It’s no secret that we love Abraham Lincoln at Ethos3; his written speeches are masterful examples of how great speech writing doesn’t have to be lengthy to be powerful (we essentially made a love letter for The Gettysburg Address). But what do we know about Lincoln the man? Here are some of our favorite tidbits about the president in the stovetop hat:
1. Lincoln stayed sharp by never smoking or chewing tobacco, and rarely drinking.
2. His favorite foods? Chicken casserole, oysters, and apple pie.
3. Even though he was our 16th president in a time of mighty beards, he is still the first President to ever have one.
4. Lucha Lincoln! He was documented taking part in wrestling matches. For sport, of course.
5. Lincoln had no middle name, and disliked being called “Abe.”
6. Even though he had four sons, Lincoln currently has no living descendants.
7. Lincoln allegedly shared a dream of his own death with a few friends before his assassination. In the dream, he walked into the East Room of the White House and saw a covered corpse being watched by soldiers and mourners. When he asked someone who had died, they replied: “the president. He was killed by an assassin.” Spooky.
8. He loved animals (especially cats) and refused to hunt or fish.
9. Lincoln pushed for women to have the vote in 1836, long before it actually happened in 1920.
10. He is the only president to receive a patent. His design? Metal air chambers that kept vessels afloat in shallow water.
11. Lincoln’s mother died from drinking poisoned milk. It was later discovered that a cow had eaten poisonous white snakeroot.
12. He lost five separate elections before becoming president.
13. Lincoln read the Bible daily and was directed by personal belief, but was never a member of an organized church.
14. The man had big shoes to fill: he wore the modern equivalent of a size 12-14.
15. Due to a number of grave robbing attempts, his body has been moved 17 times until its final resting place at the Lincoln Tomb today.
The man, the legend, the wrestler, and the cat lover…Abraham Lincoln was a man like no other. Did we mention we loved The Gettysburg Address? Think on these fun facts while listening to a reading of it by Jeff Daniels:
Question: Who is your favorite historical speaker?
