From the heartwarming to the macabre, these interesting facts about U.S. first ladies weren't taught in any history class.
"Save that picture, if possible," she instructed an enslaved teenager named Paul Jennings. "If not possible, destroy it: under no circumstance allow it to fall into the hands of the British."Public Domain
Rachel Jackson took the allegations hard. When her husband ran for president in 1828, some of his enemies labeled her as an "adulteress." And when she died of a heart attack shortly after his victory, Jackson forever blamed his political foes. White House Historical Association
Two other first ladies have died at the White House as well: Caroline Harrison of tuberculosis in 1892 and Ellen Wilson of Bright's Disease in 1914.Public Domain
The first lady suggested that her husband secure Congressional approval to fund the library. He did, and Abigail furnished the White House library with hundreds of books.National Portrait Gallery
Though Abraham appears in the photo, it's merely a photographer's trick, likely double exposure.Massachusetts Historical Society
That night, Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth. Because of this, Julia Grant may have saved her husband's life.Missouri Encyclopedia
They married more than two decades later, when Frances was 21 and Grover was 49. Public Domain
She allegedly once said that "a woman's name should appear in print but twice — when she is married and when she is buried."Public Domain
As first lady, Taft wholeheartedly supported a proposal by Eliza Ruhamah Scidmore to beautify the city with cherry trees. Taft was familiar with Japanese cherry trees and their beauty, having spent time in Asia with her husband. Bettmann/Getty Images
Edith herself called it a "stewardship." Though she denied making any big decisions on the president's behalf, she did have a heavy hand in deciding what her husband needed to see, and what could be delegated to others.Stock Montage/Getty Images
Instead of evacuating the country, the fearless future first lady allegedly carried a .38 pistol to protect herself.Public Domain
Because Franklin Roosevelt feared that divorce would ruin his political prospects, he agreed to stop the affair and promised his wife that they could have separate bedrooms moving forward.Fotosearch/Stringer/Getty Images
She interviewed Richard Nixon and covered big stories like the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. ullstein bild/ullstein bild via Getty Images
"I was terrified about losing my identity and getting lost in the kind of wake of Bill's force-of-nature personality," she said. "I actually turned him down twice when he asked me to marry him."Wellesley College/Sygma via Getty Images
Her future husband, Lyndon Baines Johnson, had matching initials. So did their daughters, Lynda Bird and Luci Baines Johnson.National Park Service
At a state banquet later, she noticed pandas on a cigarette box and remarked to Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai that they were cute. He replied that he would give her some — and just months later, pandas arrived at the Smithsonian's National Zoo. Richard Nixon Foundation
And then she did. White House Historical Association
Shortly after her husband became president, Betty Ford was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a mastectomy. She shared her diagnosis with the public, and was equally as honest about her struggles years later when she went to rehab for her alcohol and pill addiction.
By sharing her experience with these "taboo" subjects, she brought awareness to each.Bettmann/Getty Images
When she was 28 years old, Bush's hair started to go gray after the death of her three-year-old daughter, Robin, from leukemia. Barbara Bush Foundation
She speaks her native Slovenian, as well as English, French, Serbian, German, and Italian.Alex Wong/Getty Images
Most Americans can name a fact or two about the nation's presidents. Abraham Lincoln was remarkably tall; James Madison was rather short. But less is known about the women who lived in the White House alongside them. As these facts about America's first ladies prove, these fascinating women are certainly worthy of a closer look.
Some of these facts about first ladies highlight their achievements. Both Lou Hoover and Melania Trump spoke multiple languages (Hoover five, Trump six), and Michelle Obama attended an Ivy League university for her bachelor's degree. Jill Biden continued to hold a full-time job when she became first lady, and Abigail Fillmore can be thanked for the White House library.
While working behind the scenes, America's first ladies have also significantly changed the nation. Pat Nixon brightened zoos across the country when she helped bring pandas to the United States for the first time after visiting China in the 1970s. And Helen "Nellie" Taft forever beautified Washington, D.C. when she orchestrated the planting of the capital's famous cherry trees.
SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty ImagesThanks to Nellie Taft, Washington, D.C. bursts into beautiful shades of pink every spring.
Other first ladies made an even deeper impact, like Betty Ford. Her candor about her struggles with breast cancer and alcoholism brought new awareness to issues that impact millions of Americans to this day.
But some of these facts are dark, bizarre, and even macabre.
One strange first lady fact concerns Frances Cleveland. She was an infant when she met her future husband. Grover Cleveland, who was then 27 years old, gifted his future bride with her first baby carriage. Despite these shocking beginnings, the pair reportedly had a happy marriage and, to date, remain the only presidential couple to wed at the White House.
De Agostini/Getty ImagesA depiction of Grover and Frances Cleveland's 1886 wedding. They first met when Frances was still a baby.
Then there's Mary Todd Lincoln, who once posed for a spirit photographer in hopes that he'd summon the image of her late husband (the former president's "ghost" does appear in the frame, thanks to some 19th-century photography tricks). She also held séances in the Red Room of the White House, though it's unknown if she managed to summon another first lady, Abigail Adams, who is said to haunt the White House to this day.
Indeed, many of the darker facts about first ladies in the gallery above have to do with death. In 1842, Letitia Tyler became the first president's wife to die in the White House at 51 following a stroke. Julia Grant may have saved her husband, Ulysses, from death when she convinced him not to go to Ford's Theatre on the night of Abraham Lincoln's assassination. And some suspect that Florence Harding murdered her famously unfaithful husband, Warren.
But whether they're admirable, macabre, or somewhere in between, these facts about first ladies are all undoubtedly fascinating. From Martha Washington to Jill Biden, the women of the White House had lives distinct from their husbands. They had jobs, interests, friends, secrets, remarkable accomplishments, and ambitions — some of which even changed the world.
After looking through these facts about America's first ladies, enjoy these surprising facts about America's 16th president, Abraham Lincoln. Or, discover some of the darkest facts about America's founding fathers.
