What do you think?
Rate this book
America’s Presidents: What Your History Teacher Never Told You
A colorful US history book for adults that reveals little-known accounts, outlandish stories, and 70+ all-too-human fun facts about presidents.
“A dazzling and beguiling study of the nooks and crannies of the American Presidency. Read this book. Enjoy. And plan on winning your trivia bouts and bar bets.”
—John A. Farrell, Pulitzer Prize finalist for Richard The Life and author of Ted A Life
Go beyond chopping down cherry trees and Marilyn Monroe serenading happy birthday.
In this collection of interesting facts about presidents—some pivotal, others less so—learn about the real-life idiosyncrasies of the people who held the highest office in the United States.
Gerald S. Henig is professor emeritus of history who has been collecting facts to startle his students for over four decades—and has the Outstanding Professor Award and four Pi Kappa Delta Best Lecturer Awards to prove it.
His fully-documented revelations provide insights into the character and conduct of America’s presidents—and how they were influenced by the same flaws and foibles as every Tom, Dick, and Harry.
Ranging from the startling to the scandalous, discover which a tennis court—and then refused to be photographed in his tennis whites,privately admitted on more than one occasion that he was not fit for the job,ordered three bells to be rung when he walked the halls of the White House so the staff would stay out of sight,called his penis Jumbo (and was not shy about exhibiting it to justify its name),had to be restrained from beating his would-be assassin,claimed that he needed sex every day to avoid a severe headache.
A great book for history buffs, Hamilton fans, and anyone looking for fodder for their next dinner party, America’s Presidents is full of unknown facts that are easy-to-digest, rarely spoken of, and as entertaining as they are educational.
Even “leaders of the free world” have their embarrassing, entertaining, and altogether shocking moments—and this book flings the doors of the White House wide open.
“America’s Presidents is filled with fun stories and insightful anecdotes. We learn that presidents have peculiarities. More importantly, we are reminded that their peculiarities can shape the world.”
—Graham A. Peck, Wepner Distinguished Professor of Lincoln Studies, University of Illinois at Springfield
“A dazzling and beguiling study of the nooks and crannies of the American Presidency. Read this book. Enjoy. And plan on winning your trivia bouts and bar bets.”
—John A. Farrell, Pulitzer Prize finalist for Richard The Life and author of Ted A Life
Go beyond chopping down cherry trees and Marilyn Monroe serenading happy birthday.
In this collection of interesting facts about presidents—some pivotal, others less so—learn about the real-life idiosyncrasies of the people who held the highest office in the United States.
Gerald S. Henig is professor emeritus of history who has been collecting facts to startle his students for over four decades—and has the Outstanding Professor Award and four Pi Kappa Delta Best Lecturer Awards to prove it.
His fully-documented revelations provide insights into the character and conduct of America’s presidents—and how they were influenced by the same flaws and foibles as every Tom, Dick, and Harry.
Ranging from the startling to the scandalous, discover which a tennis court—and then refused to be photographed in his tennis whites,privately admitted on more than one occasion that he was not fit for the job,ordered three bells to be rung when he walked the halls of the White House so the staff would stay out of sight,called his penis Jumbo (and was not shy about exhibiting it to justify its name),had to be restrained from beating his would-be assassin,claimed that he needed sex every day to avoid a severe headache.
A great book for history buffs, Hamilton fans, and anyone looking for fodder for their next dinner party, America’s Presidents is full of unknown facts that are easy-to-digest, rarely spoken of, and as entertaining as they are educational.
Even “leaders of the free world” have their embarrassing, entertaining, and altogether shocking moments—and this book flings the doors of the White House wide open.
“America’s Presidents is filled with fun stories and insightful anecdotes. We learn that presidents have peculiarities. More importantly, we are reminded that their peculiarities can shape the world.”
—Graham A. Peck, Wepner Distinguished Professor of Lincoln Studies, University of Illinois at Springfield
Kindle Edition
Published April 2, 2024
10 people are currently reading
10 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
November 7, 2025
"America's Presidents: What Your History Teacher Never Told You" by Gerald S. Henig.
America's Presidents is not only full of truthful stories and anecdotes that our history teachers never told us about, but many of these stories they didn't even want us to KNOW about!!
Highly entertaining, and an unbelievably quick read that leaves you feeling that you were tasting grandma's apple pie! Each paragraph, each chapter, as you revel in it, will leave you craving it, like grandma's apple pie, wanting more, more, and then some more!
Mr. Henig obviously didn't write this book to be only read by history buffs; this book speaks to the everyman in everybody. It's eye-opening, scandalous, and detailed, whetting the appetite of everyone lucky enough to read this book.
America's Presidents is also an honest, blatant reminder that, as powerful as the President of the United States may be, they are still human beings with quirks, faults, and idiosyncrasies to last a lifetime. A must-read!
Read
May 24, 2024Gerald Henig MA’65
Author
From the author:
America's Presidents offers unique and compelling views of those who occupied the White House. These fully documented (and little-known) stories are funny, tragic, and, in some cases, startling. By providing further insight into the character and conduct of our chief executives, these revelations help to explain why only a select few — Washington, Lincoln, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt — etched a place for themselves in the pantheon of presidential greatness. Although several others came close, the vast majority fell short.
Author
From the author:
America's Presidents offers unique and compelling views of those who occupied the White House. These fully documented (and little-known) stories are funny, tragic, and, in some cases, startling. By providing further insight into the character and conduct of our chief executives, these revelations help to explain why only a select few — Washington, Lincoln, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt — etched a place for themselves in the pantheon of presidential greatness. Although several others came close, the vast majority fell short.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews