Fun Facts about Presidents
Happy Presidents Day! As we celebrate this uniquely American holiday, History Channel has some fascinating facts about the men who have served our country proudly as Commander in Chief.
- 8 Presidents have died in office:
- William Henry Harrison (pneumonia)
- Zachary Taylor (gastroenteritis)
- Abraham Lincoln (assassination)
- James Garfield (assassination)
- William McKinley (assassination)
- Warren Harding (heart attack)
- Franklin D. Roosevelt (cerebral hemorrhage)
- John F. Kennedy (assassination)
- James Buchanan is the only bachelor to be elected president
- Ronald Reagan is the only divorced man to be elected president
- The United States Marine band has played at every presidential inauguration since 1801
- Victoria Woodhull was the first woman to run for president, in 1872
- Only 12 US presidents have been elected to two terms, and actually fulfilled those two terms. Franklin Roosevelt was elected to four terms, before the 22nd Amendment went into effect
- John F. Kennedy is the youngest to be elected president - 43
- Ronald Reagan is the oldest to be elected president - 73 (second term)
- Barack Obama is the 44th president, but in reality there is only 43, because Grover Cleveland is counted twice, for 22nd and 24th terms, which were non consecutive
- Martin Van Buren was the first natural born citizen to become president, in 1837
- In 1824, 1876, 1888, and 2000, presidential candidates won the popular vote, but lost the election
- John Tyler was the first to use 'Hail to the Chief' for the official presidential honors