Weird, Strange, and True And the Award Goes To…

Created by Christy Nelson

Strangest Teeth George Washington

Myth

: Washington’s false teeth were made of wood.

Fact

: America’s First President wore dentures constructed of carved hippo ivory and human teeth.

Best Laundry Room John and Abigail Adams

President John Adams was the first president to live in the White House. His wife Abigail thought their new home was uncomfortable because it was so cold and drafty. She once used the main conference room to hang the family’s laundry.

1

John Adams (F)

(1797-1801) 2

Aaron Burr

Worst Dressed and Best Aim Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr

Thomas Jefferson hated formality and often met foreign Diplomats in his nightgown and slippers. In contrast, his Vice President Aaron Burr was a true gentleman and defended his honor in America’s most famous duel. It ended his political career when it resulted in the death of his opponent, Alexander Hamilton.

Smallest Stature James Madison

Many people believe the president is one of the most powerful men in the world. When people imagine what a president should look like, they may think of a tall large men. This was not the case with James Madison. He was only 5 feet 4 inches tall, and weighed less then a hundred pounds.

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James Monroe (D-R)

(1817-1825)

Strangest House Guest John Quincy Adams

In the summer of 1826, the strangest White House guest arrived and spent two months in the East Room. It was the companion of John Quincy Adams’ good friend, the Marquis de Lafayette. He was quite an inhospitable guest and snapped at anyone who entered his room. He was rather green and scaly, but the president and his wife were very fond of him and were sad when he left the White House. Having an alligator as a house guest maybe strange, but so is skinny-dipping in the Potomac River, and John Quincy enjoyed both.

Lets Party

When: March 4, 1829 Where: 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Why: Andrew’s Inauguration Who’s Invited: Everyone Cheese will be Provided

Best Party Andrew Jackson

Presidents have always thrown lavish parties after their inauguration, but none of them compare to the one Andrew Jackson threw. He was a man of the people and thought that anybody should be allowed in the White House. After his inauguration, he invited the public to his party at the White House, and 20,000 people showed up. They made a huge mess that cost thousands of dollars in damage, and ate 1,400 pounds of cheese that left the White House stinking for months.

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Best Marble Game John Tyler

President John Tyler had fifteen children, the most of any president. He was playing marbles with his children when he learned the that President Harrison had died, and he would become the next president.

Hottest Dresser Zachary Taylor

On the Fourth of July 1850 Zachary Taylor wore his black high-collar suit to the dedication of the Washington Monument. He was so hot he became over heated and was suffering form heat stroke. He made a big mistake when he drank ice cold milk and ate ice cold cherries. This shocked his body and ultimately led to his death.

11 12 10

James K. Polk (D)

(1845-1849)

Most Eligible Bachelor James Buchanan

President James Buchanan was the only president who never married. His friends were worried he would be lonely in the White House so they sent him many pets to keep him company. He was sent a herd of elephants and two bald eagles. Both gifts found new homes more suited to their needs. His greatest companion was his dog Lara who weighed 170 pounds (almost twice the weight of James Madison).

Best Beard Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln was the tallest president and stood 6 feet 4 inches tall. He was also very thin, and his face was sunken in and had pockmarks. A twelve year-old girl wrote him a letter that said he should “cultivate his whiskers” to make his thin face look better. She believed it would help him win the election because women like beards, and they would tease their husbands to vote for Lincoln. He was the first president with a beard. 15

Abraham Lincoln (R)

(1861-1865) 14 13

James Buchanan (D)

(1857-1861) 16

Most Famous White House Event Rutherford B. Hayes

Rutherford Hayes was not a very popular president. In 1976, many people did not think he had won the election, and Congress had to recount the votes. He was nicknamed Ruther

fraud

. His wife Lucy made up for her husband’s faults by hosting the first Easter Egg Roll on the White House Lawn. This is one of the most famous events held at the White House each year.

Most Unique Presidency Grover Cleveland

Grover Cleveland was the only president to serve two nonconsecutive terms in office. He worked very hard as president but still had time to get married to the youngest first lady (Frances was only 21). He was the only president to get married in the White House. In his second term his daughter Ruth became the only presidential child to be born in the White House. She had a candy bar named after her. Can you guess what it was called? (answer at bottom) 17 19 21 22 18 20

Largest Bathroom Remodel William Howard Taft

William Howard Taft was the largest president and weighed over 300 pounds. He once got stuck in the White House bathtub and had to be rescued. After that he installed a bathtub large enough to fit four grown men.

Cutest Children’s Toy

Benjamin Harrison (R)

(1889-1893)

Teddy Roosevelt

While in Mississippi attempting to settle a border dispute between MS and Louisiana, Theodore Roosevelt happened upon a wounded bear cub. He ordered that the bear be spared further pain and be killed. This event was later depicted by a cartoonist and the bear in the cartoon became a stuffed toy called a teddy bear. 24 25

Theodore Roosevelt (R)

(1901-1909) 26 23

Grover Cleveland (D)

(1893-1897) 27

William Howard Taft (R)

(1909-1913)

Most Creative Solution Woodrow Wilson

Woodrow Wilson was president during World War I. During this time, most of America’s young men were fighting in the war, and there was no one to mow the White House Lawn. Wilson decided to bring in sheep to keep the lawn trimmed, but it worked a little too well. The sheep liked to eat the White House grass and flowers too. A ram named Old Ike was quite an attraction, and people loved to come and watch him. He always had a wad of tobacco in his mouth, which made a mess of the white wool on his chin. 29

Longest Life After Presidency Herbert Hoover

Herbert Hoover was not very popular when he was president. He was in office at the start of the Great Depression, and people were upset he was not able to end it. However, after he was president he became an active humanitarian helping people around the world. He even earned 50 honorary college degrees. He lived for thirty-one years after his presidency. 31 28 30

Longest Presidency Franklin D. Roosevelt

FDR was one of the most popular presidents and was the only president to be elected to four terms. Before this time presidents took the advice that George Washington gave in his farewell address. He believed that presidents should only serve two terms. After FDR’s time in office the law was changed, and now presidents can only serve a maximum of two terms. Anti- Roosevelt pin

Heaviest Decision Harry Truman

Only days after becoming president Harry Truman faced one of the hardest decisions any president has ever had to make. He had to decide how he would end World War II. He decided to end it by dropping an atomic bomb on the Japanese cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Many innocent people lost their lives, but Truman believed that many American lives were saved because of his decision. Today people still question if he did the right thing. 33 32 34

Most Famous White House Family John F. Kennedy

President John Kennedy was one of America’s most beloved Presidents. He was young and handsome and Americans loved him, his young children and his beautiful wife. His wife Jacqueline Kennedy gave the first televised tour of the White House. The first family was so majestic that people compared them to King Arthur's Camelot, a place full of happily ever afters. The Kennedy’s happily ever after ended in 1963 when JFK was assassinated.

Most Paranoid Richard Nixon

President Nixon won two terms in office. When he ran for his second term, he was worried he would not win so he had his campaign workers break into the Watergate Hotel where the Democratic Party kept many important papers. He won the election in a landside and really did not need to be involved in such illegal behavior. When word got around about what he did, people were not too happy. Nixon lied and tried to cover up his mistake. He was caught red handed when taped conversations were discovered. He became the first and only president to resign. 36 37 35

Most Likely Not to Run For Office Gerald Ford

Gerald Ford was the only president who became both Vice President and President without ever being elected. He was selected by Nixon to become Vice President after VP Spiro Agnew was forced to resign. He then became President after Nixon resigned. He did run for president in 1976 but lost to Jimmy Carter.

Best Actor Ronald Reagan

Ronald Reagan was an actor before he became president. In his most famous movie

Bedtime For Bonzo,

his costar was a chimpanzee. In 1981 Reagan was shot and injured by a man who was trying to impress actress Jody Foster. 38 39

Ronald Reagan (R)

(1981-1989) 41

Jimmy Carter (D)

(1977-1981)

George H.W. Bush (R)

(1989-1993) 40

William Jefferson Clinton (D)

(1993-2001)

Most Powerful Presidential Couple Bill and Hillary Clinton

President Bill Clinton was one of the most popular presidents, but behind every great man there is a great woman; Bill’s woman was Hillary. She followed in the footsteps of first ladies like Edith Wilson and Eleanor Roosevelt who took an active role as first lady. Hillary helped her husband work on healthcare reform, but it did not pass congress. She also stood by her husband through a very public affair. She continued her political career after she left the White House and became a US senator. She sought the Democratic ticket for president in 2008, and in 2009 President Barack Obama made her Secretary of State.

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First President of Color Barack Obama

In 2009 President Barack Obama made history when he became the first African-American president. It took 220 years and 42 presidents, but change finally made its way to the White House. Who knows what’s next? Maybe a woman president.

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Barack Obama (D)

(2009-present )

Works Cited

Books: Buller, J., Schade, &., Regan, D. & Weber, J. (2009).

A smart book about the first ladies .

New York: Grosset & Dunlap.

Buller, J., Schade, &., Cocca-Leffler, M., Regan, D. & Weber, J. (2009).

A smart book about the presidents.

New York: Grosset & Dunlap. Chandra, D., & Comora, M. (2003).

George Washington’s teeth.

United States: Farrar Straus Giroux.

Davis, G. (2004).

Wackiest White House pets.

New York: Scholastic Press.

Fradin, D. (2008).

Duel!: Burr and Hamilton’s deadly war of words

. United States: Walker Publishing Company.

O’Connor. (2004).

If these walls could talk: Family life in the White House.

New York: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers. Piven, H. (2004).

What presidents are made of .

New York: Athenaeum Books for Young Readers.

Sandler, M. (1995).

Presidents.

New York: Eagle Productions Inc. St. George, J. (2004).

So you want to be president?

New York: Philomel Books. Wallner, A. (2001).

Abigail Adams.

United States: Holiday House.

Web Pages: http://us-civil-war.suite101.com/article.cfm/girl_makes_lincoln_grow_a_beard http://inventors.about.com/od/tstartinventions/a/Teddy_Bear.htm

http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/presidents-day/political-parties.html