The Ten Oddest U.S. Presidential Quirks

 

U.S. Presidents are often remembered for their policies and legacies, but many had eccentric habits that reveal their human side. Here are ten of the strangest quirks from White House history.

1. John Quincy Adams' Skinny-Dipping Ritual: The sixth president swam nude in the Potomac River daily at 5 a.m., even granting an interview to a journalist who sat on his clothes.
2. Andrew Jackson's Swearing Parrot: Jackson taught his pet parrot, Poll, to curse profusely; it had to be removed from his funeral for disrupting mourners with obscenities.
3. Calvin Coolidge's Petroleum Jelly Obsession: "Silent Cal" applied Vaseline to his head every morning while eating breakfast, believing it aided his health.
4. Lyndon B. Johnson's Toilet Meetings: LBJ notoriously held staff discussions from the bathroom, unflinchingly continuing business on the throne.
5. Thomas Jefferson's Shakespeare Vandalism: While visiting Stratford-upon-Avon, Jefferson cut a sliver from Shakespeare's chair as a souvenir.
6. Franklin Pierce's Equestrian Mishap: The 14th president was arrested for running over an elderly woman with his horse while in office.
7. Franklin D. Roosevelt's Number 13 Phobia: FDR suffered from triskaidekaphobia, avoiding travel on the 13th and adjusting schedules to evade the unlucky digit.
8. Harry Truman's Ghost Beliefs: Truman wrote that the White House was "haunted, sure as shootin'," convinced spirits roamed its halls.
9. Theodore Roosevelt's Exotic Eats: Teddy was an adventurous eater, once consuming a whole ostrich egg for breakfast.
10. Grover Cleveland's Age-Gap Marriage: Cleveland married his 21-year-old ward, Frances Folsom, in the White House, raising eyebrows over their 27-year age difference.

Secrets of American History

Nuclear War 1962 (Alternate History)

The Presidential Anthem: Hail to the Chief

The official presidential anthem, Hail to the Chief , was first played in Boston to commemorate the birthday of George Washington, on February 22, 1815.  The tune did not formally become associated with the presidency until the administration of John Tyler (1841-1845), when the Marine band was instructed to play the air whenever the president appeared. 

The words of the song come from an 1810 poem written by Sir Walter Scott:

       Hail to the Chief who in

     triumph advances!

       Honour’d and bless’d be the

     evergreen pine!        

       Long may the tree in his

     banner that glances

       Flourish, the shelter and grace

     Of our line!

Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederate States of America, used Hail to the Chief, as his presidential anthem.

The Invasion of Canada 1933

     In 1933 the man who subverted American democracy pronounced, “The fact is, the English are soft. Britain is like a frightened, flabby old woman. The whole empire is just rotted through and through. Kick in the door and the whole rotten structure will collapse.” He would soon drag America into a two ocean war, with Canada as the prize.
     Sticking as closely as possible to the real history of the period, making no radical leaps in terms of behavior, logic, or technology, the author paints a stunning picture of how the history of the world could have been radically different.