45+ facts about 45 presidents: A Presidents Day collection

WASHINGTON 鈥斅燩residents Day resulted from an agglomeration of George Washington鈥檚 (Feb. 22) and Abraham Lincoln鈥檚 (Feb. 12) birthdays. Now, it鈥檚 really a day to celebrate everyone who has held the office.

Herewith, a collection of facts about each of the 45 American presidents, gleaned from the White House website, the Miller Center at the University of Virginia and presidential libraries. These facts have as little as possible to do with politics or policy, and as much as possible to do with the unique and the unusual.

And if that’s not enough, each president has received his own nickname inspired by those facts. George “The Flamethrower” Washington? James “Who, Me?” Garfield? Read on and learn.

**George 鈥淭he Flamethrower鈥� Washington (1789鈥�1797)** OK, so he never actually threw a silver dollar across the Potomac River. But his stepgrandson, George Washington Parke Custis, threw a piece of slate across the Rappahannock River, in Fredericksburg. This is an 1862 picture of Fredericksburg taken from across the river. Pretty impressive. Custis also said George Washington threw a rock up to the top of the Natural Bridge, in Rockbridge County, Virginia. (Photo via Wikimedia Commons)

circa 1796: John Adams (1735 - 1826), the 2nd President of the United States of America (elected 1796). (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images) — **John “The Comeback Kid” Adams (1797鈥�1801)** Adams worked as a lawyer in Boston starting in 1758. He had only one client in his first year, and didn鈥檛 win a case for nearly three. He was Washington鈥檚 vice president, a job he called “the most insignificant office that ever the invention of man contrived or his imagination conceived.” He also once wrote that among the clergy, one would find the聽“pretended sanctity of some absolute dunces,” which is neither here nor there but is way too funny not to throw in. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

American statesman Thomas Jefferson (1743 - 1826), the 3rd President of the United States of America. Jefferson was also responsible of the writing of the Declaration of Independence. Original Artwork: Engraving after painting by Rembrandt Peale. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images) — **Thomas “Pen Pal” Jefferson (1801鈥�1809)** 鈥淔rom sun-rise to one or two o鈥檆lock,鈥� Jefferson once said, 鈥淚 am drudging at the writing table.鈥� He wrote almost 20,000 letters in his lifetime, and received 1,267 just in the year 1820. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

US President James Madison (1751 - 1836), circa 1790. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images) — **James 鈥淪tretch鈥� Madison (1809鈥�1817)** Just kidding 鈥� Madison was 5-feet-4 inches tall and weighed 100 pounds. Washington Irving once described him as 鈥渂ut a withered little apple-John.鈥� (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Portrait of 5th United States President James Monroe. (1817-1825) (Courtesy of the National Archives/草莓传媒makers) — **James 鈥淟andslide鈥� Monroe聽(1817鈥�1825)** His presidency came during what was called the “Era of Good Feelings.” He had to have been happy about it: In 1816, he won 16 of 19 states and 183 out of 217 Electoral College votes. In 1820, he won all 24 states (yup, the U.S. gained five states in four years), and only one electoral vote was cast against him. How many electoral votes he got is complicated; there were disputes over how many votes some states got. But because it was a blowout, they evidently never really bothered to resolve them. (Courtesy of the National Archives/草莓传媒makers)

FILE- This undated file image shows a portrait painted by artist John Singleton Copley of John Quincy Adams, sixth president of the United States from 1825 to 1829. Historians noticed Adams' short diary entries are similar to modern day Twitter updates. So starting Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2009, the Massachusetts Historical Society begins posting Twitter updates from his diary entries 200 years ago. (AP Photo) — **John Quincy 鈥淭he Most Interesting Man in the White House鈥� Adams (1825鈥�1829)** Where to begin? The easy part is to say he was the son of the second president, John Adams. But everyone knows that. He was also the second president to fail to win a second term in office 鈥� the first was his father. He probably didn鈥檛 have much of a shot at getting re-elected, given the fact that in the election of 1824, he managed to get to the White House despite winning neither the popular vote nor the first ballot of the Electoral College. (Some serious horse-trading went on after that first vote, which left a lot of people upset.) He was also known for skinny-dipping in the Potomac as president, part of his regular fitness routine. (The story of a reporter sitting on Adams鈥� clothes until he consented to an interview is unconfirmed, but awesome.) He also kept an alligator as a pet in a bathroom in the East Room, and would direct visitors there without telling them about it, just to scare them. He was the U.S. representative to the U.K., Russia, Prussia and the Netherlands, and served in the Senate before becoming president and in the House afterward (yes, AFTER serving as president). He also kept a daily diary from age 12 until he died at 80. (AP Photo)

President Andrew Jackson, the 7th president on the U.S. is shown in an undated portarait. (AP Photo) — **Andrew 鈥淭he Equalizer鈥� Jackson (1829鈥�1837)** Don鈥檛 get Andrew Jackson angry. You wouldn鈥檛 like him when he鈥檚 angry. First off, in 1806 he killed Charles Dickinson in a duel over 鈥� well, it was a combination of things, including an insult to Jackson鈥檚 wife and a horse race. Jackson was coldblooded about it too: Dickinson fired first and hit Jackson in the chest; the rules said he then had to stand still while Jackson took his shot. “I should have hit him if he had shot me through the brain,” Jackson later said. Jackson could鈥檝e fired into the air; he could鈥檝e given it up when his pistol misfired. But no: He stood there and killed his opponent. Dickinson鈥檚 bullet was too close to Jackson鈥檚 heart to operate, so it stayed in his chest the rest of his life. So Jackson didn鈥檛 take slights easily. When he lost the election of 1824 in a skullduggerous manner, he was determined to beat Adams in 1828, and he did. In his first speech to Congress, he called for the elimination of the Electoral College. In 1832, he found out that the Senate had rejected the nomination of Martin Van Buren, his mentee, to the post of minister to England. His excellent reaction? 鈥淏y the Eternal! I鈥檒l smash them!鈥� And he basically did: Van Buren became vice president instead, then succeeded Jackson when his second term ran out. Some people never learn.聽 (AP Photo)

On this date in 1862, Martin Van Buren, the eighth president of the United States, and the first to have been born a U.S. citizen, died at age 79 in Kinderhook, New York, the town where he was born in 1782. (AP Photo) — **Martin 鈥淭he American Guy鈥� Van Buren, also known as Martin 鈥淒ouble A鈥� Van Buren (1837鈥�1841)** Van Buren was the first president not to be born a British subject. He was born in Kinderhook, New York, in 1782. And being of Dutch ancestry, his first name was originally spelled Maarten. In fact, English was his second language. His wife died well before he became president, and he never remarried. His daughter-in-law did the traditional first lady duties. (AP Photo)

**William Henry 鈥淭he Mouth鈥� Harrison (1841鈥�1841)** While the aim here is to find unusual things about the presidents, Harrison, who died after a month in office, didn鈥檛 have a chance to make much of a mark. Sworn in March 4, 1841, he died April 4, 1841. You could say he packed a lot of superlatives into a short time: His was the shortest presidency, but he gave the longest inaugural address; at more than 8,400 words, it clocked in at more than two hours. (You can read it , though I’ll bet you several drinks you won’t bother to finish.) At the time, he was also the oldest president 鈥� 68 when he was sworn in 鈥� and held on to that title until Ronald Reagan in 1981. By the way, as I鈥檝e pointed out before, the common story is that Harrison was killed by a case of pneumonia that he caught from giving that marathon inaugural address in the cold and rain without a hat, but who went through the diary of his personal physician think it was a case of enteric fever. The next two presidents had gastroenteric problems too, leading them to believe it was a matter of 鈥渢he unsanitary conditions鈥� in D.C. in the 19th聽century. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

John Tyler, seen in this painting was the 10th President of the United States from April 6, 1841 - April 3, 1945. (AP Photo) — **John 鈥淎nd Tyler Too鈥� Tyler (1841鈥�1845)** Tyler was the second half of the campaign slogan 鈥淭ippecanoe and Tyler too,鈥� referring to Harrison鈥檚 nickname, which he got back when massive slaughters of Native Americans were considered justification for cutesy nicknames. Their entwined names became part of the campaign song for their 1840 run against Martin Van Buren: Pretty solid 19th-century burn. Anyway, Tyler鈥檚 presidency is known for two things: First, it showed that the whole President-Vice President thing wasn鈥檛 as clear as you might think. The Constitution at the time said 鈥渢he Powers and Duties鈥� of the presidency would go to the vice president if the president died, resigned or was removed; it didn鈥檛 say he actually became president. And this was the case 鈥渦ntil 鈥� a President shall be elected.鈥� Did that mean a special election, or waiting until the next regularly scheduled one? Tyler took over, and no one stopped him. After that, the 鈥淭yler Precedent鈥� held in future cases, but it wasn鈥檛 until the ratification of the 25th聽Amendment in 1967 that it was official. He was the first president to see one of his vetoes overridden. He didn鈥檛 run for re-election in 1844. (AP Photo)

James Knox Polk, eleventh President of the United States who served from 1845 to 1849. (Photo by National Archive/草莓传媒makers) — **James K. 鈥淭he Great Retirer鈥� Polk (1845鈥�1849)** Polk promised he would only serve one term, and that鈥檚 what he did. He also had the shortest post-presidency, dying June 15, 1849, just three months after he left office. Policy-wise, he鈥檚 best known for adding a million square miles to the U.S., but historians say his greatest mistake was failing to realize that scarfing up all that land without resolving the question of whether slavery would be allowed on it would raise the stakes and hasten the Civil War. (Photo by National Archive/草莓传媒makers)

An undated portrait-daguerreotype of Zachary Taylor, the 12th president of the United States (1849-1850). Taylor died in office, July 9, 1850. (AP Photo/Library of Congress) — **Zachary 鈥淲ell, You Tried鈥� Taylor (1849鈥�1850)** For one thing, he was another short-lived president, dying July 9, 1850, after a little more than a year in office. He had only been sick five days, falling ill after July 4 celebrations, and drinking ice water and 鈥渓arge quantities of cherries and other fruits.鈥� The two Maryland researchers from the Harrison study said that he, too, probably had enteric fever. He wanted to settle the slavery question once and for all, and that鈥檚 exactly what he didn鈥檛 do. He was a hands-off president who thought Congress should handle most matters 鈥� exactly the wrong guy for the office when Congress is so divided, the Miller Center said. (AP Photo/Library of Congress)

Millard Fillmore of the Whig party, 13th U.S. president, 1850-53. (AP Photo) — **Millard 鈥淥riginal Log Cabin Guy鈥� Fillmore (1850鈥�1853)** We talk about Lincoln鈥檚 humble beginnings, but Millard Fillmore grew up in a log cabin and attended very little school. He worked hard at what little education he could get, though: He impressed his teacher enough that she eventually married him. (Not as creepy as it sounds. Thanks to his late start, she was only two years older, and they were engaged for seven years.) He read enough that he taught himself the law, and eventually passed the bar. His presidency was dominated by the struggle over slavery, and no one was happy with the compromises he and the rest of the government were developing. He couldn鈥檛 even get his party鈥檚 nomination when he tried to run for re-election in 1852. The Fillmore presidency was a low point for the White House as a physical place, : Sanitation in the District was sorely lacking, and inside the mansion 鈥渢here were annoyed accounts of springs in battered furniture stabbing guests who tried to sit down in the White House. Not surprisingly, the Fillmores treasured escaping to the countryside, and they retreated there as often as possible.鈥� (AP Photo)

A portrait-daguerreotype of Franklin Pierce, circa 1846-1848, as a volunteer in the Mexican War. Pierce was elected 14th president of the United States (1853-1857). (AP Photo/Library of Congress) — **Franklin 鈥淪orry, Nothing Funny About This One鈥� Pierce (1853鈥�1857)** President Pierce and his wife, Jane Pierce, lost three children before he got to the White House. The oldest one made it to 11 years old before he died in a train crash that his parents witnessed, a couple months before Pierce started his term. Jane Pierce already didn鈥檛 want him to be president; she fainted when she heard he had won the Democratic nomination and she hadn鈥檛 even moved to Washington when he was a senator. And the death of their last child sealed the deal: She lived in the White House, but barely threw or went to any functions. Franklin Pierce also wasn鈥檛 renominated by his own party. Sorry. No jokes this time. (AP Photo/Library of Congress)

**James 鈥淭he Bachelor鈥� Buchanan (1857鈥�1861)** That鈥檚 the thing most people know about James Buchanan 鈥� he was the only bachelor president. (His niece, Harriet Lane, fulfilled the first lady鈥檚 social duties, and reportedly did a bang-up job.) The question had been raised since even before he took office: Was he gay? The short answer is it鈥檚 hard to tell. He lived with William Rufus King, Pierce鈥檚 vice president, and wrote him some letters that by our standards would indicate as much. Others point out that Buchanan was engaged to a woman at one point, was seen dallying with a few others, and that relations between men looked very different to modern eyes. Historian James Loewen has argued that Buchanan鈥檚 sexuality wasn鈥檛 even a secret, progressing from there to claim that people were more accepting in the 19th聽century than later, which upsets the conventional wisdom that said liberalization of social attitudes has been a one-way street in America. (Getty Images)

On this date in 1862, President Abraham Lincoln issued the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, declaring all slaves in rebel states should be free as of January 1, 1863. (AP Photo) — **Abraham 鈥淭he Joker鈥� Lincoln (1861鈥�1865)** It鈥檚 hard to find anything new and fun about Lincoln: He presided over the Civil War, and he was assassinated. Not only that, but he seemed to suffer from what we would now call depression, and he and his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, also had three children who died (and a fourth who lived into adulthood). But he did manage to tell a joke once in a while. Once accused of being two-faced, , 鈥淚f I had another face, do you think I would be wearing this one?鈥� He also once felt so beset by favor-seekers that when he later caught a contagious disease, he said 鈥淲ell, I鈥檝e got something now that I can give to everybody.鈥� the story of a woman who piped up in church to say that, contrary to the preacher鈥檚 oration, there did exist a perfect woman 鈥� her husband鈥檚 first wife. He spoke once of a man who was so short that when he walked through the snow the seat of his pants wiped out his footprints. For presidential humor, it’s about as good as it gets. (AP Photo)

This is an undated photo of the seventeenth President of the United States Andrew Johnson. (AP Photo) — **Andrew 鈥淭rainwreck鈥� Johnson (1865鈥�1869)** Perhaps Johnson鈥檚 1865 vice presidential inauguration speech should鈥檝e been taken as a clue: After an undetermined but large amount of whiskey, 鈥渞ose unsteadily to harangue the distinguished crowd about his humble origins and his triumph over the rebel aristocracy. In the shocked and silent audience, President Abraham Lincoln showed an expression of 鈥榰nutterable sorrow,鈥� while Senator聽聽covered his face with his hands. Former Vice President Hamlin tugged vainly at Johnson’s coattails, trying to cut short his remarks.鈥� He was supposed to swear in the new senators, but he couldn鈥檛 manage it. There were calls for his resignation within a week. It didn鈥檛 get much better after Johnson took over following Lincoln鈥檚 assassination: Professor Elizabeth Varon called him 鈥渢he worst possible person to have served as President at the end of the American Civil War鈥� and that, thanks to his racism and incompetence at governmental affairs, 鈥淚n the end, Johnson did more to extend the period of national strife than he did to heal the wounds of war.鈥� He was the first president to be impeached, in 1868, but the Senate did not vote to convict him. (AP Photo)

On this date in 1885, Ulysses S. Grant, the 18th president of the United States, died in Mount McGregor, New York, at age 63. (AP Photo) — **Ulysses S. “So Sue Me” Grant (1869鈥�1877)** 鈥淚t was my fortune, or misfortune, to be called to the office of Chief Executive without any previous political training. Under such circumstances, it is but reasonable to suppose that errors of judgment must have occurred.鈥� That comes from Grant鈥檚 final annual address to Congress. (Well all right then.) According to The Miller Center, the reputation of Grant, a war hero and unlikely president, has risen recently, as scholars take a more sober-eyed view of what he was up against. Still, he low-stepped Reconstruction and, perhaps due to his emphasis on personal loyalty, saw a bunch of scandals in his administration. And yes, he鈥檚 buried in Grant鈥檚 Tomb. How did that ever become a thing? (AP Photo)

Rutherford B. Hayes, the 19th president of the United States of America, is seen in this undated photograph. (AP Photo) — **Rutherford B. 鈥淟osing Streak鈥� Hayes (1877鈥�1881)** If you鈥檙e noticing that seven of the last eight presidents were kind of terrible, Hayes isn鈥檛 going to help the average. Elected in a kind of ridiculous 1876 election in which he didn鈥檛 get the popular vote OR the majority of the first vote of the Electoral College, he won in a pratfall of a process that didn鈥檛 wrap up until two days before Inauguration Day. And that was 鈥渟olved鈥� by his Republican Party giving up on Reconstruction and letting the white-supremacist Democrats dominate the South for about 100 years. Thanks a lot, Rutherford. No lighthearted anecdotes for you. (AP Photo)

James A. Garfield, 20th United States President, is shown in this undated photograph. (AP Photo) — **James A. 鈥淲ho, Me?鈥� Garfield (1881)** The 1880 Republican Convention was supposed to be between Ulysses Grant, running to reclaim his old office, and James Blaine, senator from Maine. James Garfield, who at the time was a senator-elect, nominated the compromise candidate John Sherman. For 33 ballots, Garfield himself just got one or two votes as the big boys battled it out. Then it turned into a stampede, and on the 36th聽ballot, he won the nomination. Conventions were just a little different back then. He went on to win the election, but was shot in July 1881 and died in September. (AP Photo)

This is an undated portrait of Chester Alan Arthur, 21st president of the U.S., from 1881 to 1885. (AP Photo) — **Chester A. 鈥淎im High鈥� Arthur (1881鈥�1885)** Arthur was warned against accepting the vice presidential slot on the 1880 ticket, but he took it, saying, 鈥渢he office of the Vice-President is a greater honor than I ever dreamed of attaining.” Life comes at you fast. (AP Photo)

U.S. President Grover Cleveland shown August 9, 1892, 22nd and 24th president, 1885-1889 and 1893-1897. (AP Photo) — **Grover 鈥淜eep My Seat Warm鈥� Cleveland (1885鈥�1889)** It鈥檚 hard to know where to begin: He passed the bar despite never having gone to college, let alone law school; he dealt with a scandal regarding a possible illegitimate child by saying it could in fact be true; he was single when he was elected president, but two years into his term he married his 21-year-old ward. But the thing he鈥檚 best known for is coming up. (AP Photo)

Benjamin Harrison, the 23rd President of the United States. Elected in 1888, Harrison was the grandson of William Henry Harrison, the 9th President of the United States. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images) — **Benjamin 鈥淭he Grandson鈥� Harrison (1889鈥�1893)** The grandson of the short-lived President William Henry Harrison, Benjamin is the only president to have followed in his grandfather鈥檚 footsteps. He also won the 1888 election in the Electoral College despite losing the popular vote to the incumbent, Grover Cleveland. Speaking of whom 鈥� (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

This is one of the last photos taken of U.S. President William McKinley on the day he was shot, September 6, 1901. It shows him, left, with John G. Milburn, right, President of the Pan American Exposition, leaving Niagara Falls, N.Y., to return to Buffalo and the reception at which he was shot. (AP Photo) — **William 鈥淲hat the %^&#?鈥� McKinley (1897鈥�1901)** In 1900, McKinley was the first president to get re-elected since Grant in 1872, but he was shot on Sept. 6, 1901, and died eight days later, completing a three-assassinations-in-nine-presidents run. Fantastic. This is one of the last photos taken of U.S. President William McKinley on the day he was shot, September 6, 1901. It shows him, left, with John G. Milburn, right, president of the Pan American Exposition, leaving Niagara Falls, N.Y., to return to Buffalo and the reception at which he was shot. (AP Photo)

Theodore 鈥淭he Kibitzer鈥� Roosevelt (1901鈥�1909) Roosevelt took over after McKinley鈥檚 assassination and was elected in his own right in 1904. He kept his promise not to run again in 1908, but he couldn鈥檛 stay away. He ran on a third-party ticket in 1912 and he didn鈥檛 win, but he did pretty well: 27 percent, good for second place. His third party was eventually called the Bull Moose Party, for good reason: Just before a speech in October 1912, he was shot. (Again with the presidential shootings!) The bullet stopped short of his lung, thanks to a thick copy of his speech that he had in his pocket at the time. He said,聽“Ladies and gentlemen, I don’t know whether you fully understand that I have just been shot, but it takes more than that to kill a Bull Moose.” He then figured that since he wasn鈥檛 coughing up blood he hadn鈥檛 been hit in the lung, so he gave his speech. It was 90 minutes. (AP Photo, File)

AP Photo, File

William Howard Taft, center, wore a big fur-lined overcoat when he reviewed parade after his inauguration as president, on March 4, 1909 in Washington. At right is James S. Sherman, vice president of the United States, and at left Edward Hallwagon, chief of the Inaugural Committee. A whirling blizzard, featured by flashes of lighting, as well as rain, snow and a cutting wind, made it one of the roughest of all inauguration days. (AP Photo) — **William Howard 鈥淏athtub鈥� Taft (1909鈥�1913)** Taft (center) was the last president with facial hair, the first to throw out an Opening Day pitch, the least-successful re-election candidate (eight Electoral College votes) and the only person to be both president and chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (1921鈥�1930, a job he reportedly preferred). You could remember those things. You could remember that he was a veritable oath-giving machine, swearing in a remarkable six Supreme Court justices in his presidency, then switching to the other side of the Bible and swearing in two presidents as chief justice. But you remember the bathtub, don鈥檛 you? Actually, there鈥檚 more than one Taft bathtub story. The one everyone 鈥渒nows鈥� 鈥� that thanks to his 320-pound girth he got stuck in the White House bathtub 鈥� isn鈥檛 totally confirmed. What is, however, is that after he was president he was visiting a function at a hotel in New Jersey and took a bath in his room. He displaced a bit more water than he thought he would, though, and the resultant overflow ended up on the heads of the guests in the function room below. (AP Photo)

Woodrow 鈥淲hat Do You Do On a Date When You鈥檙e President?鈥� Wilson (1913鈥�1921) Edith Bolling Galt was Wilson鈥檚 second wife. He was the only president to be widowed and remarried while president. Of course, Wilson also suffered a stroke in 1919, and it鈥檚 unclear how many of the duties of the presidency were fulfilled by him and how many by his wife, Edith. She said in her memoirs, 鈥淚, myself, never made a single decision regarding the disposition of public affairs. The only decision that was mine was what was important and what was not, and the very important decision of when to present matters to my husband.鈥� That鈥檚 pretty important. Wilson was the first president since John Adams to give the State of the Union Address live. reported at the time that such a stunt was 鈥渘ot to become a habit.鈥澛� (AP Photo, file)

AP Photo, file

Warren G. 鈥淛erry鈥� Harding (1921鈥�1923) Historians don鈥檛 rate Harding as much of a president 鈥� the Teapot Dome scandal didn鈥檛 help 鈥� but the thing that stands out about him is the philandering. As a married senator, with a young woman named Nan Britton, who told him she had his campaign posters up all over her room. Ew. They eventually had a child; Harding paid Britton money, but never acknowledged the child. He also had an affair with Carrie Fulton Phillips, a German sympathizer during World War I who tried to blackmail him and was paid off by the Republican Party. He died in 1923 in San Francisco on a speaking tour. There鈥檚 a rumor his wife poisoned him. That, frankly, would be awesome. Harding鈥檚 middle name was Gamaliel, which is about the only excellent thing about him I could find. So why 鈥淛erry鈥�? Well, in his recently unearthed letters to Phillips, it was a nickname for 鈥� you don鈥檛 want to know. But you probably just guessed. Sorry. This combination of file photos shows former President Warren G. Harding, left, and Elizabeth Ann Britton. Genetic tests in 2015 proved that Harding fathered a child with long-rumored mistress Britton. (AP Photos/File)

AP Photos/File

Calvin Coolidge, left, wears wing collar and muted top hat en route to take oath on inauguration day, March 4, 1925. (AP Photo) — **Calvin 鈥淩ocking Horse鈥� Coolidge (1923鈥�1929)** Coolidge (left) was famously cool and calm: He was woken up in the middle of the night to be sworn in as president (by his father) after Harding鈥檚 death; after taking the oath, he went back to bed. He told reporters 鈥淚 do not choose to run鈥� for re-election in 1928 before telling his wife. But historian David Greenberg said he could break up his wife and friends by riding the stationary mechanical horse he had installed in the White House. It鈥檚 deeply disappointing to think it鈥檚 no longer there. (AP Photo)

U.S. President Herbert Hoover, right, is shown with first lady Lou Henry Hoover and their dogs in Washington, D.C., on June 15, 1932, in the final year of his presidential term. (AP Photo) — **Herbert 鈥淐rash鈥� Hoover (1929鈥�1933)** Early in Hoover鈥檚 presidency, his doctor invented a game called Hoover-ball as an exercise routine. I have no idea what the rules are here, but anything involving throwing a medicine ball around and running all over the place has to be good for you. So why 鈥淐rash鈥�? Well, Hoover was president during the 1929 stock market crash and resultant Great Depression. Historians argue about how effective his response was 鈥� his reputation has grown over the years as observers realize what he was up against 鈥� but anytime you can give someone the nickname 鈥淐rash,鈥� you do it. Hoover is shown with first lady Lou Henry Hoover and their dogs in Washington, D.C., on June 15, 1932, in the final year of his presidential term. (AP Photo)

President Franklin D. Roosevelt lifts his dog Fala as he prepares to motor from his special train to the Yacht Potomac at New London, Conn., Aug. 3, 1941. The president began a vacation voyage scheduled for a week or 10 days. (AP Photo) — **Franklin D. 鈥淵ou’re Fired鈥� Roosevelt (1933鈥�1945)** As if four terms as president (really three and a couple of months) wasn鈥檛 enough, Roosevelt鈥檚 presidency was longer than others in a different way 鈥� his first inauguration, in 1933, was the first to be held Jan. 20 instead of March 4. While the presidency was stable for a long time in Roosevelt鈥檚 hands, the vice presidency wasn鈥檛: He had three vice presidents. John Nance Garner jumped ship after two terms, in part because FDR was breaking George Washington鈥檚 precedent (the two-term limit wasn鈥檛 law until the 22nd聽Amendment in 1951). Henry Wallace was his third-term vice president; Harry Truman, seen as a more moderate figure, took over that incomplete fourth. (AP Photo)

**Harry S. 鈥淪鈥� Truman (1945鈥�1953)** As a young man, I was told that the 鈥淪鈥� in Harry S. Truman didn鈥檛 actually stand for anything, and that therefore it shouldn鈥檛 have a period after it. That鈥檚 only kind of true: In fact, there were two prominent names beginning with 鈥淪鈥� in the Truman family 鈥� Shipp and Solomon. And rather than choose, they just went with the initial to honor both. Truman was only vice president for a couple of months when he rose to the White House. No one had even told him that the atomic bomb had been developed. Shortly thereafter, he told reporters, 鈥淏oys, if you ever pray, pray for me now. I don’t know if you fellas ever had a load of hay fall on you, but when they told me what happened yesterday, I felt like the moon, the stars, and all the planets had fallen on me.鈥� This picture was taken when he was vice president, in 1945. Yup, that’s Lauren Bacall on the piano. (AP Photo)

Dwight Eisenhower takes the oath of office January 20, 1953 as president of the United States. The oath is administered by Chief Justice Fred Vinson, left. Supreme Court Clerk Harold B. Willey is at center. (AP Photo) — **Dwight D. 鈥淭he Quote Machine鈥� Eisenhower (1953鈥�1961)** Eisenhower鈥檚 time in office was thought of as a sleepy, complacent period 鈥� he was known to golf regularly.聽But for such a seemingly easygoing guy, he said some pretty interesting stuff. Some of his greatest hits: 鈥� “Now I think, speaking roughly, by leadership we mean the art of getting someone else to do something that you want done because he wants to do it, not because your position of power can compel him to do it.鈥� 鈥� “I think that people want peace so much that one of these days governments had better get out of the way and let them have it.” Comparing the presidency with being a general, he said: 鈥淭here have been times in war where I thought nothing could be quite as wearing and tearing as that with lives directly involved. But I would say, on the whole, this is the most wearing, although not necessarily, as I say, the most tiring.” And for a former general, he was rather a peacenik: “We know something of the cost of that war. We were in it from December seventh, ’41, till August of ’45. Ever since that time, we have been waging peace. It has had its ups and downs just as the war did.” (AP Photo)

President John F. Kennedy and his wife Jacqueline arrive at Dallas Love Field, Nov. 22, 1963, the day he was assassinated. (AP Photo/files) — **John F. 鈥淢osquito鈥� Kennedy (1961鈥�1963)** Kennedy had whooping cough, measles, chickenpox and scarlet fever as a child. The running joke in his family was that if a mosquito bit him, the mosquito would die. (AP Photo/files)

President Lyndon Johnson poses with Freckles, mother of five Beagle pups at the White House in Washington, Nov. 4, 1966. The president, just before leaving the Executive Mansion for his Texas ranch, showed off the pups, Freckles and Edgar, a gift from FBI director J. Edgar Hoover. The father of the pups is reported to be Jones Brookline Buddy, owned by Jean Austin DuPont of Wilmington, Delaware. (AP Photo/John Rous) — **Lyndon B. 鈥淧lease Pass the Biscuits, Pappy!鈥� Johnson (1963鈥�1969)** This nickname would probably be fightin鈥� words to Johnson, actually: Before his vice presidency and presidency, Johnson was known as master of the Senate (as one of Robert Caro鈥檚 books about him was titled). But Johnson actually lost his first race for the Senate, by a mere 1,311 votes, to W. Lee O鈥橠onnell, who led a family band called The Hillbilly Boys. One of their most popular songs was 鈥� you guessed it: President Lyndon Johnson poses with Freckles, mother of five Beagle pups at the White House in Washington, Nov. 4, 1966. (AP Photo/John Rous)

Richard M. 鈥淣o, You Don鈥檛 Get a Funny Nickname鈥� Nixon (1969鈥�1974) Nixon was elected in 1968 despite having lost a presidential election in 1960 and the California governor鈥檚 race in 1962, after which he gave the famous 鈥渓ast news conference鈥� during which he said, 鈥淵ou won鈥檛 have Dick Nixon to kick around anymore.鈥� He was the only president to resign; his fellow Republicans told him he would probably be removed in impeachment proceedings growing from the scandal of dirty tricks collectively known as Watergate. His first vice president, Spiro Agnew, a former Maryland governor, was the second vice president to resign, in 1973 after pleading no contest to tax fraud charges. Nixon apparently had been trying to replace him with John Connally 鈥� a Democrat! 鈥� for years, even though Nixon referred to Agnew as 鈥渋mpeachment insurance鈥� because no one would want him as president. (AP Photo/Henry Burroughs. File)

AP Photo/Henry Burroughs. File

President Gerald R. Ford kisses his wife Betty, Aug. 9, 1974, after he was sworn in as 38th President of the United States by Chief Justice Warren Burger, right, in the East Room of the White House. (AP Photo) — **Gerald R. 鈥淟eslie King Jr.鈥� Ford (1974鈥�1977)** Leslie King? Well, that was Ford鈥檚 birth name. His mother left his abusive father when Leslie was less than a year old. A couple of years later, she married Gerald R. Ford Sr., and they started calling the future president Gerald R. Ford Jr. He didn鈥檛 officially change his name until he was 22. President Gerald R. Ford kisses his wife Betty, Aug. 9, 1974, after he was sworn in as 38th president of the United States by Chief Justice Warren Burger in the East Room of the White House. (AP Photo)

President Jimmy Carter meets with congressional supporters of the proposed B-1 bomber, June 7, 1977 in Washington. From left are Rep. Marjorie Holt, (R-Md.), Rep. Wesley W. Watkins (D-Okla.), Carter, Sen. Alan Cranston (D-Calif.), and Rep. Jack Brinkley (D-Ga.). (AP Photo/Harvey Georges) — **Jimmy 鈥淪till Going Strong鈥� Carter (1977鈥�1981)** Carter only spent four years in the Oval Office; he鈥檚 now spent 37 years outside it. That鈥檚 the longest presidential retirement ever 鈥� five years longer than second-place Herbert Hoover. (AP Photo/Harvey Georges)

President Ronald Reagan checks his watch while talking with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev during a meeting in the White House Oval Office, Dec. 9, 1987. Reagan and Gorbachev were meeting for the third time in two days. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) — **Ronald 鈥淜eep Trying鈥� Reagan (1981鈥�1989)** Plenty of people made an unsuccessful run for president before winning, but Reagan did it twice, in separate decades (1968 and 1976), before winning on his third try in a third decade (1980). He took a similar tack with marriage, becoming the first divorcee to be elected president. Seems commonplace now, but Nelson Rockefeller鈥檚 split was one of the main reasons he lost what looked like a sure shot at the 1964 Republican nomination. President Ronald Reagan checks his watch while talking with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev during a meeting in the White House Oval Office, Dec. 9, 1987. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

George H.W. 鈥淟iving Right鈥� Bush (1989鈥�1993) The elder Bush is the longest-lived president ever; he鈥檚 93. The next-oldest ex-president is Jimmy Carter, who is 111 days younger. Bush was also the first sitting vice president since Martin Van Buren to be elected president in his own right. In this June 9, 1992, file photo, then-House Minority Leader Bob Michel, R-Ill., listens to President George H.W. Bush in the White House. (AP Photo/Dennis Cook, File)

AP Photo/Dennis Cook, File

Bill 鈥淎lta Vista鈥� Clinton (1993鈥�2001) Clinton was the first president since Andrew Johnson in 1868 to be impeached. Like Johnson, he was not convicted in his Senate trial. He was also the first president to have a website. Archived versions of live on in splendid internet retro glory. I also would be remiss if I didn鈥檛 point out, as I do every time I get the chance, that the 1992 presidential election contested among George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Ross Perot was an all-left-handers affair. In this Feb. 12, 1993, file photo, U.S. President Bill Clinton names Janet Reno the nation’s first female attorney general at a ceremony in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Doug Mills, File)

AP Photo/Doug Mills, File

George W. 鈥淪is Boom Bah鈥� Bush (2001鈥�2009) Bush was not only the second son of a president to make it to the Oval Office himself (doing so despite losing the popular vote, just as first son John Quincy Adams did); he was also a cheerleader in high school at Phillips Academy, in Andover, Mass. According to the cheerleading site FloCheer, he was actually the fourth cheerleader-president, after FDR, Eisenhower and Reagan. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds, file)

AP Photo/Ron Edmonds, file

Barack 鈥淕lobetrotter鈥� Obama (2009鈥�2017) There isn鈥檛 much that鈥檚 not known about Obama鈥檚 life, but the story of his upbringing is still rather remarkable: Born in Hawaii, he also lived in Seattle, Indonesia, Hawaii (again) and then Los Angeles and New York for college. He once called his family 鈥渓ike a little mini-United Nations. I鈥檝e got relatives who look like Bernie Mac, and I鈥檝e got relatives who look like Margaret Thatcher.鈥� He was also, of course, the first black president 鈥� and he鈥檚 left-handed, completing a five-out-of-seven string of lefty presidents, including Ford, Reagan (who was born left-handed but made to switch), H.W. Bush and Clinton. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, file)

AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, file

Donald “Slugger” Trump (2017鈥�) The current president is notable for several reasons 鈥� he鈥檚 the oldest to attain the office (70 years and 220 days when he was inaugurated), the first to be divorced twice and the first president never to have held an elective office or served in the military. He鈥檚 also the third president to be born in 1946, along with Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, making it the only year to see the birth of three presidents. He also played baseball at the New York Military Academy, and . (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

AP Photo/Evan Vucci

(1/45)