Washington’s Teeth
George Washington suffered from dental issues from a young age. He lost his first tooth at the age of 24 and had a full set of dentures by the age of 57. While many believe that George Washington’s teeth were made of wood, that is simply not true, but his dentures were still pretty frightening.
They were constructed from animal teeth, lead, screws, gold wire, bone and even ivory from a hippopotamus!
Roosevelt’s Death
President Roosevelt was stricken with polio at the age of 39 and spent most of his adult life in a wheelchair. He used a specially designed car which allowed him to drive using only his hands.
He passed away in 1945, while in office from intracerebral hemorrhage and sadly did not get the chance to see the end of World War II.
George Washington
The most famous founding father and a familiar face from the $1 bill, George Washington was America’s very first president. While in office from 1789 to 1797 he played an integral part in the foundation of the United States government, implementing a tax system and establishing the national bank.
He also served as commander in chief of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War and was ranked as the 2nd best president in United States history.
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln, also known as “Honest Abe,” was the 16th president of the United States from 1861 to 1865 and led the nation through some difficult times. Lincoln is well known for preserving the Union during the Civil War and issuing the momentous Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, which led to slavery being abolished and changed the status of enslaved African Americans in the South to free people.
He was also responsible for the 13th amendment to the constitution which officially made slavery illegal. Lincoln’s life ended tragically in 1865 when he was assassinated, and sadly he never got the chance to see the impact of his work, but his legacy lives on and he is widely considered the most beloved, admired and all-around greatest president in the history of the United States.
Lincoln’s Assassination
On the evening of April 14th, 1865, Abraham Lincoln was attending a special presentation of Our American Cousin at Ford’s Theatre in Washington D.C. Famous actor and Confederate sympathizer John Wilkes Booth came up behind him with a gun.
He shot and killed the president, who only five days earlier had ended the Civil War.