The Lost Presidential Factoids

by Roger Barr

Madison poses with several members of his family.

He's better known as the father of the Constitution, but James Madison was also a father of several lesser-known things. Remember MoonPies? Madison. WD-40? Madison. Post-It Notes? Madison. The father of 67% of all non-white children born in Virginia from 1780 to 1795? Madison.

As if all this wasn't enough, he was also a mother. At age 23, Madison gave birth to not one but three healthy koala bears, breastfeeding them until they were ready to be released into the wild.


James Monroe held a longstanding grudge against James Madison for being the first "James" to hold the title of President of the United States, eventually snapping like a bundle of dry sticks and ordering Madison killed. All three of Madison's koala bears were rounded up, skinned and used as a lustrous fur bath mat for Monroe's guest bathroom.

"Old Man Eloquent" is what they used to call John Adams. They also called him "Old Man Nancy Boy", "Old Man Sissy Pants" and his personal favorite, "Old Man Greased-Up Midnight Streaker With A Penchant For Shaved Slave Boys".

The Clint Eastwood of presidents, Andrew Jackson didn't take sass from anyone — and especially not some scoundrel who dared to make a slur about his wife. Jackson challenged the miscreant to a duel and killed him. Much to his surprise, he discovered a taste for murder and declared "dueling" to be the official sport of the United States of America. It remains a popular sport among the youth of America to this day. Unfortunately, it's the kind of sport where if you lose once... well, you're retired.

Martin Van Buren was defeated by the Whigs in 1840. These ear whigs burrowed deep within his cranium and quickly drove him mad, eventually forcing him to take his own life by jumping from the roof of a building. Witnesses reported that he screamed "KHAAAAAAN!" just before he hit the pavement — a reference that would take many years before it made sense, proving Van Buren to be ahead of his time.

William Henry Harrison was promoted as a badass log cabin-livin', cider-drinkin', injun-killin' man. That was until a photograph of him wearing nothing but a bustier while having a tea party with some ducklings was leaked to the press. Still, it proved to be an effective tool in the battles, since the "injuns" were too busy laughing at the thought of him in a bustier to fight back.


John Tyler had many, many slaves. The strange thing is, they were all white.

Ah yes, James Polk. The big secret about Polk is that he was never even president. It was just an elaborate prank that sort of got out of hand. I mean really—would you vote for somebody named Polk?

Zachary Taylor never wanted to be President of the United States. He was a simple blacksmith who was more than happy to work in that field for his entire life. You can imagine his surprise when he was elected into office.

"What the hell is wrong with you people!? I wasn't even running for president!!! You think I want all that responsibility on my shoulders? As a blacksmith, I was done working by 4 PM and I could drink myself to sleep every night. I was living the good life! Now you're telling me I have to lead this country for the next four fucking years!? No! I don't want this life! Besides, do you know how many crazies there are out there that would want to kill a man in that position? Nobody wants to kill a blacksmith, for chrissakes! I bet you I won't even get to finish serving my first year because some crazy man will..."

Sadly, Zachary wasn't able to finish his speech because a crazed madman ran up and shot him in the back of the head.


From the waist up, Millard Fillmore was all man. From the waist down, 100% pure ocean-grown mermaid. He had a difficult time serving as President from the large aquarium they kept him in. Rumors of that his staff were plotting to kill him had spread far and wide—before he could do anything about it, it was too late. When Fillmore reached the age of 54, his aides let the PH balance in his tank get far too high. He was served as a breaded fillet brunch the next morning.

During the administration of Franklin Pierce, shooting broke out and "bleeding Kansas" became a prelude to the Civil War. Also, vomiting broke out and "chundering California" became a prelude to Civil Illness. And finally, scabies broke out and "itching Illinois" became a prelude to Civil Skin Disease. 

James Buchanan wasn't your average President. Sure, he tried to improve life in the United States of America by extinguishing bitter rivalries among the North and South—but his real passion was custard. The man could whip up a custard faster than you could whistle Dixie. Within two years, his primary agenda had shifted from creating peace and prosperity across the land to creating the ultimate custard.

Unfortunately, during an attempt at making the world's largest custard, he fell into the giant mixing vat and suffocated. (That shit is like quicksand, you know.) Still, people say that "he died a happy man, for in his final moments, his lungs filled with that same creamy custard he lived for... that beats a serotonin release any day."

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