Presidential trivia: stranger than fiction; unusual facts about our presidents

Benjamin Harrison (1889-1893)
Benjamin Harrison was the first president to have electric lights in the White House. However, he was afraid to turn them on for fear of being shocked. He even refused to push electric bells and buzzers. Harrison did not enjoy his one term in office. During his administration the economy was bad; the Johnstown Flood killed 2,400 people; and the massacre of Indians took place at Wounded Knee, South Dakota. People tended to blame those events on Harrison, though he had little or nothing to do with them.
~Funny, almost 100 years later ~ Replace Johnstown with New Orleans change the numbers a little, change Indians to terrorist and replace Wounded Knee with World Trade Center/Pentagon/fields of PA. Interestingly, the above writer does leave some room for doubt saying after the flood & massacre, Harrison had "little or nothing to do with the event". Current reporters are not so kind for President Bush! comment by:Vickie

Richard Nixon (1969-1974)
Servants and other employees at the White House often found it difficult working for Richard Nixon, though they never admitted it publicly at the time. New rules and regulations, firing and hiring personnel, and constant "nit-picking" by the president and his staff created an atmosphere of sobriety and suspicion. One of Nixon's quirks was building a fire in the Lincoln sitting room in July. Running the air conditioner at top speed, Nixon lowered the room temperature to below 50 degrees so he could sit before the fireplace. Even top Nixon aides, including chief of the White House staff, Bob Haldeman, were seen carrying logs, stoking the fire and hauling ashes in midsummer when temperatures outside approached 100 degrees.
Whatcha reckon? He was practicing for after life? :) comment by:Vickie

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