Lives of the Presidents: Interesting Facts Quiz

Answer: Zachary Taylor

Zachary Taylor died on July 9, 1850, just sixteen months into his presidency. He was 65 years old. On July 4th, he attended a ceremony at the Washington Monument in sweltering heat. Afterwards, he consumed large quantities of iced milk, cold water, raw vegetables, and cherries.

Within hours, he developed severe stomach cramps and diarrhoea. His doctors diagnosed cholera morbus and treated him with calomel and opium. He died five days later. Some historians suspect arsenic poisoning, but tests on his remains in 1991 found no evidence of foul play. The heat and contaminated food were likely to blame.

Answer: Franklin D. Roosevelt

Franklin D. Roosevelt was an avid collector throughout his life. His most famous collection was stamps, which he began gathering as a child; by adulthood, it had grown into a large collection of stamps from around the world.

He also collected miniature pigs, which were given to him as gifts during his presidency. These small figurines decorated his desk and shelves in the White House. Roosevelt found collecting relaxing and often worked on his stamp albums in the evenings to unwind from the pressures of leading the nation through the Great Depression and World War II.

Answer: George H. W. Bush

George H.W. Bush famously banned broccoli from Air Force One and the White House in 1990. He declared, 'I'm president of the United States, and I'm not going to eat any more broccoli!' His announcement sparked amused outrage from broccoli farmers across America.

Bush explained that his mother had forced him to eat broccoli as a child, and now that he was president, he could finally refuse it. Truckloads of broccoli were sent to the White House in protest, which Bush donated to local food banks. His wife Barbara reportedly ignored the ban and continued serving broccoli at family meals.

Answer: Millard Fillmore

Millard Fillmore installed the first cast-iron cooking stove in the White House kitchen in 1850. Before this, all cooking was done over an open fireplace, which was inefficient and dangerous. The new technology was meant to modernise the presidential residence.

However, nobody in the White House kitchen knew how to operate the stove. Fillmore himself allegedly had to go to the patent office to study how it worked and then returned to teach the staff. The initial attempts resulted in burned meals and frustration, but eventually the kitchen staff mastered the new equipment.

Answer: Dwight D. Eisenhower

Dwight Eisenhower offered his grandson David $100 to cut his long hair in the late 1960s. This was during the era when long hair on young men was fashionable but considered rebellious by the older generation. Eisenhower, a former five-star general, disapproved of the style.

David agreed and got a haircut, but Eisenhower felt his hair was still too long and refused to pay. The incident reflected the generational clash of the 1960s. David Eisenhower later married Richard Nixon's daughter Julie and went on to become a presidential historian and author.

Answer: Franklin Pierce

Franklin Pierce's eleven-year-old son, Benjamin, was killed in a train accident on January 6, 1853, just two months before Pierce's inauguration. The family was travelling from Boston to Concord when their railroad car derailed and rolled down an embankment. Pierce and his wife Jane watched helplessly as their son was killed before their eyes.

Benjamin was their only surviving child. Their first son had died as an infant, and their second son died of typhus at age four. Jane Pierce believed Benjamin's death was divine punishment for her husband's political ambitions. She fell into deep depression and rarely appeared in public during Pierce's presidency, wearing black mourning clothes for the rest of her life.

Answer: Abraham Lincoln

Mary Todd Lincoln had a famously volatile temper. White House staff called her 'Her Satanic Majesty' and 'Hellcat' behind her back. She was known for throwing objects when angry and berating servants in front of guests.

On at least one occasion, she reportedly hit Abraham Lincoln on the nose with a piece of firewood to force him to pay attention to her during an argument. He generally responded to her outbursts with patience and humour, though he confided to friends that his wife's moods were difficult. Mary suffered from severe headaches and may have had mental health issues that worsened after the deaths of two of their four sons.

Answer: Chester A. Arthur

Chester A. Arthur owned 80 pairs of trousers and was considered one of the best-dressed presidents in American history. He changed clothes several times a day and refused to wear the same outfit twice in public. His wardrobe filled multiple rooms in the White House.

He was also an accomplished fisherman and was judged to be one of the best anglers in America by sporting publications of his time. After leaving office in 1885, he announced plans to retire and 'raise big pumpkins'. However, he died of kidney disease just a year later in 1886 and never got the chance to pursue his gardening ambitions.

Answer: James Madison

James Madison had a keen interest in natural sciences and anatomy, intellectual pursuits common among educated men of his era. This curiosity extended to his studies of government and political philosophy.

He was the smallest president in American history, standing just 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighing around 100 pounds. Despite his small stature, he was a brilliant political thinker known as the 'Father of the Constitution' for his role in drafting and promoting the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

Answer: John Quincy Adams

John Quincy Adams was said to have kept an alligator as a pet in the White House. It was supposedly a gift from the Marquis de Lafayette, a French general who played an important part during the Revolutionary War and was housed in the East Room for a time. The story is often repeated in popular lore, but historians regard it as more legend than firmly verified fact.

Adams was an unpopular president, much like his father John Adams before him. He lost his re-election bid to Andrew Jackson in 1828 in one of the nastiest political campaigns in American history. Despite his difficult presidency, Adams went on to serve in the House of Representatives for 17 years, where he became a vocal opponent of slavery.