Hey guys, just thought I'd do the same thing as I did with Theodore Roosevelt with Woodrow Wilson. I think its interesting to see some lesser known facts on these important people. Enjoy!
Woodrow Wilson Fun Facts:
-Woodrow Wilson was one of four children
-Woodrow Wilson did not learn to read until 10 years of age.
-He was the first president with a PhD.
-Wilson's second wife was a descendant of Pocahontas
-Woodrow Wilson Issued the declaration of a National Mother's Day
-He was the first president to cross the Atlantic Ocean
- While president, he suffered from a stroke that left him nearly blind and partially paralyzed
- He allowed segregation in his cabinet
-President Wilson was 5'11'', 170 lbs, and had a Bmi of 23.74
Hope these provided somewhat of another dimension of this very prominent figure!
Sources/More facts
http://www.fun-facts.org.uk/american-presidents/woodrow-wilson.htm
http://americanhistory.about.com/od/woodrowwilson/tp/Ten-Things-To-Know-About-Woodrow-Wilson.htm
So interesting to read about the background of such an influential person. A question that I have is when most Americans learned to read--was age 10 extremely late/rare? If it was late, it is super impressive that he got a PhD, and was the first president to do so!! I'm guessing it was in political science or something similar. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI found a .gov site that said that by 1920, all states required students to start school at age 8, so it seems like Wilson might have been a little late to the reading game but not terribly so.
DeleteThanks for sharing these fun facts, Nathan. I really like these kinds of posts. Audrey, your comment also made me wonder about Wilson's education, so I decided to see what more information I could find. Wilson's PhD was in political science from Johns Hopkins, but he also studied law, history, and the German language while in college. Seems pretty diverse, but I definitely see how all of these things could have applied to his political career.
ReplyDeleteSources:
http://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/woodrow-wilson
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodrow_Wilson
http://www.fun-facts.org.uk/american-presidents/woodrow-wilson.htm
ReplyDeleteThis website also has a lot of fun facts like for example his father was the founder of the Southern Presbyterian Church.
It's always good to know what influenced great people in US History and thus how their behavior and personality affected what he did that influenced our lives today. His education, his upbringing/parents, his predisposed opinions.
ReplyDeleteWhen I read this I found it interesting that HE was the one who established national Mothers Day! I was compelled to do a little more research.
ReplyDeleteI found that the initial meaning of Mothers Day was to honor the mothers whose sons served in the war. His proposal was supported by many and soon made a national holiday.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother's_Day_(United_States)