10 weirdest hobbies of the US Presidents

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The list of the presidential predilections is surprising: here are 10 most curious and astonishing hobbies of the Presidents of the United States, from George Washington’s out-of-town manufacture to Barack Obama’s nerd collection.

U.S. Presidents’ political actions have always been getting into the public eye. But solving global problems and saving the world every day are not the only components of a President’s life. American Presidents also take the opportunity to enjoy life in the moment, even if they are said to hardly find time to sleep!

#1 George Washington's distillery

George Washington established a distillery at his plantation home Mount Vernon and became a successful liquor distributor. Actually, having left the presidency in 1797, he longed for a peaceful life of an ordinary farmer, but his farm manager, James Anderson, couldn’t leave rich rye harvest unattended. He gave Washington the idea to start a distilling business, which turned out to be very profitable – by 1799 the manufacture became the biggest whiskey distillery of those times.

#2 Thomas Jefferson's skeleton in the closet

Thomas Jefferson was very fond of collecting… mammoth bones. The President was just obsessed with science, didn’t believe in extinction and exhibited his trophies in attempt to reconstruct the whole skeleton.

#3 John Quincy Adams and his alligator

John Quincy Adams was also a true animal lover, so he kept a nice full-grown alligator right in the White House. This wild animal was an unexpected gift, but it didn’t confuse the President: he just kept the new family member in a bathtub for several months and was always happy to introduce it to the visitors.

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#4 Andrew Jackson's duels

Andrew Jackson, the President on $20 bill, was a man of honor, so he took part in a great number (about 100) of duels! Such a predilection resulted in numerous scars, several bullet wounds and one death: in 1806 future President Jackson, first having got shot in the chest, killed a man named Charles Dickinson. Now we see that the duel didn’t affect Jackson’s election campaign much.

#5 Theodore Roosevelt couldn't live without exercise

Theodore Roosevelt didn’t just like exercises; he was crazy about them. Being a weak and underweight child, Teddy decided to gain some strength while growing older. Theodore lifted weights, boxed, did jujitsu. He spent every spare minute on training, also taking care of intellectual development. Well, the proper results were definitely produced.

#6 Calvin Coolidge loved sleep more than anything else

Calvin Coolidge’s hobby is shared by a lot of people: he was fond of napping. He usually slept in the daytime and never found difficulty in justifying the need for it. Taking a nap made him feel good and always ready for decision making.

#7 Lyndon B. Johnson's bizarre vehicle

Lyndon Baines Johnson was a happy possessor of an amphibious vehicle, and his hobby consisted in drink driving. The thing was that the amphibian looked just like an ordinary passenger car, which allowed Lyndon to play people up: pretending the brakes had broken, Mr. President loved to drive a car into a lake, leaving everyone ashore shocked and defeated.

#8 Bill Clinton and crossword-puzzles

Bill Clinton’s love of music is his famous pastime. Everyone knows Clinton is fond of playing tenor saxophone. Bill’s predilection for crossword-puzzles is not that well-known hobby, but he is really serious about that: he has even designed his own one for the New York Times.

#9 George W. Bush was a cheerleader

George W. Bush was a head cheerleader at school. They say Bush’s performances were extremely awesome: he really knew the right way to cheer them up!

#10 Barack Obama's comic books

Barack Obama seems to be the first nerd U.S. President. Between this and that he collects comic books about Spider-Man and Conan the Barbarian. Obama definitely derives much strength and inspiration from his favorite cartooned heroes.

Do you share a hobby with any of the Presidents? Is there any information you would add to the article?

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