5 Fun Facts About President Andrew Jackson
1. Andrew Jackson was the 7th president of the United States of America. Although he served two terms as President (winning the elections in 1828 and 1832, serving as president between 1829 and 1837), he actually won the popular vote three times.
The first time he ran in 1824, he won the popular vote but didn't get a majority from the Electoral College, who are actually the ones who vote for the president, not you, the voters, but that's another article.
There has got to be a better way. Which is what Andrew Jackson lobbied for, along with the abolition of the Electoral College, but got nowhere. The College voted for Quincy Adams, not the Medical Examiner from the television, instead of Jackson. Now, if only he had called for a jewel.
2. Jackson was born in America, perhaps South Carolina, or North Carolina, or maybe somewhere over the rainbow, no one is quite sure, not even him. His parents, on the other hand, were from County Antrim in Northern Ireland. They arrived in America two years before little Andy Jacky was born.
Beware the Ides of March. Yep, Andrew Jackson was born on the 15th March, 1767. A stark warning that Winter Was Coming. As, that year, it was a pretty bad winter. No zombies or dragons, though. But it got pretty darn tooting cold. His two older brothers, Hugh and Robert, watched their little brother sleeping at night and taught him to mispronounce the word, "Duel."
3. Andrew Jackson loved a good duel. In fact he was involved in up to 100 of them. You looked at him the wrong way and Wham! It's Duelling time. Charles Dickinson wrote about Jackson in a local newspaper in 1806. He said Jackson was, "a worthless scoundrel, a poltroon, and a coward."
To say Andy Jack was angry would be an understatement. He was livid. And slightly peeved.
"I challenge you, sir, to a Duel."
"Oh, how nice. I'd love a jewel."
"No. A DUEL, you Muppet."
The command to fire was given and Dickinson got there first. He shot Jackson in the chest, missing his heart by an inch. Jackson winced slightly, as he was as tough as Old Hickory, then raised his own pistol and shot Dickinson dead as a dead thing that's well and truly dead.
The bullet Jackson took in the chest that day was never removed and he carried it around with him for the rest of his life, along with another bullet from another duel. It was havoc whenever he went through the metal detectors at airport security checks.
4. Andrew Jackson's nickname is Old Hickory. He was given this honour by the troops under his command. They said he was as tough as Old Hickory wood which had consumed thirty nine Viagra tablets and my grandmother's beef stew. Now, that's hard. Eating my grandmother's beef stew. Oh, boy, that meat was tough.
Jackson was hard and tough like Old Hickory wood because, in 1813, he was in command of the 2nd division Tennessee Regiment when he was sent just north of Natchez (Mississippi) to defend it against the British. But, when he was ordered to disband his Volunteers, he refused to abandon his men to find their own way home.
He used his own money to finance supplies for the journey. He also gave up his horses for the injured to ride, and walked beside his men, encouraging and disciplining them depending on how much coffee he'd had that morning.
5. Andrew Jackson has the honour of being the receiver of the first attempted Presidential assignation. It wasn't a grassy knoll, but it had it's moments. On January 30th 1835, Jackson was leaving the US Capitol in Washington when Richard Lawrence, a deranged painter, which is actually pretty standard for painters, shot at him with a pistol from a few feet away.
The gun misfired. Not perturbed, Lawrence drew a another pistol he had hidden down his butt-crack for emergencies. Come on, deranged painter, that's where they hide them. Must have been the humidity, but the second butt-pistol also misfired. Now, Jackson, as you'd expect, was miffed. He charged at Lawrence like an angry bull doped up on Old Hickory. He took the would-be assassin down with his cane. He whipped him silly.
An investigation afterwards concluded you don't mess with the Andy Jack. And that both pistols were actually in perfect working order. The chances of both guns misfiring were found to be 125,000-1.
Leave comments below. Which President should the next Fun Facts be about?
2 comments:
Nice post. I've read that Andrew Jackson was a great hater, but also a great lover. He never recovered from his wife's death. - Cathleen Townsend
well done, sir. Especially the following post which talks about Poll. We've had Vice Presidents like that.
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