Eisenhower's Farewell Address: Trivia

    Eisenhower's Farewell Address: Trivia

      Ike was the only bald President elected in 20th century. This probably says something about America's obsession with youth or something, but whatever. (Source)

      Ike was so obsessed with golf that he installed a putting green on the White House lawn and made the Secret Service trap and remove all squirrels from the premises. His preoccupation with game led to the old golf joke, ''Would you mind if the President plays through? New York has just been bombed.'' (Source)

      Although at one point Ike was arguably the most powerful military figure in the world (toward the end of WWII), he was never involved in combat. Unless you count fighting squirrels as "combat." (Source)

      Ike loved to paint. He even had a dedicated room in the White House he could duck into whenever he needed to forget about the impending nuclear winter for an hour or two. Though it's obvious at first glance Ike was an amateur, he knew it, too. At one exhibition of his work, Ike told a visitor, "They would have burned this [expletive] a long time ago if I weren't the president of the United States." (Source)

      Who knew that Ike was a fashion trend-setter? Unhappy with the existing Army jacket, he requested a redesign to a shorter model like he'd seen the Brits wear. The result was the "Eisenhower jacket," which he intended to be more comfortable and "natty." (Source)