From George Washington's dentures to James Garfield's agonizing death, learn some captivating presidential facts that even some history buffs don't know.
Washington's dentures were made of animal bone and human teeth. Some of those teeth may have come from enslaved people on Washington's Mount Vernon plantation.Public Domain
Adams believed that Jefferson, whom he shared an on-again, off-again friendship with for decades, had outlived him. However, Jefferson had actually died just hours earlier.
What's more, both men died on July 4, 1826, exactly 50 years after the Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence. Public Domain
The $500 bill (featuring William McKinley), the $1,000 bill (featuring Grover Cleveland), and the $10,000 bill (featuring Supreme Court Justice Salmon P. Chase) were also discontinued.National Numismatic Collection/National Museum of American History
He's also the last president who was never photographed.Public Domain
When the gun misfired, Lawrence pulled out a second gun — which also misfired.
An enraged Jackson charged Lawrence with his cane. Both pistols were later found to be working just fine, which means the odds of them both misfiring were 125,000 to 1. Public Domain
Van Buren was also the first president to be born a U.S. citizen, as his predecessors had been born before the American Revolution.Public Domain
His avid supporters adopted the insult as their own and helped Harrison win the White House. Unfortunately, he died after just a month in office, likely from enteric fever. Public Domain
Though some historians have dismissed him as inconsequential, Polk oversaw major events like the Mexican-American War and the establishment of the Canada-U.S. border.Public Domain
An investigation found only small amounts of arsenic in his body, not enough to be deadly.Public Domain
And with that, we give you no Fillmore facts. Public Domain
He died of cirrhosis of the liver in 1869.Public Domain
Their friendship drew attention even in their day, and prompted Andrew Jackson to call the two "Miss Nancy and Aunt Fancy." Public Domain
That said, the Secret Service was originally part of the Treasury Department, and did not protect the president full-time until 1901.Public Domain
More than a century later, his spine — bullet hole and all — was put on display by the National Museum of Health and Medicine.Public Domain
His fellow Republicans supported him with the slogan “The Same Old Hat – It Fits Ben Just Right.” Democrats responded with the slogan: “His Grandfather’s Hat – It’s Too big for BEN.”
Though Benjamin Harrison survived his term, unlike his grandfather, he lost his re-election bid to Cleveland.Public Domain
At the 1901 Pan-American Exposition, he gave his carnation away to a little girl.
Mere moments later, he was assassinated by Leon Czolgosz.Public Domain
But Roosevelt didn't stop boxing, and Moore didn't learn about the severity of the injury until he read about it in the newspaper almost a decade later. Public Domain
Taft threw the ball to a pitcher — not the catcher like today — and returned the next year to throw the pitch again.
Though Taft skipped the ceremony in 1912 because of the sinking of the Titanic, the tradition was picked up by his successor, Woodrow Wilson.Library of Congress
In one letter, he wrote: "There is one engulfing, enthralling rule of love, the song of your whole being which is a bit sweeter — the ‘Oh Warren! Oh Warren!’ When your body quivers with divine paroxysm and your soul hovers for flight with mine.”Public Domain
Coolidge was also taciturn when he announced that he would not run for re-election, handing the press pieces of paper that read: "I do not choose to run for president in 1928." Public Domain
The Hoover Presidential Library Association, alongside the city of West Branch, Iowa, hosts a Hoover-Ball competition every year. Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum
However, groundskeepers chose to trap the squirrels instead and release them elsewhere.Public Domain
Clinton later tried to walk back the comment, stating: "It wasn't for what everybody thought it was for when I made the comment, I'll tell you that. I'm guilty of a lot of things, but I didn't ever do that."Public Domain
America's presidents are often remembered for their stories of inspiring heroism or for their tragic failings — the great highs and great lows. But as these facts about U.S. presidents show, there are plenty of gray areas.
American presidents have had weird pets, fallen for strange pranks, and invented peculiar objects. They've died unusual deaths, established new traditions, and acted in bizarre ways. While some presidential facts are fun — like Ronald Reagan's obsession with jelly beans — others are much darker — like how George H.W. Bush narrowly avoided being cannibalized.
In the gallery above, look through some shocking, cool, and downright odd facts about U.S. presidents. And keep reading below to learn about some of the strange stories surrounding these American leaders.
Fun Presidential Facts: Dwight D. Eisenhower And The Squirrels
President Dwight D. Eisenhower is widely known for his heroism during World War II, which helped propel him to two terms in the White House. But Eisenhower also waged a different kind of war: against squirrels.
In 1954, Eisenhower was thrilled when the American Public Golf Association set up a putting green just outside the Oval Office. But the White House grounds were known for their high density of squirrels — and it didn't take long for the little creatures to interfere with Eisenhower's golf game.
Though presidents like Harry S. Truman had tolerated and even encouraged the squirrels' presence by feeding them, Eisenhower couldn't stand them. According to The Washington Post, they stole his golf tees and damaged the putting green. Infuriated, Eisenhower wanted them gone.
Herb Block FoundationA 1955 depiction of Dwight D. Eisenhower's fury over the White House squirrels.
He told his valet John Moaney: "The next time you see one of those squirrels go near my putting green, take a gun and shoot it!"
Neither Moaney nor the Secret Service thought it would be a good idea to shoot squirrels in full view of D.C. tourists. So what to do? It was eventually decided that the animals would be trapped and relocated elsewhere.
Whether or not this happened is a bit unclear. The Washington Post reports that at least one journalist sniffed around and claimed that the squirrels had actually been poisoned. But by the time President Ronald Reagan arrived in office, they were back in full force. Reagan even fed them walnuts.
The story of Eisenhower and the squirrels is a good example of a fun presidential fact — though perhaps not so much fun for the squirrels — but plenty of other facts about U.S. presidents are much darker.
Dark Presidential Facts: The Brutal Death Of William McKinley
American history abounds with grim presidential facts. And some of the most unsettling and most bizarre have to do with presidential deaths.
Take President William McKinley.
In 1901, he traveled to Buffalo, New York, to attend the Pan-American Exposition. While there, McKinley pinned a red carnation to his lapel.
This had long been something of a tradition with him. According to the Ohio Statehouse, he'd first been given a red carnation in 1876 by his political opponent, Levi Lamborn, as they both ran for a seat in Congress. Lamborn was a horticulturist who grew a special strain of red carnations, and he offered a boutonnière to McKinley before they debated each other.
McKinley won the election, and he came to see red carnations as good luck. He started wearing them on his lapel after he won the presidential election in 1896, and kept the flowers on his desk in the Oval Office.
He was wearing one on September 6, 1901 in Buffalo, when he decided to take off his lucky flower and give it to a little girl in the crowd named Myrtle Ledger. Shortly after giving the flower to Myrtle, McKinley found himself face-to-face with a murderous anarchist named Leon Czolgosz.
Public DomainWilliam McKinley was infamously assassinated right after giving away his good luck charm.
Czolgosz had a pistol hidden under a handkerchief in his right hand. When McKinley tried to shake his left hand, Czolgosz shot him two times.
The president died eight days later on September 14th.
Presidential facts like this one are undeniably tragic, but also strangely captivating. Those who are superstitious might even wonder what would have happened if McKinley had kept his lucky flower pinned to his chest.
To learn more facts about American presidents, from the dark to the fun and everything in between, check out the gallery above.
After this look at fascinating facts about U.S. presidents, discover some of the most interesting George Washington facts and Abraham Lincoln facts. Then, check out these Donald Trump quotes you'll have to read to believe.
