Common misconceptions about each American president

George Washington (1789-1797) chopped down a cherry tree...and then confessed

An 1806 biography written by Mason Locke Weems describes an episode where a young Washington chopped down a cherry tree, and then confessed his wrongdoing to his father. But there is no evidence that this actually happened, as the source was reportedly a family friend of the Washingtons. Plus, the author only published the story in the fifth edition of the biography.

John Adams (1797-1801) was a monarchist

Adams was a bit of an elitist, and he believed people should call George Washington "His Majesty or His Highness, the President." Other than that, he was just a Federalist at heart who believed in a republic.

Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809) introduced ice cream in America

Thomas Jefferson didn't introduce ice cream in the US. There are records mentioning ice cream being served at a dinner party in May 1744 (Jefferson was a one-year-old back then). There are also records of ice cream being served at the White House during a reception hosted by Martha Washington.

James Monroe (1817-1825) was the brains behind the Monroe Doctrine

The Monroe Doctrine was about the US staying out of European affairs, and Europeans no longer colonizing territories in the Western Hemisphere. Thought it was presented by Monroe, it was actually John Quincy Adams, then Secretary of State, who wrote most of the doctrine.

Andrew Jackson (1829-1837) won the War of 1812 at the Battle of New Orleans

Well, not quite. When US forces claimed victory in New Orleans, the War of 1812 was already over. The Treaty of Ghent was signed in 1814. The battle took place in 1815 because the US didn't rectify the treaty as quickly as the British, allowing for the peace treaty to be on hold and a battle to be fought. The treaty had, however, already been signed by then, making the relevance of this victory arguable.

William Henry Harrison (1841) caught pneumonia at his inauguration and died

Harrison did die one month after his inauguration, but there is no evidence that it was due to pneumonia, or indeed that he caught it his inauguration. In fact, a 2014 study pointed to another possible diagnosis: typhoid fever, possibly contracted from drinking contaminated water.

James Polk (1845-1849) banned alcohol from the White House

The president's wife, Sarah Polk, was a Presbyterian, and indeed dancing, card-playing, and hard liquor was banned at the White House during her husband's presidency. But booze in general wasn't. Drinks such as champagne, sherry, and port wine, among others, were served at dinner parties.

Millard Fillmore (1850-1853) was a Mormon

No, he wasn't. As president, Millard Fillmore did appoint Mormon leader Brigham Young as governor of the Utah territory. Young then named a county "Millard" and a city "Fillmore" as a tribute to the president. Young was just saying thank you, not making Millard Fillmore a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

James Buchanan (1857-1861) was a lifetime bachelor

Buchanan remained unmarried his entire life, but he had several relationships, and even got engaged at one point. There are speculations that Buchanan was either gay or asexual, but there is no evidence to prove such hypotheses.

Andrew Johnson (1865-1869) was kicked out of office

Johnson was the first president to be impeached. His offense was violating the Tenure of Office Act when he attempted to remove the then-Secretary of War from office. Johnson was however acquitted in the Senate by one vote, so he managed to keep his job.

Rutherford B. Hayes (1877-1881) was a teetotaler

Hayes and his wife (nicknamed Lemonade Lucy) didn't drink and indeed banned booze from the White House. But Rutherford B. Hayes was known to have indulged in previous years. The decision to ban alcohol was apparently made to please temperance activists.

Chester A. Arthur (1881-1885) was born in Ireland

The president who added “so help me God” to the presidential oath is said to have been secretly Irish. But this was just a rumor spread by his opponents to disrupt his campaign, and then presidency. The president's official birthplace is Fairfield, Vermont.

Benjamin Harrison (1889-1893) signed the Declaration of Independence

Benjamin Harrison was born in 1833, and the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776, so this would have been impossible. So, why the confusion? Well, it turns out his great-grandfather, who was also called Benjamin Harrison, did sign the document.

William McKinley (1897-1901) died immediately after being shot

The president was shot on September 6, 1901, but was immediately operated and didn't die until September 14. McKinley apparently developed gangrene in the following days.

William Howard Taft (1909-1913) got stuck in a bathtub

The president was heavy, weighing around 340 lbs (154 kg), and he did have a custom bathtub made to use during a trip to inspect the works at the Panama Canal. Whether or not he got stuck in one is yet to be proven though.

Warren Harding (1921-1923) had no children

Warren Harding's mistress, Nan Britton, claimed that the president was the father of her daughter, Elizabeth. This was not proven until 2015 (10 years after Elizabeth's death). DNA tests done on one of Elizabeth's sons and two of president Harding's relatives proved Britton was telling the truth.

Calvin Coolidge (1923-1929) was a bit boring

A man of few words, Coolidge was nicknamed "Silent Cal." But he was not as dull as some people think. Calvin Coolidge actually had quite eccentric tastes, such as working out in an horseback riding simulator called an "electric horse." He also owned a goose, a raccoon, and a bobcat as pets!

Herbert Hoover (1929-1933) naming the Hoover Dam was welcomed by everyone

Hoover was pretty unpopular during the Great Depression, so naming a dam after him wasn't welcomed by everyone. When Franklin D. Roosevelt took office, the name was changed to "Boulder Dam," which was already used by many people. In 1974, Harry Truman changed it again to the "Hoover Dam."

Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933-1945) couldn’t drive

Roosevelt contracted polio (or Guillain-Barré syndrome, according to some theories) in 1921, which affected his legs. Because he could no longer operate the pedals, Roosevelt had two cars customized with special controls so he could drive using only his hands.

Harry S. Truman (1945-1953) omitted the period after the S in his name

Truman didn't have a middle name. The S in his name was a tribute to his grandfathers Anderson Shipp Truman and Solomon Young. Sometimes he didn't use the period, but other times he did.

Dwight Eisenhower (1953-1961) was the only Ike in the family

Ike is used as short for Eisenhower, but the president's older brother Edgar also went by Ike. He was "Big Ike" and Dwight Eisenhower was "Little Ike."

John F. Kennedy's (1961-1963) assassination was the only attempt on his life

In December 1960, a man plotted to ram a dynamite-filled car into JFK's vehicle and blow it up. Luckily the Secret Services uncovered the plot . Alarm bells went off again, ahead of the president's trip to Chicago in early November 1963. Yet again, JFK was able to escape another potential assassination attempt.

Lyndon B. Johnson (1963-1969) was called "Landslide Lyndon" due to his win by a landslide

In 1964, Lyndon Johnson did beat Barry Goldwater by a landslide, winning 61.1% of the votes. But the nickname actually has sarcastic roots. It was coined after Lyndon B. Johnson won the Democratic nomination for a Senate seat in 1948 by just 87 votes.

Richard Nixon (1969-1974) was impeached

The Watergate scandal did get Nixon removed from office, but he wasn't impeached. The president resigned before the House Judiciary Committee could actually vote.

Gerald Ford (1974-1977) was related to Henry Ford

President Ford was born Leslie Lynch King, Jr. But after his parents separated, his mother married Gerald R. Ford, and the future president was named after his adoptive father. Regardless, there is no link to the automobile magnate.

Jimmy Carter (1977-1981) founded Habitat for Humanity

Jimmy and his wife Rosalynn Carter started working with Habitat for Humanity in 1984. But the organization was founded in the 1970s by Millard and Linda Fuller.

Ronald Reagan (1981-1989) was supposed to star as Rick Blaine in 'Casablanca' (1942)

A press release put out by Warner Bros in January 1942 read: “Ann Sheridan and Ronald Reagan co-star for the third time in Warners’ Casablanca, with Dennis Morgan also coming in for top billing.” At the time, there was not even a screenplay for the movie, let alone a cast.

George H. W. Bush (1989-1993) banned broccoli from Air Force One

George H.W. Bush famously said in 1990 that he hated broccoli. So much so that people started to speculate he actually banned it from being served on Air Force One. When asked about it, the president said: "I have not ordered [broccoli] off Air Force One. I have just said, ‘Don’t you dare bring me another sprig of that vegetable.’"

Bill Clinton (1993-2001) attended WrestleMania X

The president didn't attend WrestleMania X in 1994. It was a Clinton impersonator named Tim Watters who did so.

George W. Bush's (2001-2009) head was intentionally featured in 'Game of Thrones'

A replica of George W. Bush's decapitated head does appear in an episode, but HBO managed to digitally alter it. Showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss explained the reason: "We can’t afford to have [the prosthetic body parts] all made from scratch, especially in scenes where we need a lot of them, so we rent them in bulk. After the scene was already shot, someone pointed out that one of the heads looked like George W. Bush."

Barack Obama (2009-2017) chartered a private jet for his dog

Obama's Portuguese water dog, Bo, is indeed family, but he didn't fly in a private jet to Acadia National Park in July 2010. The way the Morning Sentinel of Waterville, Maine, reported the arrival of the dog (and other passengers) made it seem like this was the case. The newspaper then issued a clarification.

Donald Trump (2017-2021 and 2025-) is the only president to have divorced his wife

Well, he's not. There is one president who did so before Trump. Ronald Reagan was in fact the first one to get divorced. Reagan was married to actress Jane Wyman from 1940 to 1949.