Random US Presidents with the Strangest Hobbies (14 items)

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  (#5) Thomas Jefferson Invented Spy Gadgets

  When he wasn’t leading a revolution, Thomas Jefferson loved to invent gadgets. He helped advance the science of agriculture by inventing a plow that was easier to pull. He also created an updated sundial in the form of a sphere. But his coolest work was to help out American spies during the Revolutionary War. He invented the “wheel cipher,” which was an iron pin containing 26 spinning wooden disks that could be used to decipher coded messages. That way, The British couldn't read intercepted messages. 
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  (#8) President Obama Collects Comics Like They're Going Out of Style

  There have been quite a few geeks in the White House, but President Obama might be the biggest nerd president we've ever had. Not only is he a huge Star Trek and Game of Thrones fan, but he also has a huge comic book collection. According to him, he grew up loving Conan the Barbarian and Spider-Man. In the following years, President Obama has made appearances in several comics, the most famous of which is a variant cover of Amazing Spider-Man 583 pictured above. 
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  (#6) George Washington Enjoyed Mule Breeding

  When a person breeds a male donkey and a female horse, they get a mule. People frequently use mules as pack animals because of their hardy and obedient natures (and also because they eat less). They also weren’t native to America before George Washington. After seeing how effective they were in Spain, our first president spent a pretty big chunk of his time breeding mules. The towns people and local farmers of Mount Vernon joined Washington in his crusade, using George’s animals to breed their own.
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  (#2) John Quincy Adams Regularly Skinny Dipped

  John Quincy Adams had a lot of history attached to his name. He was the son of a founding father, he died on the floor of congress, and he was the sixth president of the United States. He also loved to swim around naked. It’s been reported that he would wake early every day and swim nude in the Potomac River at 5 a.m. The first female journalist ever to interview a president, Anne Royall, accomplished this historic feat by withholding Adams’ clothing until he agreed to a discourse. 
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  (#9) Abraham Lincoln Wrestled

  Not only did Lincoln lead America through the Civil War and help end slavery, he also knew his way around a wrestling mat. When he was a kid in New Salem, Illinois, Lincoln learned to grapple and got quite a reputation after beating a local bully. Even more impressive was that his ability to kick butt was mentioned during an election in 1858. His opponent, Stephen Douglas, used his knowledge of Lincoln's wrestling tales to prove that he knew him well. When Lincoln ran for the presidency in 1860, the mentions of his wrestling skill came up again... only this time he won the election. In the end, it's become part of the Lincoln legend portraying just how strong and righteous he was. 
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  (#12) George W. Bush Loves to Paint

  Our 43rd President wore many hats in his time. He was in the Texas Air National Guard, he was an entrepreneur, he managed the Texas Rangers, and he was a politician. But after his two terms as President, Bush has taken up painting as a hobby. His subjects mostly include landscapes and dogs, but he also does portraits of world leaders. But more than anything he really seems to love painting those dogs. 

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