10 Interesting Facts About Abraham Lincoln
Things about our 16th president you will enjoy
Abraham Lincoln was the sixteenth President of the United States, serving from 1861 until his death in 1865. He was a pivotal figure in the American Civil War and is widely regarded as one of America’s greatest presidents.
Lincoln is one of the most fascinating figures in American history, and there are numerous stories and anecdotes about him to be told. Today, we’ll look at ten fascinating facts about Abraham Lincoln that you might not know.
Fact #1: Lincoln is enshrined in the Wrestling Hall of Fame
The Great Emancipator wasn’t quite WWE material, but he was an accomplished wrestler as a young man thanks to his long limbs. Lincoln, who had only been defeated once in approximately 300 matches, was said to have spoken a little smack in the ring.
According to Carl Sandburg’s biography of Lincoln, after dispatching an opponent, Honest Abe once challenged an entire crowd of onlookers: “I’m the big buck of this lick.” Come on and whet your horns if any of you want to try it.”
There was no one interested. Lincoln’s wrestling achievements earned him the title of “Outstanding American” in the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.
Fact #2: Lincoln created the Secret Service hours before his assassination
Lincoln established the United States Secret Service on April 14, 1865. He was shot at Ford’s Theater that evening. Even if the Secret Service had been established earlier, Lincoln would not have been saved: The law enforcement agency’s initial mission was to combat widespread currency counterfeiting.
The Secret Service was not formally assigned to protect the commander-in-chief until 1901, after the assassination of two other presidents.
Fact #3: Grave robbers attempted to steal Lincoln’s corpse
Lincoln was protected by the Secret Service, but only after his death. In 1876, a gang of Chicago counterfeiters attempted to steal Lincoln’s body from his tomb in Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield, Illinois, which was only secured by a single padlock.
Their plan was to hold the corpse for a $200,000 ransom in exchange for the release of the gang’s best counterfeiter from prison. Secret Service agents, on the other hand, had infiltrated the gang and were waiting to disrupt the operation.
Lincoln’s body was quickly moved to an unmarked grave before being encased in a steel cage and buried beneath ten feet of concrete.
Fact #4: John Wilkes Booth’s brother saved the life of Lincoln’s son
Robert Todd Lincoln, the president’s oldest son, stood on a train platform in Jersey City, New Jersey, a few months before John Wilkes Booth assassinated Lincoln.
The young man was pushed backwards by a crowd of passengers, and he fell into the open space between the platform and a moving train. Suddenly, a hand reached out and grabbed the president’s son by the coat collar, pulling him to safety.
Fact #5: Lincoln is the only president to have obtained a patent
Benjamin Franklin was not the only American political leader with a creative mind. After being aboard a steamboat that ran aground on low shoals and had to unload its cargo, Lincoln, who loved tinkering with machines, devised a method for keeping vessels afloat in shallow waters by attaching empty metal air chambers to their sides.
In 1849, Lincoln received Patent №6,469 for his design.
Fact #6: Lincoln personally test fired rifles outside the White House
Lincoln was a hands-on commander in chief who was fascinated by the artillery used by his Union troops during the Civil War, owing to his penchant for gadgetry. Lincoln witnessed artillery and cannon tests and met with inventors displaying military prototypes at the White House.
Despite a prohibition on firing weapons in the District of Columbia, Lincoln test fired muskets and repeating rifles on the grassy expanses around the White House that are now known as the Ellipse and the National Mall.
Fact #7: Lincoln came under enemy fire on a Civil War battlefield
When Confederate troops launched an attack on Washington, D.C., in July 1864, Lincoln visited the front lines at Fort Stevens on two days of the battle, which the Union eventually won.
At one point, the president was dangerously close to being shot. Colonel Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr., a future Supreme Court justice, is said to have barked, “Get down, you fool!” Lincoln ducked from the fort’s parapet and escaped the battlefield unscathed.
Fact #8: Lincoln didn’t move to Illinois until he was 21
Although Illinois is known as the “Land of Lincoln,” the 16th president spent his formative years in Indiana. Lincoln was born in a log cabin in Kentucky in 1809, and his father, Thomas, moved the family across the Ohio River to a 160 acre plot in southern Indiana in 1816. Lincoln did not move to Illinois until the year 1830.
Fact #9: Poisoned milk killed Lincoln’s mother
When Abraham was nine years old, his mother, Nancy, died as a result of a mysterious “milk sickness” that swept through southern Indiana. The strange disease was later discovered to be caused by drinking tainted milk from a cow that had consumed poisonous white snakeroot.
Fact #10: Lincoln never slept in the Lincoln Bedroom
During his presidency, the 16th president used the current Lincoln Bedroom as his personal office. He met with Cabinet members and signed documents, including the Emancipation Proclamation, there.
Final Thoughts:
Well, there you have 10 interesting facts about Abraham Lincoln. I hope you found it interesting. Be sure to check out our other articles at Fun Facts Galore. You may also like:
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