Abraham Lincoln is one of the most written-about presidents the United States has ever seen. The 16th president of the United States left a lasting legacy that will prevent him from being forgotten for years to come. However, despite the fact that Lincoln spent a considerable amount of time in the spotlight and under the scrutiny of the public eye, there are still some things that many people don’t know. With that in mind, here we present our list of 15 things you probably didn’t know about Abraham Lincoln. Check out part one below, and stay tuned for part two, coming soon!
Number Fifteen: He Really Hated the Nickname of “Abe.” Lincoln was very motivated to maintain a sense of dignity and respect, and so he much preferred to be called Mr. Lincoln, rather than Abe. Even his wife called him Mr. Lincoln. Lincoln, on the other hand, called his wife “little woman” or “child wife.”
Number Fourteen: He Was Afraid of Women. Lincoln was quite socially awkward when he first arrived in Springfield, Illinois. According to Mary Owens, he rejected Lincoln’s marriage proposal in the 1830s, he “was deficient in those little links which make up the great chain of woman’s happiness.”
Number Thirteen: He Was Extremely Harsh. Lincoln publicly made fun of people, and at one political event, he began imitating a man named Jesse Thomas to make fun of him, and the crowd joined in. Thomas left in tears, although Lincoln later apologized.
Number Twelve: He Was Almost in a Duel. One butt of many of Lincoln’s jokes was James Shields, a Democrat. Shields challenged Lincoln to a duel, and Lincoln got to choose the weapons. He chose cavalry broadswords, which are extremely large. However, once they both arrived at the site of the duel, it never came to fruition.
Number Eleven: He Carried Documents in His Hat. Lincoln would keep letters in his large hat when he was a local postmaster as a young man. In fact, when he would write speeches, he would sometimes write things down on slips and keep them in his hat.
Number Ten: He Was an Animal Lover. In fact, Lincoln was even passionate about the life of ants. On one instance, he was ridiculed by fellow lawyers when he stopped while riding the circuit to help rescue fallen baby birds.
Number Nine: He Was Clean. Specifically, Lincoln neither smoke nor drank. He said that alcohol made him feel “flabby and undone,” and tobacco never appealed to him.