50 Things You Might Not Know About Obama | The Odyssey Online
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Politics and Activism

50 Things You Might Not Know About Obama

Some facts about possibly the coolest president America will ever have.

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50 Things You Might Not Know About Obama
Rolling Stone

In light of the final debate this past week and all the political campaigns starting to come to a close, we're all probably a little fed up with all the political rampage clogging our newsfeed. Here is a list of facts about my personal favorite man who is sitting in the Oval Office for just a few more weeks.

  1. He is the 44th president of the United States.
  2. He used to smoke, but quit after he ran for office.
  3. He is the sixth post-war president to be left handed.
  4. His name Barack means “one who is blessed” in Swahili.
  5. He has won two Grammy awards, one in 2006 and 2008.
  6. He has a pair of red boxing gloves signed by the late Muhammad Ali.
  7. He used to work at a Baskin Robins.
  8. He dislikes ice cream.
  9. He used to live in Indonesia as a child.
  10. He can speak Spanish and Indonesian.
  11. He once owned a pet ape.
  12. He is 6’1” tall.
  13. His mother was from Kansas and his father from Kenya.
  14. His childhood nickname was “Barry.”
  15. Michelle and Barack married on October 3rd, 1992.
  16. He was born in Honolulu, Hawaii.
  17. He is the first president to be born outside of the continental United States.
  18. He graduated from High School in 1979.
  19. He graduated from Columbia University with a degree in Political Science in 1983.
  20. He graduated from Harvard Law School in 1991.
  21. He loves Pablo Picasso.
  22. His mother was an anthropologist.
  23. He chose Frank O. Salisbury’s portrait of Harry S. Truman to hang in the Cabinet Room.
  24. He is believed to be the first president to brew his own ale on White House grounds, he also used honey from the White House.
  25. He enjoys playing Scrabble and poker.
  26. He was elected to the Illinois State Senate in 1996.
  27. He was elected to U.S. Senate in 2004.
  28. He is the first president to stand up for same-sex marriage while in office.
  29. In 2014, he launched My Brothers Keeper, an initiative to help boys and young men of color overcome the challenges they may face in life to ensure they can reach their full potential.
  30. He is also the first president to fight for equal pay in the workforce.
  31. He wasn’t raised in a religious household but now is a Christian.
  32. He tried drugs in his youth such as marijuana and cocaine.
  33. He is the first African-American to be President of the Harvard Law Review.
  34. His father was an Kenyan government official.
  35. His parents divorced when he was two.
  36. He read all the Harry Potter books with his eldest daughter, Malia.
  37. In 2007, he was a guest on Saturday Night Live.
  38. In October 2009, he was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize.
  39. He taught at University of Chicago Law school from 1992 – 2004.
  40. His home in Chicago has four fireplaces.
  41. One of his favorite books is "Moby Dick" by Herman Melville.
  42. He has been TIME Magazine’s Person of The Year twice.
  43. He collected 'Spiderman" and "Conan the Barbarian" comics.
  44. For his first date with Michelle, they went to see film, “Do The Right Thing.”
  45. He’s mentioned in Neil Young’s song, “Lookin’ For a Leader”.
  46. He was the first U.S. President to address the U.K Parliament.
  47. He can bench press 200lbs.
  48. Two of his favorite movies are “Casablanca” and “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.”
  49. His favorite children’s book is “Where the Wild Things Are.”
  50. There is a beer in Kenya called Senator Keg, which is nicknamed “Obama Beer” by locals.
  51. And, for a little bonus here is a video we can all appreciate. We're going to miss you, man.
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