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- James Polk was the first U.S. president to have his photograph taken. r
- During a low point in his acting career (circa 1954), Ronald Reagan took a standup gig in Las Vegas. It only lasted for a few weeks. r
- Theodore Roosevelt was the first president to ride in a car while in office, and his fifth cousin, FDR, was the first to ride in an airplane. r
- Thomas Jefferson had two pet bears, sent to him by Lewis and Clark during their expedition of the West. He kept them in a cage on the White House lawn, and walked them from time to time. r
- Abraham Lincoln was also a licensed bartender. He was a co-owner of a saloon in Springfield, IL called Berry and Lincoln. r
- Warren Harding once bet the White House china collection in a poker game. He lost it all in one hand. r
- Calvin Coolidge had a mechanical horse in the White House. He used it to practice his horseback riding skills. Coolidge also enjoyed having Vaseline rubbed on his head while eating breakfast in bed. r
- George Washington holds the record for shortest inauguration speech at less than two minutes. William Henry Harrison holds the longest at 1 hour and 40 minutes. A month after his inauguration, Harrison died from pneumonia contracted during his speech, making his the shortest term of any president. r
- During a modeling stint in college, Gerald Ford posed on the April 1942 cover of Cosmopolitan. r
- Ulysses S. Grant was given a $20 speeding ticket for riding his horse too quickly down a street in D.C. r
- In other horse-related law breaking news, James Madison and Thomas Jefferson were once arrested together for taking an illegal carriage ride through the Vermont countryside on a Sunday. r
- Standing at 6'4", Abraham Lincoln was our tallest president. At 5'4", James Madison was the shortest. r
- Every member of Teddy Roosevelt's family owned a pair of stilts. r
- John Quincy Adams often took early morning skinny dips in the Potomac. r
- Jimmy Carter was a commander of both a nuclear submarine and a peanut farm. r
For even more presidential ridiculousness, check out this Huffington Post slideshow and this list of 99 interesting facts about the U.S. presidents at Randomhistory.com.
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