er Hugh Hefner is the ninth cousin of both men. Hef is twice removed from George W., and Hefner is a slightly closer relation to Kerry, being only once removed.
When asked about his relation to the two politicians, wild child Heffner said, "Well I feel closer to Senator Kerry."
"You know I'm an 11th generation direct descendent of William Bradford, who came over on the Mayflower, a direct descendent of a Puritan," Hefner continued proudly, finding no irony in the fact. "I suppose that it is not a big surprise, but it is certainly unique to be a relation to both candidates."
"I would be delighted to invite both President Bush and Senator Kerry for a family reunion," the playboy added facetiously, laughing to himself.
Abraham Lincoln Was a Bar Owner
Abraham Lincoln, best known as the Great Emancipator, was less known for owning a bar. He co-owned the pub with a man named William Berry. The duo appropriately named their saloon 'Berry and Lincoln' which was located in Springfield, Ill.
Berry, Lincoln's partner, was a heavy drinker as opposed to the future president who once said that liquor makes him "flabby and undone." Because of these fundamental differences, the co-owners had difficulty running their business. The unlikely partnership of Berry and Lincoln did nothing but get "deeper and deeper in debt," according to Lincoln.
Lincoln's career as a bartender was fairly short-lived. In 1834, he ran for state legislator and won forcing him to give up the bartending business and in 1840 the entire enterprise was abandoned five years after the death of his partner.
Harry Truman Doesn't Have a Middle Name Despite the 'S'
The mysteriously floating S in Harry S Truman's name is not to be anchored down by a period. The former president explained that the "S" did not stand for any name but was a compromise between the names of his grandfathers, Anderson Shipp Truman and Solomon Young. In 1962, Truman initiated the "period" controversy when he demanded that newspapermen should omit the period after the S as it does not actually stand for anything.
Though Truman has tried to rectify the period that shows up in publications, TrumanLibrary.org explains that "Most published works using the name Harry S. Truman employ the period. Authors choosing to omit the period in their texts must still use it when citing the names of organizations that employ the period in their legal titles (e.g. Harry S. Truman Library) thus seeming to contradict themselves."
Gerald Ford Modeled During College
President Gerald Ford was a male model for John Robert Powers' agency. Though his modeling career was brief and only a part time gig during college, Ford booked a few good modeling jobs during his short lived career. He appeared in a 21-picture Stowe, Vt., ski resort feature in Look Magazine in 1940. And two years later posed in his Naval uniform on the cover of Cosmopolitan. Both times he posed with famed model and former fling Phyllis Brown.
Coolidge Liked Having Petroleum Jelly Rubbed on His Head
According to Stebben and Morris, co-authors of the book White House: Confidential, President Calvin Coolidge enjoyed having petroleum jelly slathered on his head while he ate breakfast in bed. Coolidge practiced this bizarre behavior believing that it was good for his health.
LBJ Had A Whole Family of LBJ's
The nickname LBJ isn't one that only applies for the former president. Lyndon Baines Johnson insisted on having every member of his immediate family share his same initials. LBJ's wife's name was Claudia Alta Taylor whose nickname before marrying Johnson was "Lady Bird."
LBJ and Lady Bird went on to have two daughters with the LBJ stamp, Lynda Bird and Luci Baines. Even the Johnson's dog shared the initials being called Little Beagle Johnson. According to the co-authors of White House Confidential, LBJ said, when it came to monogramming, the whole family having the same initials made it a whole lot cheaper.
Jimmy Carter the UFO President
President Jimmy Carter, known by some as the "UFO President," got his nickname by publicly claiming that he had a UFO sighti