Weird Presidents Quiz
Which president was shot at the start of a speech, but delivered the rest of the speech anyway?
- Roosevelt told the crowd "I don't know whether you fully understand that I have just been shot. I give you my word, I do not care a rap about being shot; not a rap!"
Which presidents died on the same day, July 4?
Which president was gifted a 1,200 lb. cheese wheel, made in this custom press and called "the mammoth cheese"?
- The cheese was made using the day's milk from every cow in Cheshire, Mass. It was stamped with Jefferson's motto "Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God."
Which president had a pet parrot that allegedly swore so much it disrupted the president's funeral?
- There are competing reports about how well the parrot behaved and if it was at the funeral, but we're pretty confident that the president did teach his feathered friend to cuss.
Which Republican president was spared criticism when his wife went to the Democratic conference and stared down his critics?
- "Nellie" Taft was a devoted wife and political ally. She sat front row at the Democratic National Convention and watched the speeches, since she figured it'd be hard for the gentlemen to criticize a man in front of his wife.
Which president could allegedly write Greek with one hand and Latin with the other (at the same time)?
- Unfortunately, Garfield wasn't president long enough to perform this particular stunt on any official documents.
Which president was so afraid of being electrocuted, he'd sleep with the lights on so he didn't have to touch the light switch?
- Harrison was the first president to have electricity in the White House, so he wasn't entirely convinced it was safe.
Which president vomited all over the Prime Minister of Japan?
- There's a verb in Japanese, translated roughly as "to do the Bush thing," meaning "to throw up on someone in public." This incident certainly didn't help H. W. in his bid for reelection.
Which president named his dog an honorary Army private?
- FDR's dog Fala was a national celebrity, featured in public addresses and comic strips. He was so famous, he was immortalized alongside the president at the FDR Memorial in D.C.
Which president would prank people by swerving his car into a river, and then later revealing it could drive on water?
- LBJ apparently liked to pull this prank a lot, as there are several well-recorded incidents of him doing this to government officials.
Bonus Question: What does President Harry S. Truman's middle initial stand for?
- Yep. Despite many false reports from the press, President Truman was born with the middle name "S."
