The desk used by many presidents of the United States was named “Resolute Desk” because it was made from pieces of wood of the HMS Resolute, a English ship discovered by an American in Artica, repaired and sent back to England as a sign of friendship between the two countries.
presidents
John F Kennedy Donated his full salary…
John F Kennedy donated his full salary both as president and during his 14 years in congress reaching around $500,000.
JFK was stranded on a desert island…
JFK was stranded on a desert island during WWII, and eventually rescued thanks to a coconut he had carved a distress message into. He later displayed this coconut in the Oval Office.
Lyndon B. Johnson did not become…
Lyndon B. Johnson did not become a rancher until he was 43, but was quite successful. He left his ranch to the American people as a historical site, providing it was maintained as “a working ranch, and not a sterile relic of the past.” To this day the National Park Service breeds Hereford cattle there.
As Pres. Grover Cleveland and his…
As Pres. Grover Cleveland and his wife were moving out of the White House, she told staff to take care of the place because “We are coming back four years from today.” Cleveland won another term and moved back in four years later.
The USS William D. Porter was the only…
The USS William D. Porter was the only vessel in US Navy history to have its entire crew placed under arrest after accidentally firing a live torpedo at a vessel carrying the President of the United States and the Secretary of State.
On November 7 1944, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was elected to a fourth term as President. The 22nd Amendment to the Constitution was later passed in 1951, limiting a president’s tenure in office to two terms of four years each. As a result, Roosevelt remains as the only President to have served for more than two terms.
In 2003, Beyoncé came under fire…
In 2003, Beyoncé came under fire from the Grant Monument Association for dancing in a “patently inappropriate” way on the steps of the tomb of President Ulysses S. Grant. President Grant’s great-grandson defended her saying, “If the old guy were alive, he might have enjoyed it.”
The Hoovers both spoke Mandarin…
The Hoovers both spoke Mandarin. In the White House they would speak in Mandarin to avoid eavesdroppers. To date, Lou Hoover is the only First Lady to speak an Asian language. They were also well versed in Latin; working together to translate “De Re Metallica” a 16th century mining textbook.
In 1967, US president Lyndon…
In 1967, US president Lyndon Johnson secretly ordered a study that concluded he would die at age 64. He died of a heart attack in 1973 at age 64.
According to secret service agents…
According to secret service agents, Ronald Reagan carried a pistol in his briefcase when he was president, “just in case you guys can’t do the job, I can help out”. Reagan acquired a pocket sized pistol after college in the 1930s “and kept it lovingly the rest of his life”.
Politicians mocked John Adams, nicknaming…
Politicians mocked John Adams, nicknaming him “His Rotundity” after he had suggested that the president should be titled like royalty, suggesting titles such as, “His Majesty the President” and “His Highness, the President of the United States of America, and Protector of the Rights of the Same”.