World Leader Fun Facts

George Washington loved ice cream so much that he kept 2 pewter ice cream pots on the premises for himself, family, and guests. History shows that he ordered thousands of gallons over the years, and spent approximately $200 for ice cream during the summer of 1790 alone.

While sunbathing in Barbados, rookie member of the Canadian Parliament (and Prime Minister to-be), John Turner nonchalantly saved the life of then Prime Minister John Diefenbaker who was violently pulled under the surface by a strong undertow. In describing the event, Turner explained, “My wife said, ‘Gee… Dief is in trouble out there,’ so I went out and got him.”

The prime minister of Belize, Said Musa, gives the term “business casual” new meaning. At his inauguration, he left his suit at home and instead wore jeans and a t-shirt. After all, it was his party, so he figured, why not be comfy?

It might be Greek to the rest of us, but James Garfield, the 20th president of the U.S. had a talent that not many others can match. Garfield could write Greek with one hand and Latin with the other… at the same time! While it wasn’t that feat alone that won him the presidency, it sure proved an interesting topic at dinner parties.

One way to rise above the pack is to become Prime Minister of Canada, as did Jean Chrétien. The pack? He was born 19th of 20 children!

11-year old New Yorker, Grace Bedell wrote a letter to an American politician saying, “You’d look better in a beard, like my father and brothers.” From that point on, the beard became Abraham Lincoln’s trademark. Upon meeting Grace in the crowd during his presidential inauguration in 1861, he kissed her cheek, thanking her for the suggestion.

Fairy tales usually are the stuff of childhood dreams, but for John Major they were reality. In one of his early jobs, he worked at a factory manufacturing gnomes, statues of mythical creatures from fairy tales. Major left gnomes, fairies, and leprechauns behind when he later became the prime minister of the United Kingdom.

Vicente Fox was a Coca-Cola delivery route man. Within a few years, he found himself the president of Coke’s divisions in Mexico and Central America. Eventually, Fox decided he wanted to be the leader of something else… something big. So, he left Coke and became president of Mexico… proving that if you dream big, you can be just about anything you want.

Being loud and demanding can pay huge dividends. Spanish dictator Francisco Franco had so many demands when Adolf Hitler came knocking for help during World War II, that the Nazi leader said he’d rather have “two or three teeth pulled out” than deal with Franco again. The result? Spain saved itself both lives and money and stayed out of the war. The Generalísimo’s tough tongue was indeed a good trait.

Frank Zappa’s music was so well loved by Vaclav Havel and other revolutionaries promoting democracy in the Czech Republic that, unbeknownst to Zappa, he became a national hero of sorts. While visiting Prague, the country’s president, Vaclav Havel offered Zappa a new job: Special Ambassador to the West on Trade, Culture and Tourism. It was another credential Zappa could add to his resume… and quite an honor for a man who recorded the album, “Lumpy Gravy”.

American elementary schoolgirl Samantha Smith wrote Yuri Andropov a letter in 1983 asking the Russian leader not to use the arsenal of nuclear weapons he had amassed. She implored him to give peace a chance. Andropov not only answered Smith’s letter, but he also invited her to visit his country on Russia’s dime. In the end, no nuclear weapons were used and Samantha got the peace she had asked for.

Some people give chocolate rabbits on Easter. Czar Nicholas II preferred more exotic gifts for the women in his life. On Easter 1913, he gave his mother a beautiful Faberge egg encrusted with 3,000 diamonds as a token of his love. The egg was expensive no doubt, but nothing compared to the whopping $9.6 million it fetched in 2002.