America’s presidents have all left their mark on the world in interesting ways. Photo from Storyblocks.

Happy Presidents’ Day!

Usually, when a past or present president’s name comes up in conversation, it’s in the context of politics. They’re remembered by what they did right or wrong, the changes they made in office, or the scandals surrounding their name. In my high school history class, textbooks only covered the big picture events of each presidency, skimming over all the facts that make our presidents interesting! For this Presidents’ Day, let’s dig a little deeper and discover some fun facts about our country’s leaders!

1800 – 1850

James Madison (term: March 4, 1809 – March 4, 1817) was the first president to wear long pants. What a trendsetter! Of course, ‘long’ is relative, as he was also the smallest president, standing at 5’4″ and weighing a total of 100 pounds.
John Quincy Adams (term: March 4, 1825 – March 4, 1829) was the first to be photographed.
Martin van Buren (term: March 4, 1837 – March 4, 1841) was the first president born in the United States. However, he paid tribute to his German roots by speaking German rather than English at home. In a similar fashion, Herbert Hoover would speak Mandarin with his wife when they wanted a private conversation at home.
William Henry Harrison (term: March 4, 1841 – April 4, 1841) gave the longest inauguration speech ever. It was 8,445 words long and lasted over 90 minutes. Because he delivered this lengthy speech on a cold, wet day, he fell ill and died 33 days into his presidency.
John Tyler (term: April 6th, 1841 – to March 4th, 1845) fathered the most children. He had 15! He was also the first president to face impeachment.

1850 – 1900

James Buchanan (term: March 4, 1857 – March 4, 1861) was the only bachelor president the United States has ever had! However, many believe that he was never truly single. During his presidency, there was a lot of speculation about his sexuality and close relationship with Alabama Senator William Rufus King. Though they had the means to afford their own accommodations, they lived together for 10 years.
Andrew Johnson (term: April 15, 1865 – March 4, 1869) had a great talent for fashion. Having apprenticed under a tailor, Johnson made all his own suits as president. Unfortunately, his style didn’t make him a good president, as he was the first one to ever be impeached.
Rutherford B. Hayes (term: March 4, 1877 – March 4, 1881) was the first to use a telephone.
James Garfield (term: March 4, 1881 – September 19, 1881) was ambidextrous and was probably the only president who could write in Greek with one hand and Latin with the other at the same time.
Grover Cleveland (terms: March 1885 – March 1889, and again March 1893 – March 1897) has been the only president to hold office for two non-consecutive terms. He also married the youngest first lady. Interestingly, Cleveland adopted the 11-year-old orphaned daughter of his dead law partner, who then became his wife 10 years later.
Benjamin Harrison (term: March 4, 1889 – March 3, 1893) was the first president to have electricity in the White House. Unfortunately, the poor man was paranoid about electrocution, so he refused to touch the light switches and often went to bed with the lights on.

1900 – 1950

William Taft (term: March 4, 1909 – March 4, 1913) gained the most weight in office. By the end of his first term, he gained 50 pounds. Once he left office, he lost 75 pounds.
Calvin Coolidge (term: August 2, 1923 – March 4, 1929) kept the most pets out of any other president. One particularly interesting pet in Coolidge’s menagerie was a pygmy hippo. Overall, he had six dogs, a bobcat, a goose, a donkey, a cat, two lion cubs, an antelope, two raccoons, and a wallaby. Another president with a pension for weird pets was Herbert Hoover, whose son had two pet alligators.
Franklin D. Roosevelt (term: March 4, 1933 – April 12, 1945) is the only president whose dog, named Fala, received immortalization in a presidential memorial alongside his owner. He was also rumored to be superstitious. He’s likely the only president who was afraid of the number 13. His paranoia was so real that he refused to dine with a party of 13, and he would not leave for a trip on the 13th of any month.

1950 – 2000

Richard Nixon (term: January 20, 1969 – August 9, 1974) played the most musical instruments. He could play the piano, clarinet, accordion, violin, cello, and saxophone. He was a bona fide virtuoso!
Gerald Ford (term: August 9, 1974 – January 20, 1977) is the only president to never be elected by the voting public to president or vice president. Ford became president because VP Spiro Agnew resigned, followed shortly thereafter by Nixon.
Jimmy Carter (term: January 20, 1977 – January 20, 1981) was the first to make an appearance in a Playboy magazine. Donald Trump appeared on the cover in 1990.
Bill Clinton (term: January 20, 1993 – January 20, 2001) is the only president to have not only one a Grammy, but won a second Grammy too! He won Best Spoken Word Album, as well as Best Spoken Word Album for Children.

2000 – Present

Barack Obama (term: January 20, 2009 – January 20, 2017) was not only the first black president but also the first president to write his own emails.

Agents

We hope that this information on Presidents’ Day has been interesting to you.

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This article was updated 1/2/2025.