll Call and the Boston Globe.

    In her remarks to the former, the six-term congresswoman noted that she was retiring as a means to set an example for her septuagenarian or octogenarian colleagues who stick around too long. “I had so many different factors going into it, but one of them is I’m trying to set a better example,” she explained.

    That said, there was another reason she decided not to run for another term.

    “And then there is a part of it related to Donald Trump coming back,” she explained. “I was one of the last members of Congress in the gallery on Jan. 6, and as it turns out, we have the security footage that shows it was only 30 seconds from when I was able to evacuate that the insurrectionists were in that hallway hunting for us with zip ties and bear mace and who knows what else.”

    “I just felt like, he tried to kill me once. I’m not available for it again.”

    In the interview with the Globe, Kuster reiterated her reasoning but attempted to downplay the murder claim by suggesting it was tongue in cheek.

    “I’ve said somewhat facetiously, he tried to kill me once, I’m not available for that again,” she said. “What we went through on Jan. 6 and his attempt to overthrow the government took a toll. That was that was really hard, and not just personally, but on my ability to work across the aisle.”….”

    https://redstate.com/rusty-weiss/2024/12/26/dem-lawmaker-says-shes-fleeing-congress-because-trump-tried-to-kill-her-on-j6-n2183632

    Liked by 1 person

  26. EXCERPT: “There’s a line in the “Miracle on 34th Street” where lawyer Fred Gailey, who’s sharing an apartment with Kris Kringle, tells Santa he’s been dying to know the answer to a question that has puzzled people since the beginning of time: Does Santa sleep with his whiskers outside the blanket or in? “Outside,” Kris responds. “Cold air makes them grow.” 

    While that great question is answered, there’s another one that has lingered out there for some time. Is “Die Hard” a Christmas movie? 

    I think there are all kinds of arguments for the positive. It’s set with John McClane going to see his family for Christmas. The action even occurs during a Christmas Eve party. Perhaps most importantly, it also includes the redemption of the main character and a reunion with his wife as they realize again how much they love each other. There’s even redemption of the secondary Reginald VelJohnson’s Al the cop character, who has been bothered by his prior shooting incident. Now he shoots again, this time to save the life of McClane. Redemption, appropriately, is a central theme of Christmas movies. 

    However, the Mayor of Garland, Texas, Scott LeMay, took it to another level in order to make the point. He did a video that was posted on the town’s YouTube and Facebook accounts that’s gone viral where he imitated McClane’s classic scene in the ventilation shaft. The town insisted on the Facebook account that it was a Christmas movie. LeMay pulls it off pretty well, and he even has a great imitation of Bruce Willis’ voice. This is pretty awesome….”

    https://twitter.com/Mericamemed/status/1871759376543084750

    https://redstate.com/nick-arama/2024/12/26/watch-mayors-hilarious-message-that-die-hard-is-a-christmas-movie-n2183624

    Liked by 1 person

      1. It reminds me of HB’s except she only had one streak of blond – but it was even longer than that!

        Like

      1. A deer that fell from the tree – one leopard was looking at it just as it fell and suddenly, another leopard that was hidden lower down in the tree leaps down, grabs it and clambers back up the tree with it. You can see a hyena pull up from his run to grab it in the background.

        Like

  35. I am adding a short daily prayer to the board. I would invite each of you, if you wish, to also add one or maybe two of your own liking. I do not want to stifle anyone but please limit yourself to one or two religious postings. here’s one I found that I liked.

    Like

Comments are closed.