The U.S. President's Unexpected Legacy Thomas Jefferson: Paleontology

A wunderkind of the American Renaissance, Jefferson had his own academic pursuits. Known for such things as writing the Declaration of Independence; lesser known is that he used his collection of more than 6,400 books to help rebuild the previously burned Library of Congress. But his most unexpected hobby was collecting bones.

　　At the beginning of the 19th century, paleontology was as immature as America was at the time. Jefferson and some others believed that species extinction was impossible. So in 1804 he sponsored an expedition by Lewis and Clark in the hope that they would search for a herd of live mammoths - which were said to walk the Mississippi River valley.

　　In reality, there were no mammoths there, only their bones. But it was enough to prompt Jefferson to fund Clark's 1807 follow-up project in Kentucky, a fossil collection. This search trip uncovered more than 300 bone samples. Jefferson was so pleased that he scattered them in several rooms of the White House for study.

　　Jefferson's unusual hobby legitimized paleontology in the United States, leading critics to dub him, the president, "Mr. Mammoth. Jefferson gave at least 50 mastodon bones to the American Philosophical Society, which were instrumental in identifying a giant extinct sloth never before seen in the United States, later named the "Jay's giant-clawed ground sloth.

　　Abraham Lincoln: The dog named Fido

　　Abraham Lincoln loved animals all his life and refused to harm even a small insect. As a boy in Kentucky, he admonished his ant-teasing playmates: "The life of an ant is as happy and sweet to him as ours is to us." Later Lincoln brought to the White House a real zoo of beloved animals, with a white rabbit, goats, ponies and three orphaned cats rescued from a Union army camp.

　　Lincoln's favorite, however, was his yellow mutt, Fido. Fido entered the Lincoln family in 1855 and quickly became a part of the family. He was seen by locals following Lincoln's sons through the streets, imitating circus acts, accompanying Lincoln to the market, and scaring Lincoln's wife, Mary Todd, by waving his mud-caked paws to welcome transient guests.

　　Unfortunately, in 1861, Fido was too large and mischievous to live in the White House with the Lincolns, but he attended Lincoln's farewell address at Springfield Station with his new owner, and in May 1865, Lincoln's coffin was brought home, where Fido was waiting. Reports of the funeral turned Fido, the "Lincoln Dog," into a household name in America, and his name suddenly became synonymous with the family dog. His reputation and story are still told today.

　　Theodore Roosevelt: A Literary Work

　　It is inconceivable that a man who was impulsive and an avid outdoorsman could sit quietly at his desk and patiently learn how to be a writer. But Roosevelt did it. "A Hard Life" is not only a description of his life, but also the title of one of his 35 books.

　　In 1886, a cold Dakota winter caused Roosevelt to lose his fortune and he had to find other ways to support his family. So, for the rest of his life, he chose to write for a living, as politics did not pay well and was never his main source of income.

　　In addition to fiction, Roosevelt wrote on a wide range of topics and genres, and his works include history, autobiography, editorials, memoirs, nature, letters, and many other genres. Roosevelt wrote in a variety of styles: energetic, expressive of indignation, and reflective ......

　　Woodrow Wilson: Advocate of Higher Education Reform

　　In 1902, Wilson was elected president of Princeton University. As president of a university, he did his best to establish the university as the nation's foremost academic center. Historian John Mudd said, "Wilson's early years as president were quite successful. He reorganized the entire university, hired 40 new faculty members, and raised a great deal of money."

　　Wilson proposed sweeping changes in education and society, including hiring faculty with extensive teaching experience. He placed emphasis on professional skills development, created several academic departments and developed a system regarding core requirements. To meet the standards, students were required to form small groups (with mentors in the group) and undertake a two-year period of targeted study in their chosen profession. In addition, the syllabus developed by Wilson was an important innovation in higher education.

　　Wilson also sought to raise the bar for admission, did his best to remove the patronizing element for the children of wealthy families, and promoted a rigorous academic style. He had aspirations for alumni: "To turn boys who do things without thinking into men who think." Wilson planned to abolish the fraternity-like dining clubs at Princeton, which housed some of the school's wealthiest but also laziest students. Although Wilson's proposal initially met with high approval, it soon met with strong opposition from conservative trustees and wealthy alumni. After highly publicized gamesmanship, Wilson earned a national reputation not only for his boldness in advocating higher education reform, but also for his vigor in confronting social inequality.

　　Ronald Reagan: jelly beans in space

　　In the 1960s, Ronald Reagan decided to quit smoking, for which he chose to use jelly beans as a substitute.

　　News of Reagan's candy consumption reached the Herman Gritz Candy Company, which began shipping free "Gritz" jelly beans to him as governor. Reagan felt like he was in heaven, happy.

　　Reagan became a big fan of Gritz's jelly beans after the company debuted the Jelly Belly brand in 1976. He ordered 3. 5 tons of red, white and blue jelly beans for his inauguration in 1980. During Reagan's presidency, "Jellybeans" became an essential White House food item. He provided custom jars of jellybeans for visiting dignitaries, made sure that all of his regular locations in the Capitol were stocked with jellybeans, and even installed custom jellybean boxes on Air Force One. Thanks to President Reagan's free publicity, orders for Jellybeans were lined up for a year later. In 1983, the astronauts on board the Challenger spacecraft opened a package from President Reagan and what was inside? What else could it be but jelly beans!