Top 5 unexpected facts about American first ladies

First lady Eleanor Roosevelt forced newspapers to hire female reporters. She even insisted that only female reporters should be allowed at her conferences. She took the fight for human rights to a new level.

There are rumors that she may have been ‘more than friends’ with one of the female reporters, Lorena Hickok, who was first assigned to cover the first lady in 1932 and later moved next door to her in the white house. Both ladies remained close all through their lives. Don't we just love her?

This is wild! Florence Harding passed on a year after the death of her husband. FBI agent, Gaston Meat, published a book in 1930 accusing her of killing her husband. Although it was later discovered that the book was fabricated, speculations were made based on how Florence acted after her husband's death.

It was revealed that President William Harding died in a hotel in San Francisco on his way back from a speaking voyage. His wife was reading to him when he convulsed then died. The first lady immediately embalmed her husband’s body, refused an autopsy and burned some of his personal papers. Meat claimed she killed her husband to hide evidence of his infidelity, corruption and bribery.

Lucretia and James Garfield’s story is one filled with many twists, turns and potholes. They did not marry out of love, it was more like they had to fulfil duty. The former president once wrote in his diary that his wife bored him. Lucretia was also frustrated with her husband's adultery.

Lucretia was down with malaria and was only just beginning to recover in the Jersey shore when she heard that her husband was shot by an assassin. She bravely returned to the White House and nursed him, not leaving his side until he passed away.

Anna Harrison fell sick just after her husband became president of the US. Her daughter-in-law had to perform the first lady duties during that time. When Anna got better, and was ready to leave for the white house, news of her husband's death hit her.

Sadly, William Harrison who died after a month in office was the first president to die in office. He also had the briefest term.

This first lady is one of our favorites because she set the bar on what the duties of a first lady should be. In 1844, before women were given the right to vote, she had an honorary seat in congress. She enjoyed listening to the debates of the Members of the House of Representatives. She was loved by the members of congress too.