President Thomas Jefferson had a famous "killer sheep," a ferocious four-horned Shetland ram that terrorized his flock at Monticello, killing other sheep and even its own lamb, leading Jefferson to declare it "abominable" and have it destroyed, a story highlighting his interest in sheep breeding.
“ President Wilson is having no end of trouble with the flock of sheep he purchased recently to graze on the White House lawn.” — reported the Washington Post on May 12, 1918.
Jefferson is best known for his role in writing the Declaration of Independence, his foreign service, his two terms as president, and his omnipresent face on the modern nickel. The well-rounded Jefferson was also a Renaissance man who was intellectually curious about many things.
Presidential Pets (1860-1921) To cut groundskeeping costs during World War I, President Woodrow Wilson (1913-21) brought a flock of sheep to trim the White House grounds. Included in the flock was Old Ike, a tobacco-chewing ram.
During World War I, President Woodrow Wilson put a flock of sheep on the White House lawn to mow the grass. 🐑 This wasn't just for looks. It was a practical move to save on manpower, freeing up White House groundskeepers to contribute to the war effort.
Presidential Pets (1860-1921) President William Howard Taft's cow, Pauline, poses in front of the Navy Building, which is known today as the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. Pauline was the last cow to live at the White House and provided milk for President Taft (1909-13).
Woodrow Wilson Quotes
Theodore Roosevelt's Pig. Theodore Roosevelt and family were not above calling barnyard animals their pets. They kept animals such as horses and chickens as close in their hearts as they did the family dogs and cats. One such Roosevelt pet was a white pig named Maude.
Most United States presidents have kept pets while in office, or pets have been part of their families. Only James K. Polk, Andrew Johnson, and Donald Trump did not have any presidential pets while in office (however, Johnson did take care of some mice he found in his bedroom).
Theodore Roosevelt's Snakes - Presidential Pet Museum.
His last recorded words are "No, doctor, nothing more." But these are perhaps too prosaic to be memorable. "Is it the Fourth?" or "This is the Fourth of July" have come to be accepted as Jefferson's last words because they contain what everyone wants to find in such death-bed scenes: deeper meaning.
Most notably, Thomas Jefferson invented the revolving chair with a writing arm and leg rest and a new type of the iron plow that assisted in hillside plowing. Additionally, he invented the macaroni machine and automatic doors he used within his parlor.
Before he became president, Jefferson was governor of Virginia before the Revolutionary War. After the war, he served as U.S. minister to France, secretary of state for President George Washington, and vice president for President John Adams, the country's second president.
Edith Bolling Galt Wilson was second wife of the 28th President, Woodrow Wilson. She served as First Lady from 1915 to 1921. After the President suffered a severe stroke, she pre-screened all matters of state, functionally running the Executive branch of government for the remainder of Wilson's second term.
Abraham Lincoln has taken the highest ranking in each survey and George Washington, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Theodore Roosevelt have always ranked in the top five while James Buchanan, Andrew Johnson, and Franklin Pierce have been ranked at the bottom of all four surveys.
Unusual First Pets
Outdoorsman Theodore Roosevelt also had bears among his pets, as well as snakes, pigs, an owl, raccoon, badger, hyena, zebra and lion.
Buffy (2010–present)
Buffy, a caramel and white Bulgarian male 10-week-old shepherd Karakachan dog, was given to Putin during a visit to Bulgaria in November 2010 by Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov. The name 'Buffy' was chosen by a five-year-old boy during a nationwide competition.
President Abraham Lincoln (1861-1865)
Lincoln was quite the cat person, even rescuing three motherless kittens while visiting General Grant during the Civil War. He regularly played with kitties to relieve stress during his presidency—a favorite de-stressing technique of cat lovers, even today.
President Barack Obama and his family were given the male Portuguese Water Dog as a gift after months of speculation about the breed and identity of their future pet. The final choice was made in part because elder daughter Malia's allergies dictated a need for a hypoallergenic breed.
Did you know President John Quincy Adams had a pet alligator? He kept it in a bathtub in the East Room of the White House.
Launched by French scientists, she spent 15 minutes in a rocket before returning to Earth. Félicette, the first cat in space, was euthanized two months after her flight to allow scientists to examine her brain and body for any effects of space travel, despite surviving the mission.
Billy, also known as William Johnson Hippopotamus (before 1927 – October 11, 1955), was a pygmy hippopotamus given to United States President Calvin Coolidge.
Woodrow Wilson Quote. President Wilson later came to regret signing the bill: "I am a most unhappy man. I have unwittingly ruined my country. A great industrial nation is controlled by its system of credit.
There's no single "most famous" quote, but top contenders include historical/inspirational quotes like Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I have a dream," Neil Armstrong's "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind," and Shakespeare's "To be, or not to be: that is the question," alongside popular movie lines like "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn" from Gone With the Wind. Famous quotes often become iconic due to their cultural impact, timeless wisdom, or historical significance, making them universally recognized across languages and cultures, notes Adobe Express.
Most American voters wanted to avoid involvement in the war and preferred to continue a policy of neutrality. Wilson's campaign used the popular slogans "He kept us out of war" and "America First" to appeal to those voters who wanted to avoid a war in Europe or with Mexico.