We already brought you part one of our list of 15 things you probably did not know about Abraham Lincoln, and now we’re back with part two! Check out eight more fascinating facts about the former United States president that you definitely (probably) did not know below. You might be surprised by what you find out!
Number Eight: He Hated Farming. Lincoln left his father’s farm as soon as he could, and he never returned back. He found a life in agriculture to be too uncertain for his liking.
Number Seven: He Jumped Out of a Window to Save a Bank. Democrats in Illinois were trying to shut down a bank in 1840, and Lincoln was having none of it. Lincoln was in the statehouse when he realized that the Democrats might just be successful in their efforts, and so he tried to escape by climbing out through a window. One Democratic newspaper wrote about the incident, saying they would install a third story into the statehouse “so as to prevent members from jumping out windows!”
Number Six: He Was Jealous of Stephen Douglas. Lincoln and Douglas were often in the same social circles, and Lincoln’s wife even flirted with Douglas before she married Lincoln. By the mid-1850s, Douglas had become a Senator while Lincoln had no political prospects. Lincoln wrote about Douglas and compared himself to him, writing “With me, the race of ambition has been a failure – a flat failure; with [Douglas] it has been one of splendid success.”
Number Five: He Didn’t Have any Close Friends. There are many instances of Lincoln’s acquaintances saying that he was closed-off and anti-social. Some of his friends would go to Lincoln’s house dozens of times without ever being asked to dinner.
Number Four: He Is Enshrined in the Wrestling Hall of Fame. It’s true! Lincoln was an accomplished wrestler when he was younger, thanks to his long limbs. His wrestling achievements earned him an honor of “Outstanding American” in the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.
Number Three: He Created the Secret Service Right Before He Was Assassinated. Just hours before Lincoln was assassinated, he signed legislation that would create the U.S. Secret Service. However, even if he had established the Secret Service earlier, he would still have been assassinated – the Secret Service was initially created to combat counterfeit money.
Number Two: He Is the Only President to Obtain a Patent. Lincoln designed a way to keep boats floating while in shallow waters by using empty metal air chambers. He obtained the patent for this in 1849, and he is still the only president who has ever obtained a patent.
Number One: He Never Slept in the Lincoln Bedroom. In fact, he used the Lincoln Bedroom as his personal office. He signed the Emancipation Proclamation in that bedroom.