15 Funny Facts & Quotes - US Presidents
We tend to overlook the possibility of quirky tendencies or humorous habits of our commanders in chief. They're supposed to be the pinnacle of professionalism, the archetype of appropriate. But presidents are people, too, and people have weird habits, funny traits, and sometimes say what they feel, regardless of who's listening.
Below are fifteen examples of presidents being human. Because sometimes it's good to view our steadfast leaders in a more personal light.
1. “My fellow Americans, I am pleased to tell you I just signed legislation which outlaws Russia forever. The bombing begins in five minutes.” - Ronald Reagan (joking off camera, but still mic'd-up)
2. ''When I take action, I'm not going to fire a $2 million missile at a $10 empty tent and hit a camel in the butt. It's going to be decisive.'' - George W. Bush
3. Ulysses S. Grant was stopped for riding his horse and buggy too fast in Washington, D.C. and was given a $20 speeding ticket in the 1870s.
4. John Quincy Adams had a habit of skinny-dipping in the chilly Potomac River early in the morning.
5. ''For seven and a half years I've worked alongside President Reagan. We've had triumphs. Made some mistakes. We've had some sex--uh--setbacks.'' - George H. W. Bush
6. “If I don't have a woman for three days, I get terrible headaches.” - John F. Kennedy
7. “When they call the roll in the Senate, the senators do not know whether to answer ‘present’ or ‘not guilty.'" - Teddy Roosevelt
8. After President Bush Sr. vomited all over the Japanese Prime Minister, the Japanese coined a new term after the US President: Bushusuru -- “to do the Bush thing” -- to vomit publicly.
9. President John Tyler's term lasted from 1841-1845 and he had 15 children. One of his children, Lyon Gardiner Tyler, born in 1853, fathered Lyon Gardiner Tyler Jr. in 1924 and Harrison Ruffin Tyler in 1928. The two grandsons of John Tyler are still alive today.
10. President Jimmy Carter was not only the first president to be born in a hospital (1924) but is also the first president to go on record as having seen a UFO.
11. Think you've got good hands? President James A. Garfield could not only write with both hands at the same time, he could write Greek with one and Latin with the other!
12. President James Buchanan would discreetly and consistently purchase slaves in Washington, D.C. and then free them in Pennsylvania.
13. "I am not fit for this office and should never have been here." - Warren G. Harding (can you even imagine that kind of humility today?)
14. Franklin Delano Roosevelt once asked where his wife Eleanor was -- she was visiting a penitentiary at the time -- he was told, “She’s in prison.” FDR responded, “I’m not surprised. But what for?”
15. William Howard Taft AKA “Big Bill,” was the heaviest president in American history and would often get stuck in the White House bathtub upon which his staff would have to pull him out.
