1. George Washington
He was not the actual first President of the United States. That title falls to this guy.
"I am feeling my nipple just thinking about the Presidency."
Yes! John Hanson. The first full term President under the Articles of Confederation. Washington was the first President under the American Constitution. However, Washington set the standard for many Presidential traditions. His inaugural speech set a standard for Presidents as did his two term limit. Even Teddy Roosevelt refused a third term because Washington had set the tradition. Only after FDR's ridiculously uncalled for four terms (while terminally ill) did Congress decide to make the limit official.
Everyone knows the story about George Washinton cutting down the cherry tree. However, it is commonly believed that that is a fictional tale told by Mason Locke Weems to sell his biography on President Washington. Either way, it makes for a good tale to keep our own youth from lying to us constantly... until they are teenagers.
"I totally did it. I chopped that tree down. It had a gun and said awful things about Mom. It was self defense! Also, can I get twenty dollars to go see Avatar with my girl?"
2. James Madison
The shortest President in history, he stood at 5 feet 4 inches and barely weighed 100 pounds. However this guy could take care of himself. As president during the War of 1812, he led troops against the Canadian invasion of Washington DC. The White House was burned down, but the invasion was repelled. This was the 19th Century version of Independance Day.
"Those freaking Canadians! I knew that alien invasion was an inside job."
Of course there was not Will Smith to throw out pithy one-liners back then. That duty probably fell to our next President.
3. Andrew Jackson
The epitome of what a Clint Eastwood character would be like if they were president. Besides being a general, this guy basically stomped heads for fun. He got a bad rap for his mistreatment of Native Americans and the whole nationalizing of the banks, but he was a good egg. President Jackson was known as a prankster... and a fighter. Oh... and his best friend was Davey Crockett. To go along with the comparison to a Clint Eastwood character, Jackson was once slashed in the face with a British officer's sword for refusing to shine the guy's boots.
"Boy! I'll teach you to be all rebellious and American. This ain't no belt neither."
Also, Jackson had a bullet lodged in his lung for a good part of his life. This awesome wound came from a duel over a bet on a horse race. Jackson took a shot to the chest, killed the opponent in a slow and deliberate way, and coughed up blood for the rest of his life. Tell me that isn't hard core.
That's it for the list now, but stay tuned for part 2. There's plenty more awesome Presidential factoids out there for me to cover.
