Americans frequently rank President Abraham Lincoln as one of the nation’s greatest presidents for the abolition of slavery and his leadership during the Civil War.
History remembers Lincoln for the Gettysburg Address, the brief but impactful speech he gave at the dedication of Soldiers National Cemetery in November 1863 that honored the soldiers who lost their lives and advocating for the continuing the fight for liberty and justice.
The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum shares some lesser-known facts about the 16th president of the United States:
Born in Kentucky, Lincoln was the first president who was not born in one of the original 13 states.
With more than 18,000 books written about him, Lincoln is the most written about person in American history.
The average height of a U.S. president is 5 feet 11 inches. Standing at 6 feet, 4 inches, Lincoln was the tallest president. James Madison was the shortest at 5 feet, 4 inches. https://potus.com/presidential-facts/presidential-heights/
Before becoming a lawyer and politician, Lincoln dabbled in other vocations, such as a storekeeper, surveyor and postmaster.
Lincoln was an animal lover and his pets included dogs, cats, horses and goats.
In addition to being the tallest president, at size 14 Lincoln had the largest shoe size of any president, according to Johnston & Murphy, the company that has made presidents shoes since 1850.
He and his wife Mary Todd Lincoln had four sons (Robert, Eddy, Willie and Tad), but only Robert lived to adulthood.
Lincoln was the first president to be assassinated while in office.
Own or gift a piece of Lincoln history with handcrafted piece from Gettysburg Sentinels. Items are made with reclaimed wood from one of three giant sycamore trees (two of which still stand today) at the southeast corner of the third block of Baltimore Street in Gettysburg.
Beyond witnessing the fighting in the town during the Battle of Gettysburg, this tree bore witness to Abraham Lincoln's march to and from Cemetery Hill where he participated in the dedication of the new national cemetery on November 19, 1863, where he delivered his immortal Gettysburg Address.