Washington - As Barack Obama prepares to become the 44th
United States President on Tuesday, a look at some of his
predecessors' peculiarities:
- The sportsman: Gerald Ford regularly swam a few lengths at the
White House pool. Once he even delivered a press conference during
his swimming session.
- The tallest: At 1.93 metres, Abraham Lincoln was the tallest
president in the history of the United States. However, Barack Obama
is hardly short, even if he stands shorter than Lincoln: he is 1.87
metres tall.
- The rich: For his 21st birthday, John F Kennedy received from
his father 1 million dollars. Each one of his eight siblings got a
similarly generous birthday present.
- The nudist: John Quincy Adams used to get up two hours before
sunrise in order to swim naked in the Potomac River before work.
- The sweet tooth: George Washington's favourite food was ice
cream.
- The word-saver: In his second inauguration, George Washington
delivered the shortest inaugural address in the history of the United
States, with only 135 words.
- The relatives: George Washington and Winston Churchill were
related through a joint ancestor from the 15th century. They were
distant cousins.
- The casual-dresser: After being elected president, Jimmy Carter
promised he would continue to wear jeans while in the White House.
- The comics fan: When he got the newspaper every morning, Ronald
Reagan always read the comics first.
- The fashion victim: Since newspapers reported in 1919 that
President Woodrow Wilson had worn a torn sweater at a meeting with
the Belgian royal family, people sent wool to the White House.
- The house husband: Before he moved into the White House, Bill
Clinton served his employees Thanksgiving dinner every year, and he
took care of the dishwashing afterwards.
- No housewife: Lou, the wife of Herbert Hoover, said that she had
never been in the kitchen during her time at the White House.
- Like father like son: Two presidential sons followed in their
fathers' footsteps and inherited not only the political position but
also the names of their old men: President John Quincy Adams, son of
John Adams, and outgoing President George W Bush, son of George HW
Bush.
USA
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