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Feb 18, 2013

+Odd Presidential Facts

+Odd Presidential Facts, This Presidents Day, we're vetoing trite trivia about cherry trees and log cabins. Read up on some lesser-known presidential tidbits that may make you look at these Oval Office occupants in a different light. +President's Day, George Washington + cherry tree, Abraham Lincoln + log cabin, 
A songbird fan
Thomas Jefferson - This president preferred pet songbirds to first felines and presidential pooches. He collected and trained many specimens of mimus polyglottos on his Virginia estate, Thomas Jefferson grizzly bear cubs, but his favorite was "Dick." President + pet mockingbird, President + mockingbird, White House dogs, Thomas Jefferson + moose skeleton to France, 
Pint-sized president
James Madison - He's regarded as the smallest leader in U.S. history, reportedly weighing less than 100 pounds and standing no taller than 5 feet 4 inches. Shortest president,  James Madison $5000 bill, 
A curious nickname
James Monroe - The president got the nickname, "The Last of the Cocked Hats," because he was the last president with Revolutionary credentials.  “The Last of the Cocked Hats”, American War of Independence,  James Monroe + bullet never removed from shoulder,
Skinny dipper-in-chief
John Quincy Adams - He loved collecting his thoughts with early morning nude swims in a nearby river. President + swimming nude,  Anne Royall + John Quincy Adams + nude swimming interview, John Quincy Adams + read the Bible each year, 
An OK guy
Martin Van Buren - He often gets credit for originating the term "OK," thanks to a nickname associated with him and his hometown. origin and meaning of O.K.,  "The Little Magician" + Van Buren, 
A White House horse
Zachary Taylor - This president brought his war steed, Old Whitey, to live and graze on the grounds of the White House. PETA wouldn't have approved of the horse's grabby fans. presidential horse, Old Whitey + White House visitors pulled horse tail hair, 
The solo leader
James Buchanan - He is the only elected president to remain a bachelor. Bachelor president,  ++James Buchanan + fiancee Ann Caroline Coleman, Miss Fancy and Aunt Nancy + Buchanan, James Buchanan + live-in companion + William Rufus DeVane King,
A different kind of leftist
James Garfield - Legend has it that he was the first southpaw president and could simultaneously write a dead language with one hand and Greek with the other.  Left-handed president,  James Garfield + Charles J. Guiteau + assassination , Charles J. Guiteau + mentally disturbed,
The big boss
William Howard Taft - He was large and in charge, weighing in at more than 300 pounds and earning a reputation as the heaviest president. Heaviest U.S. president,  Taft stuck in bathtub, William Howard Taft "Big Bill", William Howard Taft + salted almonds,
President on the mound
Woodrow Wilson - He was the first sitting president to attend the World Series and he threw out the first pitch. First president at World Series, World Series + Major League Baseball, 1915 World Series Phillies v. Red Sox, +Woodrow Wilson + two raw eggs in fruit juice,
A foul feathered friend
Warren Harding - This president trained his pet parrot, Poll, to be such a potty-mouth that the bird had to be removed from its master's funeral proceedings. Most scandalous president, most scandalous president, "A Return to Normalcy", Teapot Dome Scandal,  Carrie Fulton Phillips, Harding + gambled away White House china, Warren Harding + worst president, "I am not fit for this office and should never have been here." Harding,
A hands-on kind of guy
Calvin Coolidge - Rumor has it that he liked to have morning scalp massages at breakfast.  President who liked Vaseline rubs, president who liked Vaseline rubs, Calvin Coolidge +  July 4, 1872, Calvin Coolidge + only president sworn in by father,

The middle man
Harry Truman - His middle initial doesn't stand for anything at all; it was given to him in honor of his two grandfathers. Presidential middle names, Harry Truman + no college degree, +Harry Truman + haberdashery,
A pin-up president
Gerald Ford - This president was a dashing cover model for a 1942 issue of a long-running women's magazine.  President cover model, Cosmopolitan magazine, +two women attempted to kill Gerald Ford, +two women attempted to kill Gerald Ford,
A serious bibliophile
Jimmy Carter - It's been said that he read three to four books a week, thanks to a speed-reading course he took at the White House. Speed-reading president, President from Georgia + speed reader + 2,000 words per minute, Evelyn Wood speed reading, James Carter + sold boiled peanuts on the street , James Carter + "Cousin Hot" + nickname,
A foul feathered friend
Andrew Jackson - This president trained his pet parrot, Poll, to be such a potty-mouth that the bird had to be removed from its master's funeral proceedings.  Andrew Jackson + several duels, Andrew Jackson + Charles Dickinson, Andrew Jackson + Rachel Donelson + bigamy,