Five Cool Facts about U.S. Presidents

Theodore Roosevelt Gave a Speech with a Bullet in his Chest

Theodore Roosevelt is one of the most badass presidents to ever step foot inside the White House. He was a policeman, cowboy, boxer and soldier. He went head to head with business giants such as Carnegie, Rockefeller, and Morgan.

At the age of 50, he got into a fistfight with an army lieutenant who punched him so hard that it left him blind in the left eye. We could go on and on about the epic-ness of Theodore Roosevelt. However, his greatest moment was when he gave a 90 minutes speech with a bullet in his chest.

On October 14, 1912, a saloonkeeper shot Roosevelt outside a Milwaukee hotel. Instead of going straight to the hospital, Roosevelt insisted on delivering his full 90-minute speech as blood slowly oozed from his white shirt.

George Washington Owned one of the Biggest Distilleries of 18th Century America

George Washington loved his booze. He was also a tactful entrepreneur who liked making lots of money. During the 18th century, he owned a distillery that sold more than 10,000 gallons of rye whisky every year.

Not many people are familiar with this side of the “Father of America.” When Washington stepped down from the presidency in 1797, he returned to Mount Vernon for some much needed relaxation. It was there that he hired a plantation manager named James Anderson, who noticed an abundance of crops, water and a state of the art gristmill that were perfect for making whiskey.

Back then, the spirit was sold un-aged and clear. It was stronger than any bottle you are likely to find on today’s shelves. The original distillery has been reconstructed, and you can visit it between April and October in Mount Vernon.

John Tyler had 15 Children and Two Wives

John Tyler married his first wife and they had eight children together. By the time Tyler became president, she was an invalid (probably because she had to give birth 8 times!) A few months after she died, Tyler married a 23-year old girl from New York, and became the first president to get married while in office.

Although he was 30 years older than his first lady, he still managed to have an additional seven kids with her. This makes him the United States president with the most children.

Andrew Jackson was Involved in over 100 Duels

Andrew Jackson, the 7th president of the United State, was a celebrated war hero, and one of the original founders of the Democratic Party. He was also infamous for his quick temperament, toughness, and badass attitude.

Jackson got into arguments quite often, and when he could not resolve his differences with words, he challenged people to duels. During this time, people challenged each other to duels when they felt that their reputations or honors were at stake.

Andrew married his wife while she was still married to another man. John Sevier, a former governor of Tennessee, made the mistake of calling Jackson an adulterer during an argument, which was technically true. This resulted in a duel where shots were fired back and forth between both parties, however, no one was hurt.

Jackson’s most famous duel was set against Charles Dickinson over a horse race dispute. The former president showed up to the duel with an oversized coat to hide his body’s shape. His plan was to let Dickinson shoot him first, so that he could take his time when firing a shot back.

Jackson carried out his plan successfully. Dickinson fired a bullet that penetrated inches away from Jackson’s heart, and then Jackson took out his gun and shot Dickinson in the stomach. Dickinson collapsed and died a few hours later. Jackson lived, but the bullet was too close to the heart to perform an operation. He lived the rest of his life with the bullet inside him.

Andrew Johnson was a Tailor

Andrew Johnson was apprenticed to a local tailor as a young boy. He grew up in a poor family. Very early on in life, he developed a white supremacist attitude to compensate for the prejudice he felt from the upper class.

Johnson and his brother ran away from their apprenticeship, and had to evade authorities that wanted to return them to their employer. He returned home a few years later and established a successful tailoring business.

However, Johnson became strongly interested in politics, and his tailor shop became the center of much political discussion in those times. He took on many political roles, and became the 17th president of the United States when Abraham Lincoln died. During his time in office, he tailored the majority of the suits he wore.