Interesting Facts About US Presidents Two

(16th) Abraham Lincoln (1861 - 1865)

• Already the tallest president at 6 feet 4 inches; he looked even taller in the tall stovepipe hat, in which he's often pictured as wearing. In fact, he used his hat to store important documents.
• He was the only president to ever obtain a patent for a device for lifting ships or boats over perilous shoals through the use of "buoyant air chambers." To his dismay, it was never put to commercial use.
• He had an intense interest in psychic phenomena and attended several séances conducted in the White House in his desire to communicate with his dead son William

(17th) Andrew Johnson (1865 - 1869)

• Johnson was born into a poor family and learned only to read and write until he was 17, when he met his future wife Eliza McCardle, who taught him math, reading and public speaking
• Proud of his sartorial skills, he wore only suits that he custom-tailored for himself
• In 1868, he became the first president to be impeached by the House of Representatives but was later acquitted by the Senate. He managed to avoid removal from office by only one vote. (Likewise in 1998, Bill Clinton was impeached by the House of Representatives and was acquitted by the Senate afterwards.)

(18th) Ulysses S. Grant (1869 - 1877)

• Born Hiram Ulysses Grant, he changed his name so as not to enter West Point with the initials HUG
• He was once arrested and fined 20 dollars for speeding his horse and carriage
• Although he participated in some of the bloodiest battles, he could not tolerate the sight of blood. If he ate steak at all, it had to be served thoroughly cooked for rare steak nauseated him.

(19th) Rutherford B. Hayes (1877 - 1881)

• Hayes lost the popular vote but won the presidency by only a single electoral vote (185 - 184)
• He was the first president to use a telephone, which was installed in the White House by Alexander Graham Bell himself. His number was 1.
• As First Lady, his wife Lucy was celebrated for her intellect, exuberance and certainly her prohibition of alcoholic drinks in the White House, earning her the title "Lemonade Lucy."

(20th) James A. Garfield (March 4, 1881 to September 19, 1881)

• Garfield was a professor of ancient languages and had a passion for classical literature
• He was the first left-handed president. He was also ambidextrous; he could write Latin with one hand and Greek with the other -- at the same time.
• He was the first president to speak two languages in his campaign, English and German

(21st) Chester A. Arthur (1881 - 1885)

• Considered by many to be an elegant dresser, he changed his pants several times a day. He owned almost a hundred pairs of pants.
• Shocked by the mishmash of furniture that welcomed him in the White House when he became president, he refused to move in unless all furniture (some priceless), 24 wagonloads in all, were sold. He had the whole place renovated in late Victorian style.
• He married the wealthy socialite Nell Herndon at 29. When his wife died of pneumonia at 42 (22 years later), he was so grief-stricken that he gave instructions that her room should remain undisturbed forever.

(22nd and 24th) Grover Cleveland (1885 - 1889, 1893 - 1897)

• Cleveland got married in 1886, becoming the first president to get married in the White House
• He gave his favorite hunting rifle the name "Death and Destruction.".
• He was drafted by the military during the Civil War; but since he was the sole bread winner of his family, he paid a substitute instead to take his place for $150. An act allowed by law at the time.

(23rd) Benjamin Harrison (1889 - 1893)

• Harrison became the first president to attend a baseball game on 6th June, 1892, when the Cincinnati Reds defeated the Washington Senators 7 to 4
• He was the first president to have electricity installed in the White House. However, after getting the shock of his life, his entire family was so frightened even to turn the electric light switches and would often sleep with the all the lights still lit.
• So far, he was the last president to wear a beard in office

(25th) William McKinley (1897 - 1901)

• McKinley was the first president to ride a car called the Locomobile. It was powered by steam.
• He was known for his devotion to his ailing wife, who never recovered from a breakdown following their two infant daughters' deaths. Usually, he would break protocols just to sit beside his wife in case she had any seizures. One fellow politician remarked that his undying loyalty to his wife "made it difficult for other husbands in Washington.".
• He continued to be a heavy smoker against his doctor's stern advice, but he would conscientiously set aside his cigars whenever there were press photographers around, noting that "the children of America should not see their President smoking."