4 Facts You Might Not Know About Abraham Lincoln

• November 6, 2014

On November 6th, 1860, Abraham Lincoln was elected President of the United States. So today seemed like as good a day as any to see how much you know about the legendary President.

What Sport Was Abraham Lincoln Really Good At?  Has officially killed zero vampires. Before he was freeing slaves and fighting vampires (editor's note: Contrary to the plot of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, Abraham Lincoln did not actually fight vampires--that we know of), Abraham Lincoln was earning his reputation as a wrestler.

The man was 6'4" at a time when people just weren't 6'4". He was a giant and it served him well in the ring. People who have combed the record books have been able to find only one official loss on Lincoln's record, and he was eventually honored by the Wrestling Hall of Fame.

One of his more famous matches was an unofficial battle with a local gang leader and wrestling champ himself named Jack Armstrong. Lincoln threw Armstrong to the ground and then reportedly challenged the rest of the gang who had assembled around him, shouting, "Any of you want to try it, come on and whet your horns!" Which has got to be the coolest way to challenge a group of gang members to a fight we can think of. 

Who Saved Lincoln's Son's Life? We want to tell you a story about a famous actor living in the 1800s. His name was Edwin, he was one of, if not the most respected actors of his time. And he also saved the life of the president's son, Robert Todd Lincoln. The younger Lincoln fell into the space between platforms in a train station when the famous thespian reached in and pulled him to safety. Edwin went on with his day, not knowing whose life he had saved until later receiving a letter of commendation for saving the President's son. Not a bad story, right? Well this is the truly interesting part: Edwin's last name? Booth. That's right, the guy who saved the President's son's life was the brother of the thespian who not much later shot Abraham Lincoln in Ford Theater.

Who Never Slept in the Lincoln Bedroom? Supposedly, he also never sat in this chair. If you've ever seen the Lincoln Bedroom, you know it's a decadent room, replete with nice furniture and a giant bed that would totally make sense if you yourself were a giant man like Abraham Lincoln. Friends of the first family and campaign donors have slept in this famous bedroom, but most likely Lincoln himself never did. He used it as an office.

Who is the Only President to Have a Patent? Okay, at this point, we're probably not fooling anyone with how these questions are written. Yes, the only US President to have his own patent is Honest Abe. He invented a device to help steamboats that ran aground. Of course, as with wrestling, this accomplishment was merely a warm-up act. Abraham Lincoln went on to do some other pretty impressive stuff.