The White House and Its Thirty-Three Families. Preview this quiz on Quizizz. , ISBN-10 But the first presidential kitties belonged to Abraham Lincolnhe even fed them off gold White House forks. Top subscription boxes right to your door, 1996-2023, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates, Children's Alligator & Crocodile Books (Books), Children's American Historical Fiction (Books), Learn more how customers reviews work on Amazon. Bad news that cult recovery group just might be a cult, Below you, an entire other world operates. Herbert Hoover, the 31st president, had an opossum. Before animal rights organizations and activists argued for laws against individuals owning exotic pets, plenty of other wild animals also called the White House their home. Top editors give you the stories you want delivered right to your inbox each weekday. President Barack Obama adopted Portuguese water dogs Bo and Sunny during his two terms, and he was often seen walking them on the White House lawn with his family. San Francisco Chronicle. We earn $400,000 and spend beyond our means. And, lastly, here is our favorite alligators-in-the-White-House story, as told in 1890 (the second year of President Benjamin Harrison's term in office) by the Washington correspondent of theNew York Tribune, via the San Francisco Chronicle: Russell Harrison's Alligator Didn't Influence His Friends' Luck. Who exactly supplied the ram with the cigarette butts and black lumps of chewing tobacco is up for discussion, but at a time when the stuff was being handed out to kids on Halloween, it couldn't have been too hard to come by. He brought his collection of creatively named pets with him. Kaprosuchus can have lengths of up to 20 feet. One of the most famous pets in White House history is Macaroni, the pony that belonged to President John F. Kennedy's daughter, Caroline. Abraham Lincoln (16th President, 1861-1865) and his family took care of many animals, including a pig, a rabbit, ponies, cats, and dogs. It also records that both the alligator among other things he gives he got while traveling were stored in the east room of the white house. What's next for bonds in 2023 after the worst year in history, Cant take statins? Unable to add item to List. Mourasuchus: 23-5.3 million years ago, one of the largest crocodiles ever, up to 39 feet long, with a duck-like bill and pelican-like pouch, fossils found in South America, a unique specimen on our list of ancient crocodiles. A woman has been mauled to death by a pet crocodile in its enclosure on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. A MediaComms.IO company. Some were found on the property, many came with the new . Whats our next move? Our site is an advertising supported site. Australian researchers have found the 95-million-year-old remains of a crocodile that had eaten a dinosaur before it died. John Quincy Adams was the sixth president of the United States of America and Lafayette was a revolutionary war hero. Coke was originally supposed to make you smarter or something. All Rights Reserved. Take President John F. Kennedy, whose family menagerie in the early 1960s included Macaroni the pony, multiple horses, hamsters Debbie and Billy, dogs, parakeets, a canary, Zsa Zsa the rabbit and a cat; they all resided with the Kennedys at the White House. 1. iis express not working with ip address. Millie was an English springer spaniel that was the first President Bush's family pet. Hoovers younger son, Allan, had two pet alligators that frequented the White House grounds, amazing and quite possibly terrifying guests. Mary Thorn. The tradition of pets in the White House, especially dogs, is well-established.President Barack Obama had Bo, a Portuguese water dog. mrsfarleyf26. Which President Kept An Alligator In The White House 0. And visit Cracked.com's Top Picks because we have pet alligators, too. , Dimensions In all, she gave birth to 15 of his children. A unique friendship between a man and a crocodile: nicknamed "Chito", Gilberto Shedden, a Costa Rican fisherman, and naturalist had an unusual friend: "Pocho", a huge crocodile longer than 5 meters (16 feet 5 inches), with a weight up to half a ton. The most popular pet by some way is a dog, owned by 30 of the 45 presidents. Actually, make food a whole lot better too. Powell to talk to Congress about the possibility of more interest-rate hikes, not fewer, Jon Stewart to GOP state senator: You dont give a flying f about gun violence. So the cubs were sent to a local zoo. as well as other partner offers and accept our, SEBASTIAN WILLNOW/DDP/AFP via Getty Images, Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Rudy Francis was feeding crocodiles at a Malaysian farm on February 20, 2017 when the unimaginable happened: The croc latched onto his arm. Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video! She gave birth to Spotty, who moved into the White House with the seocond President Bush! Many of the 45 presidents of the United States have been animal lovers, with pet choices far beyond the ordinary run of cats and dogs. Image Via John Plumbe [Public domain] / Wikimedia Commons. KnowledgeNuts.com would like to show you notifications for our latest post and updates. Menu. Cheryl Barnes is one of those rare people you meet who is doing it all, and in Cheryl's case, with style and grace. 10 February 1921. Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app. "Alligators in the White House Bathtub, Oh My!" In the early 1900s, President Theodore Roosevelt kept a crocodile as a pet. True to his name, this miraculous crocodile began to heal and recover from his drastic injury. If only Harrison had been as wise as Obi Wan (or any Jedi for that matter, 'cause how cool would it be to have a Jedi as the leader of the free world), he would've thought twice about adding the animal to the stable of pets the first family had already amassed. But it turned out "pygmy hippo" was a misleading term (no doubt coined by the crooked hippo pet industry) and Billy eventually grew too big to stay at the White House. The president then adopted the alligator as a pet. Peter and Cheryl Barnes are a husband and wife writing/illustrating team that specializes in educational books for children. Some were given exotic pets by foreign dignitaries, with President John Quincy Adams keeping an alligator in a bathtub. Please try again. Once he borrowed a bunch of snakes from a pet store. The reason for the president chosing that name for his dog is lost to history. Parenthetically, our research uncovered at least two other reported instances of alligators taking up residency in the executive mansion, both predating the Hoover story. When in doubt, sacrifice a limb. Reviewed in the United States on March 13, 2013. ), The Biden dogs even starred in campaign ads with the tagline, Lets put a dog back in the White House.. Played 19 times. Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile: Directed by Josh Gordon, Will Speck. He used it to terrify guests for about two months before finally . lisa robertson local steals and deals today. The last thing the White House needs is another dog, damn it. Bipartisan bill to make daylight-saving time permanent rolled out again. He in return gave the alligator to President John Quincy Adams. Jeffersons favorite pet was his mockingbird named Dick, however, which would often perch on the presidents shoulder. However, it is known that some presidents, including Thomas Jefferson and Theodore Roosevelt, kept alligators as pets during their time in office. #361 in Children's Alligator & Crocodile Books (Books) #3,428 in Children's Pet Books (Books) #4,268 in Children's American Historical Fiction (Books) John Adams was the second US president, but the first to reside in the White House. | Try Prime for unlimited fast, free shipping. President Harry S. Truman is often credited with saying, You want a friend in Washington, buy a dog. But while theres no hard evidence that he ever actually said this, one thing is certain: most American presidents have kept animal companions while living in the White House. The cubs spent two months in a cage on public view on the White Houses front lawn until Jeffersons friend Charles Peale was able to take them to be part of his growing natural history museum in Philadelphia. But this viral video will make you rethink about the very definition of the word. It was its last meal. Yes, you read that rightthis . Photograph by Erin Scott / The White House via AP. A special thanks to Patr. So what's next? President Roosevelt owned a menagerie. President Martin van Buren fought Congress to keep two tiger cubs. "The Household of John Quincy Adams." But President Adams wasn't the only commander-in-chief with an unusual pet. The raccoon was also leashed a few times. Photograph by Library of Congress, Corbis, VCG via Getty Images. , ISBN-13 Willow, U.S. President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden's new pet cat, is seen in a White House handout photo as she wanders . An article there explains how Presidents Adams and Hoover each supposedly came into possession of the unconventional pets: Revolutionary War hero the Marquis de Lafayette received many gifts and honors during his tour of the 24 states in 1824 and 1825, but probably none more unusual than an alligator. September 5, 2013 By Presidential Pet Museum. Photograph by Paul Morse, AFP, Getty Images. As president from 1969 to 1974, Nixon had three dogsVicky the poodle, Pasha the terrier and King Timahoe the Irish Setter. Which President had an alligator as a pet? We were unable to locate any earlier published references to Lafayette and his alligators, a result confirmed by presidential history blogger Howard Dorre, who reports finding no primary sources confirming the anecdote at all. And then there were Roosevelts exotics, which were given to him by dignitaries. Farm animals have also had their turn. Beat gives a rundown of all of the pets of all of the American Presidents while they lived in the White House. He in return gave the alligator to President John Quincy Adams. Feature film based on the children's book about a crocodile that lives in New York City. Do not like the way some of the presidents are portrayed. On one hand, you wonder how she survived the encounter--this was Teddy Roosevelt, after all. This animal is the largest of the carnivorous kind I ever saw". Fortunately the family fell in love with her, and instead adopted Rebecca as a pet. "A poignant coming-of-age tale with a compelling mystery at its heart." Two horses. Harry, the hyena, was king of the wild animals until recently. Bodie. It's a great way, though, to get kids learning while they're reading and having fun, and the activities prove that a variety of kids can enjoy the book, which isn't limited to one audience. Our U.S. presidents had all kinds of pets lots of dogs and cats, of course but they also had some very strange pets. On the more practical side of history, President Woodrow Wilson (1913-1921) brought a flock of sheep to graze on the White House lawn. Now we're not promoting either tobacco use or promiscuous sex, but you have to admit that Ike the Ram was cool before the country even knew what cool was. Favorite Presidential Pets. A selection of land turtles gathered from the woods was all right; but two small alligators, presented to him by Clarence Woolley, were somewhat of a trial, for Allan believed they must be bedded at night in the bathtubs. At this time Hoover was living at 2300 S Street in Washington, DC and Allan was roughly fourteen years old. Below, Business Insider looks at seven of the strangest. Look inside to find your favorite pet. teaches children about the presidency through pets of the presidents, from George Washington to Barack Obama. President Calvin Coolidge and First Lady Grace Coolidge had menagerie of animals living with them during their time in the White House, including a donkey, a bobcat, and geese. When a cat jumped onto the stage while Jill Biden was giving a speech, the first lady fell in love with the fur ball. [16] This made Spotty the first animal to live in the White House under two different administrations, having been born there in 1989 and . The Presidential Pet Museum. No, to the best of our knowledge, no president has ever kept a crocodile as a pet. Along with pterosaurs and dinosaurs, crocodiles were an offshoot of the archosaurs, the "ruling lizards" of the early-to-middle Triassic period of the Mesozoic Era.This epoch in history began about 251 million years ago and ended 65 million years ago. Florida Alligator Will Be White House Pet. Here are a few favorite names that you can bestow on your pet crocodile. Pocho (around 1950-1960 - 12 October 2011) was a Costa Rican crocodile who gained international attention for his relationship of over 20 years with Gilberto "Chito" Shedden, a local fisherman who found Pocho dying on the banks of the Reventazn River and nursed him back to health. What is the Significance of Luck in Japan? Presidential Pet Museum. Follow along with Buckaroo Beau as he takes care of the horses and cattle on his family's working ranch. Photograph by The White House, Sipa USA, Newscom. Why was the goat so bitter? 9 May 1890. 14 April 1997. First Lady Grace Coolidge holds the family's pet raccoon, Rebecca, at a White House event. By providing food and water for birds, he induced scores of them to daily visit us. During some of Nixons most difficult times, the three dogs provided him with companionship and support. The author was able to properly name every president except the current one. The memo, however, was not sent to Captain Zebulon Pike who headed his own expedition later. A keen observation from a serious explorer who can't spell worth shit: This was an animal not to be trifled with. James Buchanan, the 15th president, received a herd of elephants from the King of Siam (now called Thailand). Did you know President John Quincy Adams had a pet alligator? And some of these pets have been downright strange, and wouldnt even be legal to keep today. According to some reports, he enjoyed using the gator to scare his guests.". Quincys pet alligator has been a topic surrounded by a lot of speculation that it eventually begins to sound and feel like a myth. They were piled haphazardly in the comers and on sofas and chairs. Snopes and the Snopes.com logo are registered service marks of Snopes.com. The top prize is possibly the most bizarre (and potentially dangerous) of all. That's not a metaphor. : Most sources record that an alligator was one of such unconventional gifts. As others have said, of course even a tame tiger or wolf is still a wild animal, and NEVER trustworthy the way a domesticated animal would be. The online source most frequently cited for these claims is a highly entertaining web site called The Presidential Pet Museum. Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club thats right for you for free. Above: A hippo, probably fucking something. John Quincy Adams however, was no myth. In fact, there are unproven rumors of President John Quincy Adams keeping a pet alligator in the East Room's bathroom in the White house. 5. Our U.S. presidents had all kinds of pets--lots of dogs and cats, of course--but they also had some very strange pets. Almost immediately . Jensen, Amy La Follette. Presidential Trivia DRAFT. Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th president, was famous for his many pets.His six kids had snakes, dogs, cats, a badger . Crocky. Bo and Sunny, two lucky dogs, pose for a photo at the White House. Old Whitey, a wartime mount Apollo, a former circus pony. It is said President Polk learned to ride before he could walk and had a great love of horses, but no White House pets were noted during his administration. This was no turkey, however, but a raccoon. But some presidents have brought somewhat more exotic pets with them to the White House, with Theodore Roosevelt and Calvin Coolidge owning a large menageries during their times. It's not just exotic animals like tigers, alligators, and parrots that have made the White House their home. After having hid Pocho in a covered pond nearby for some time, Chito tried to release the animal back into the wildbut Pocho refused to leave! Bettmann, via Getty Images. (Wheres YouTube when you need it?). All rights reserved. Then again, you realize that in Roosevelt's world, a thrown badger was probably a common form of greeting. One broke free and managed to corner the museum owner in the kitchen, upon which the animal was promptly shot dead. President George W. Bush became president in 2001, eight years after his father, President George H.W. CNN cited a Mental Floss article by Ethan Trex that stated, "The sixth president also had a pet gator. What ensued was a wild goat chase down Pennsylvania Avenue, involving the grandchildren and the president himself, clutching his top hat and holding his cane as his constituents pointed and laughed. National Archives: Hoover Heads blog. He has had it for 20 years. The book itself takes on the feel of a combination story/activity book that kids will enjoy filling out after reading what's essentially a creatively-written history lesson. Among the flock was Old Ike, an ornery ol' ram with a penchant for tobacco. George Gordon Byron attended Trinity College, Cambridge, from 1805 to 1808. Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2014. Allie. Great Falls Tribune. Publisher Caroline and the pony featured in a Life magazine spread on the first family, and singer-songwriter Neil Diamond claimed that the images inspired his hit song "Sweet Caroline.". Firestone believed the pygmy hippo would make a wonderful gift for President Coolidge, already a collector of strange and exotic pets. Of course, he never actually promised to stay out of the war and in April of 1917, American boys were headed overseas to fight the Kaiser. In fact, most modern presidents have owned cats and dogs. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. Save. The list of "dangerous animals . MAGNIFICENT CAT MANDALA COLORING BOOK FOR ADULTS 50 Black Line Mandalas on Regal Fe My Supermother: A Christian children's rhyming book celebrating mothers from a bibl Thunderbird's War: Cuyahoga River Riders (Super Science Showcase Stories #3), I Escaped The Donner Party: Pioneers on the Oregon Trail, 1846, Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations. Related:Why Major Biden becoming the first shelter dog in the White House is a big deal, But some earlier presidents seriously threatened to turn 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. into an actual zoo, based on information at the Presidential Pet Museum, a collection of presidential pet memorabilia located outside of Baltimore. Credit: Courtesy of the Library of Congress. Visit #MightyMike ? The wool was auctioned to raise money for the American Red Cross, a group that helps people in emergencies. , Grade level did a president ever keep a crocodile? That Christmas, President Calvin Coolidge gave her an embroidered collar with the title, "White House Raccoon," her nickname in the press. Old Ike was not a member. Edit. No more changing the clocks? I have not recommended it to anyone and do not intend to do so! January 17, 2019 4:07 AM EST. Deasy Tuwo, 44, had reportedly been feeding the crocodile at the pearl farm where she . Zachary Taylor. However, his most well-known pet was Checkers the cocker spaniel, who .