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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.

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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.

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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.

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James Madison (1809-1817) always wanted a Bill of Rights - The Father of the Constitution initially voted against a Bill of Rights, when it was first proposed at the Constitutional Convention.

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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.

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John Quincy Adams (1825-1829) died on the Senate floor -

The real story is a bit different. John Quincy Adams suffered a stroke at the House of Representatives in February 1848 and eventually died in his room, a few days later.

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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.

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Martin Van Buren's (1837-1841) parents were Dutch immigrants - Van Buren's parents were indeed of Dutch descendance, but they were actually born in New York, not the Netherlands.

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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.

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John Tyler (1841-1845) was expected to become president following William Henry Harrison's death - When President Harrison died, it was expected that his VP, John Tyler, would become president. Though this was not the case, at least not immediately. So much so that some of William Henry Harrison's cabinet called Tyler "vice president acting as president."

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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.

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Zachary Taylor (1849-1850) died from arsenic poisoning - Taylor's official cause of death was a gastrointestinal infection, or gastroenteritis (cholera morbus). It was not until the early 1990s that author Clara Rising came up with a theory that his symptoms sounded like arsenic poisoning. Taylor's body was even exhumed by the authorities and tested for arsenic poisoning, but the results came back negative.

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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.

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Franklin Pierce (1853-1857) ran over a woman with his horse (or carriage) - Well, at least that was the allegation, but there is no historical evidence this ever occurred (i.e. no newspaper coverage or correspondence).

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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.

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Abraham Lincoln (1861-1865) owned slaves - It's a misconception that Lincoln owned enslaved people. While his wife's family, the Todds, did, there’s no evidence that Abraham Lincoln owned any slaves.

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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.

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Ulysses S. Grant's (1869-1877) name was actually Ulysses S. Grant - Well, not quite. The president was born Hiram Ulysses Grant. The change happened when Ohio Congressman Thomas Hamer mistakenly submitted Grant’s name for a position at West Point, as "Ulysses S. Grant," and the name stuck.

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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.

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James A. Garfield (1881) was the inspiration for Garfield the cat - There might be some truth to this misconception, depending on how you interpret it. The cartoon's creator, Jim Davis, named the cat after his grandfather, James A. Garfield Davis, who was actually named after the president!

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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.

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Grover Cleveland (1885-1889) married his daughter - Before marrying his wife Frances Folsom, Cleveland managed her family's estate. But Folsom wasn't his daughter—she was the daughter of his law partner, Oscar Folsom, who died in an accident. Cleveland was present after Frances Folsom's father died, but her mother was still alive, so he never really adopted her. They married a decade later.

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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.

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Grover Cleveland (1893-1897) messed up the official number of presidents - There is this misconception that there have been 46 presidents, and indeed Joe Biden is called the 46th president. But in fact, only 45 individuals have held the job. Cleveland served two non-consecutive terms. So, this means that there are 45 presidents and 46 presidencies.

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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.

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Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909) liked to be called "Teddy" - The story goes that Theodore Roosevelt refused to shoot a bear in 1902, and that the iconic stuffed "Teddy bears" were made in tribute to the president for his act. Though Roosevelt is said to dislike the nickname, because it was was how his late wife used to call him.

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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.

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Woodrow Wilson (1913-1921) was a really progressive person - While Woodrow Wilson did push for many progressive and liberal policies, he was far from being a progressive man. So much so that he supported segregation.

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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.

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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!

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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."

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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.

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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.

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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."

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Jimmy Carter (1977-1981) founded Habitat for Humanity - Jimmy and his wife Rosalynn Carter started working with Habitat for Humanity in 1984 and have done so ever since. But the organization was founded in the 1970s by Millard and Linda Fuller.

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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.

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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.’"

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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.

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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."

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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.

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Donald Trump (2017-2021) 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.

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Joe Biden (2021- ) first ran for president in 2008 -

He certainly did not. Joe Biden also ran for the presidency in 1988.

See also: Interesting facts you didn't know about Joe Biden 

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