01:49
suchnewz
+odd presidential facts
+Odd presidential facts, This Presidents Day, we're vetoing trite trivia about cherry trees and log cabins. Read up on some lesser-known presidential tidbits that may make you look at these Oval Office occupants in a different light.
A songbird fan
This president preferred pet songbirds to first felines and presidential pooches. He collected and trained many specimens of mimus polyglottos on his Virginia estate, but his favorite was "Dick."
Pint-sized president
He's regarded as the smallest leader in U.S. history, reportedly weighing less than 100 pounds and standing no taller than 5 feet 4 inches
The president got the nickname, "The Last of the Cocked Hats," because he was the last president with Revolutionary credentials.
He loved collecting his thoughts with early morning nude swims in a nearby river
An OK guy
He often gets credit for originating the term "OK," thanks to a nickname associated with him and his hometown.
A White House horse
This president brought his war steed, Old Whitey, to live and graze on the grounds of the White House. PETA wouldn't have approved of the horse's grabby fans.
The solo leader
He is the only elected president to remain a bachelor.
A different kind of leftist
Legend has it that he was the first southpaw president and could simultaneously write a dead language with one hand and Greek with the other.
The big boss
He was large and in charge, weighing in at more than 300 pounds and earning a reputation as the heaviest president.
He was the first sitting president to attend the World Series and he threw out the first pitch.
A foul feathered friend
This president trained his pet parrot, Poll, to be such a potty-mouth that the bird had to be removed from its master's funeral proceedings
Rumor has it that he liked to have morning scalp massages at breakfast (his salve of choice?).
The middle man
His middle initial doesn't stand for anything at all; it was given to him in honor of his two grandfathers.
A pin-up president
This president was a dashing cover model for a 1942 issue of a long-running women's magazine.
A serious bibliophile
It's been said that he read three to four books a week, thanks to a speed-reading course he took at the White House.
