WTF Fun Fact 12658 – An Independence Day Coincidence

The 4th of July may just be the most common day for U.S. presidents to die.

As America celebrated 50 years of independence on July 4, 1826, it also mourned the passing of two of the men responsible for it. 83-year-old Thomas Jefferson and 90-year-old John Adams died just hours apart on that day. And despite their advanced ages, it came as a shock to people, who found it very suspicious (apparently, we didn’t need the internet to start conspiracy theories).

People didn’t necessarily suspect foul play – they were not anywhere near one another at the time. In fact, some people found it to be the work of the divine. In a eulogy, Daniel Webster called it “proofs that our country and its benefactors are objects of His care.”

It is a bigger coincidence than one might normally feel comfortable with, however. It’s one thing to die on the same day and quite another for that day to be such a momentous occasion.

If there was another other going on, it may have simply been that both were very ill and on the verge of death but tried their best to hang on to see that 50th anniversary.

If you’re a fan of weird coincidences, you may also be interested to know that James Monroe, the fifth president of the United States, also died on July 4 (but in 1831). And Zachary Taylor is presumed to have caught cholera on July 4th immediately following the holiday festivities in1850 (though he did not die until July 9th). WTF Fun Facts

Source: “Two Presidents Died on the Same July 4: Coincidence or Something More?” – History.com

WTF Fun Fact 12557 – Presidents Who Were Cheerleaders

Cheerleading is a very athletic sport. And for men who join the squad, it requires a lot of strength. Still, we were surprised to learn that some former US presidents were high school or college cheerleaders – it’s just hard to picture!

But not only were five presidents former cheerleaders, but some other prominent politicians were too. In fact, if a few elections had gone the other way, we’d have even more presidential pom-pom-wielders.

The first presidential cheerleader was Franklin D. Roosevelt. He cheered on sports teams from the sidelines at Harvard in 1900 and stayed on the squad for five years.

Dwight Eisenhower was a member of the West Point Academy football team until a knee injury ended that. But he loved sports, so the next best thing was to become a cheerleader for his former teammates.

Ronald Regan was all about the extracurricular activities at Eureka College, joining the acting club, serving as a radio announcer, student body president, and member of the swim and football teams. He also joined the cheerleading squad to root for athletes in other sports.

George H.W. Bush was a cheerleader at Yale, just as his father before him (and his son after him). He was also the president of his fraternity, a member of the Skull and Bones society, and captain of the baseball team.

George W. Bush had become a cheerleader at his high school Phillips Academy before joining the Yale squad. That makes him a third-generation male Yale cheerleader!

Now, there are some other prominent political figures who were cheering for their sports teams with pom poms back in their school days as well – none other than Ruth Bader Ginsberg was one of them. Trent Lott is another.

And had Rick Perry or Mitt Romney won their elections, they would have added to the list o presidential cheerleaders as well!

–  WTF fun fact

Source: Which four US Presidents were also cheerleaders? — Grunge