How do you express your appreciation to the President of the United States? Over 214 years ago, folks in one town devised a unique gift … which turned out to carry malodorous consequences.

Thomas Jefferson had been president for five months by the summer of 1801. And a pastor named John Leland in New England thought he was doing a great job. He appreciated Jefferson’s dedication to religious liberty. He decided to have the town send a 'Mammoth Cheshire Cheese' to the White House. They wound up collecting milk from 900 cows and began to process.

Late in November, the Cheshire Mammoth Cheese was loaded on a sleigh and dragged to New York City. It was hoisted onto a ship and taken to Baltimore. A wagon carried it on the final leg of the 500 mile journey, arriving in the capital on December 29, 1801.

Jefferson had a strict policy of not accepting gifts, however, and he made sure Elder Leland returned home with a personal check for $200 to cover the production cost. They put it in the East Room, and ate, and ate.

It was present at Jefferson’s reception on New Year’s Day 1803, making the White House reek from one end to the other, too. It was still sitting out in March 1804, when one visitor delicately described it as “very far from being good.” This inspired an even bigger, even smellier presidential gift 34 years later. It went on to serve as the inspiration for two episodes of a popular US 1990's TV series.

More Info: en.wikipedia.org