Happy President's Day!

Sooo... it's President's Day. A day for cards or gifts or anything fun and interesting like that? Not so much. Really it's just a day for government employees and a small percentage of school kids to get the day off. Oh, and don't forget all the President's Day sales! If you want to buy a new love seat or recliner, you just might be in luck! What a great reason for a sale! Um... yeah.

For everyone else, who's not in the market for new furniture and didn't get the day off of work, I thought I'd help make the day at least a little more interesting by sharing some interesting presidential trivia. That's what you get to do when you're a homeschool mom--you get to research and teach your kids a bunch of weird things about (mostly) dead people that they've never heard of before. But I figure if Emma's first exposure to some of these presidents is something funny and memorable, then she might stand a better chance at wanting to learn more about them and remembering more about them in the future.

So without further adieu, here's the list of interesting tidbits I compiled today. Enjoy!

George Washington’s teeth were made from elephant and walrus tusks, not wood. He had only one real tooth left when he took office.

John Adams (2nd president) was the first president to live in the White House. (Though it wasn’t called the White House until Theodore Roosevelt officially named it that in 1901.)

Thomas Jefferson (3rd president) spoke 6 different languages.

James Madison (4th president) was the shortest and smallest president. (5’4” and under 100lbs) He was also the first president to wear trousers instead of knee breeches.

John Quincy Adams (6th president) swam nude (weather permitting) in the Potomac River every day.

John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe all died on the 4th of July.

Andrew Jackson (7th president) had no formal education. And in 1835 he made the final payment on the national debt, making Jackson the only president of a debt-free United States.

John Tyler (10th president) had 15 children.

James K Polk (11th president)survived a gallstone operation at age 17, before the advent of anesthetics and antiseptic practices.

Millard Fillmore (13th president) was the first president to have a stove, bathtub and running water in the White House.

Abraham Lincoln (16th president) was the tallest president. (6’4”)

Ulysses S. Grant (18th president) was fined $20 for speeding with his horse and carriage.

Rutherford B. Hayes (19th president) was the first president to use a phone. His phone number was 1.

James A Garfield (20th president) could write with both hands at the same time—in different languages.

Chester A Arthur (21st president) changed his pants several times a day. He owned 80 pairs of pants.

Theodore Roosevelt (26th president) was the youngest person ever to be president. He lost the sight in one eye while boxing in the White House. He had a photographic memory. He could read a page in the time it took anyone else to read a sentence.

William Howard Taft (27th president) weighed 332 pounds and got stuck in the White House bathtub the first time he used it. The Taft's owned the last presidential cow and the first White House automobile.

Warren G. Harding (29th president) gambled away a set of White House china.

Herbert Hoover (31st president) spoke Chinese to his wife to keep their stories private.

Harry S. Truman (33rd president) read every book in his hometown library. The middle initial "S" in Truman's name is not an abbreviation and has no significance. In recognition of Truman's contribution to medical insurance, President Johnson presented the first two Medicare cards to Mr. and Mrs. Truman.

Lyndon B. Johnson (36th president) was an auto mechanic and teacher before being president. Johnson and his wife, Claudia "Lady Bird" Alta Taylor, were married with a $2.50 wedding ring bought at Sears Roebuck.

Gerald R. Ford (38th president) held his daughter’s high school prom in the White House. Ford was born Leslie Lynch King, Jr. Both he and his wife had been models before their marriage. Running for Congress in 1948, Ford campaigned on his wedding day. Ford was the only president whose two assassination attempts against him were made by women.

Jimmy Carter (39th president) was the first president to be born in a hospital.

George Bush (41st president) survived 4 plane crashes during World War II. Bush is related to Benedict Arnold, Marilyn Monroe, Winston Churchill, Presidents Franklin Pierce, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt and Gerald Ford.

These interesting bits of information were collected from the following websites:
http://www.mistergworld.com/12-002.htm
http://www.littleknownfactsshow.com/presidents.html
http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/stories/peopleplaces/georgewashingtonicecream/