Martin Van Buren, Andrew Johnson, John Tyler and Millard Filmore. George Washington, Abe Lincoln, John F. Kennedy and Ronald Regan. I bet you probably know one group of those men better than the others, but the one thing they have in common is that they are all United States Presidents.

We commemorate all 44 of these Presidents each year on the third Monday in February— it wasn’t always like that, though. President’s Day originated from George Washington’s birthday on February 22. He was the first individual who was recognized for a day as a national holiday. As time went on, 16th President, Abe Lincoln, was also highly recognized in numerous states on February 12, his birthday. In 1968, though, the Uniform Monday Holiday Act was passed to create more three-day weekends for federal employees and President’s was hence established. Columbus Day and Memorial Day were also changed to Mondays.

This led to much dispute around the nation that two of the arguably most influential U.S. Presidents, Washington and Lincoln, received less acknowledgment now. In this day and age, most people actually believe that Washington’s birthday is on President’s day, even though the date of President’s Day changes every year.

President’s day is often celebrated with sales in many department stores, most notably furniture. In a historical and patriotic sense, many people dress up in red, white and blue, attend or participate in reenactments, visit a local museum and learn about the many legacies that former Presidents have left while serving their time.

There has been quite a variety of men that have led our country since the very beginning. From war heroes and movies stars to peanut farmers and saxophone players, many were members of different political parties, religions and alleged secret societies. Being the President of the United States means no privacy, so most of your life is revealed during campaigns, the terms and even after being in office. They are never out of the public eye. Luckily for us, that has opened up many hidden secrets and interesting details about the intricacies of a Presidents’ personalities.

Here are a few interesting and possibly weird facts about our former leaders:

James Madison was the smallest President at 5’4” and weighing 100 pounds.

William McKinley considered carnations a good luck charm and wore them often. Once he gave one to a little girl and was shot later that day.

Herbert Hoover’s son had two pet alligators that would regularly run across the white house yard.

Gerald Ford’s daughter held her high school prom at the White House.

George W. Bush was his high school’s head cheerleader.

Andrew Johnson taught his pet parrot how to curse. It cursed too much at Jackson’s funeral that it had to be removed.

Ulysses S. Grant once got a speeding ticket for riding his horse too fast on the street.

Warren Harding was a gambler. Once he gambled the White House china and lost.

In the 1970s, Jimmy Carter filed an official report for a UFO sighting.

Barack Obama collects comic books. One of his favorites is Spider-Man.

Every President has a weird characteristic or factor of their life that lies outside of social norms, but when it comes to persuasion or connections, each of them has worked their way up to one of the most respected positions in the United States. Whether by being unanimously voted in, assuming the seat by assassination, or winning the popular or electoral vote, each President's unique personality can be found throughout the history of the United States. You may not agree with every policy that a President may have implemented, but you can still celebrate all of American History, policy and the freedom we are granted for being a citizen of the United States of America.