The Honest Rail-Splitter: 15 Fascinating Facts About Abraham Lincoln

1. The Tallest President in U.S. History

At six feet four inches tall, Abraham Lincoln remains the tallest chief executive in American history. His towering height was especially striking during the 19th century, when the average American male stood around five feet seven inches. When wearing his signature stovepipe hat, he towered over seven feet above the crowd, making him instantly recognizable in any room. Lincoln often used his physical stature to command attention during political debates and public speeches. His unusual height was accompanied by long, gangly limbs, which gave him an unmistakable and awkward gait.

2. An Elite Hall of Fame Wrestler

Long before entering politics, Lincoln was an elite practitioner of catch-as-catch-can wrestling in Illinois. Out of approximately 300 matches spanning twelve years, the future president was defeated only once. His formidable strength and exceptionally long reach made him nearly impossible for opponents to pin or throw. In 1992, the National Wrestling Hall of Fame officially inducted Lincoln in the Outstanding American category. Stories of his wrestling exploits became key elements of his political persona as a tough, self-made pioneer.

3. The Only President to Hold a Patent

Lincoln was an avid mechanical tinkerer and holds the unique distinction of being the only U.S. president granted an official patent. In May 1849, he received U.S. Patent No. 6,469 for a device designed to lift riverboats over shallow sandbars. Inspired by his own experiences working on flatboats along the Mississippi River, the invention used inflatable rubber chambers to raise grounded vessels. Although the device was never commercially manufactured, Lincoln personally whittled a wooden scale model that remains on display at the Smithsonian Institution. His interest in technology later encouraged the Union's adoption of advanced weaponry during the Civil War.

4. Convinced to Grow a Beard by an 11-Year-Old Girl

Lincoln was completely clean-shaven for most of his life until a young girl changed his mind during the 1860 presidential campaign. Eleven-year-old Grace Bedell wrote him a letter suggesting that a beard would improve his gaunt appearance and win over voters. She noted that women liked whiskers and would encourage their husbands to vote for him if he grew them out. Lincoln replied to her letter, questioning whether people would consider it a silly affectation, but ultimately took her advice. By the time his inaugural train stopped in her hometown in early 1861, he sported the full iconic beard known today.

5. A Licensed Bartender and Failed Saloon Owner

In 1833, a young Lincoln partnered with his friend William F. Berry to purchase a general store and tavern in New Salem, Illinois. To operate legally, the duo obtained a liquor license, making Lincoln the only U.S. president who worked as a licensed bartender. The business, named Berry and Lincoln, sold spirits, food, and supplies to local residents. However, Berry suffered from severe alcoholism and consumed much of the shop's liquid inventory himself. The business rapidly accumulated debt and collapsed, leaving Lincoln responsible for paying off their massive shared loans for years afterward.

6. Saved from Death by His Assassin’s Brother

In a dramatic twist of historical fate, Lincoln's eldest son, Robert Todd Lincoln, was saved from serious injury or death by Edwin Booth. Edwin was a famous stage actor and the older brother of John Wilkes Booth, the man who would later assassinate the president. The incident occurred on a crowded train platform in Jersey City, New Jersey, shortly before the end of the Civil War. When Robert slipped off the platform into the narrow gap beside a moving train, Edwin grabbed him by the coat collar and pulled him to safety. Robert recognized the famous actor immediately and thanked him, though Edwin only learned the identity of the young man he saved months later.

7. Challenged a Political Rival to a Broadsword Duel

In 1842, Lincoln's fiery political satires published in an Illinois newspaper enraged the state auditor, James Shields, who challenged Lincoln to a duel. As the challenged party, Lincoln had the right to select the weapons and chose heavy cavalry broadswords. Lincoln selected broadswords specifically because his immense arm span gave him an insurmountable reach advantage over the much shorter Shields. On the day of the fight, Lincoln demonstrated his advantage by slicing a tree branch high above Shields's head, demonstrating how easily he could dominate the fight. Recognizing the futility of combat, mutual friends stepped in and successfully brokered a peaceful resolution.

8. A Devoted Cat Enthusiast in the White House

Lincoln possessed a deep affection for animals, but he held a particularly strong fondness for domestic cats. His wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, famously remarked to friends that cats were her husband's primary hobby. During his presidency, he brought two cats named Tabby and Dixie into the executive mansion and frequently conversed with them. At a formal White House dinner, Lincoln scandalized guests by feeding Tabby directly from the table using a silver fork. When First Lady Mary criticized his manners, Lincoln famously replied that if the fork was good enough for President James Buchanan, it was good enough for Tabby.

9. Tragically Lost His Mother to Milk Sickness

When Lincoln was just nine years old, his mother, Nancy Hanks Lincoln, died from a mysterious frontier illness known as milk sickness. The disease struck rural communities when cows consumed the poisonous white snakeroot plant, passing toxins into their milk. Lincoln's mother spent days in intense agony before passing away in their primitive Indiana log cabin. The loss deeply traumatized the young boy, who helped his father carve wooden pegs to construct her crude coffin. Decades later, modern medical science identified the exact plant toxin responsible for the epidemic that claimed his mother's life.

10. Authorized the Secret Service on the Day He Was Shot

On April 14, 1865, just hours before heading to Ford's Theatre, Lincoln officially created the United States Secret Service. However, the agency was not established to provide executive protection for the president. Instead, its primary mission was to combat widespread currency counterfeiting, which had crippled nearly a third of the nation's paper money after the Civil War. It was not until after the assassination of President William McKinley in 1901 that the Secret Service was formally tasked with presidential security. Ironically, the legislation Lincoln signed on his final day on earth would later protect all future presidents.

11. Used His Stovepipe Hat as a Portable File Cabinet

Lincoln's iconic stovepipe hat served a practical purpose far beyond mere fashion or adding to his impressive height. The tall, hollow silk hat functioned as a mobile filing cabinet where he stored legal briefs, letters, and important speeches. When walking between courtrooms in Illinois or moving around Washington, he routinely tucked critical paperwork inside the lining of his headwear. Witnesses frequently noted that during discussions, Lincoln would remove his hat and pull out relevant documents to reference mid-conversation. This eccentric habit ensured that his most critical papers were always within arm's reach wherever he traveled.

12. Grave Robbers Attempted to Steal His Corpse

In 1876, a gang of Chicago counterfeiters devised a plot to steal Lincoln's body from his tomb in Springfield, Illinois. The criminals intended to hold the former president's remains for a $200,000 ransom and demand the release of their incarcerated master engraver. However, the Secret Service infiltrated the gang and ambushed the grave robbers just as they were lifting the heavy marble lid. To prevent future desecration, Lincoln's body was moved multiple times and ultimately reburied inside a massive steel cage. In 1901, his casket was permanently encased under ten feet of solid concrete beneath the tomb floor.

13. Tested Experimental Rifles on the White House Lawn

During the Civil War, Lincoln took a direct interest in military innovation and personally tested new weapons. Inventors frequently bypassed bureaucratic military channels to bring their prototype repeating rifles directly to the Commander-in-Chief. Lincoln regularly set up target practice on the grassy South Lawn of the White House, firing weapons like the Spencer repeating carbine. Soldiers, cabinet members, and shocked civilian passersby often stopped to watch the president blast targets into nearby trees. His hands-on testing directly sped up the Union army's adoption of advanced firearms, giving Northern troops a distinct firepower advantage.

14. Carried Confederate Money on the Night of His Death

When Lincoln was shot at Ford's Theatre, his pockets contained a surprising array of everyday items, including a Confederate five-dollar bill. The bill featured the image of Confederate Vice President Alexander H. Stephens, whom Lincoln had known years earlier in Congress. Historical evidence suggests Lincoln likely acquired the rebel paper currency as a historical souvenir during his visit to Richmond, Virginia, just days after the Confederate capital fell. His pockets also held a pair of folding spectacles, a pocketknife, a lens cleaner, and newspaper clippings praising his policies. Today, these poignant artifacts are preserved together in the Library of Congress.

15. A Self-Taught Attorney Who Never Attended Law School

Despite becoming one of the most celebrated legal minds in American history, Lincoln never attended college or law school. Raised in poverty on the American frontier, he received less than twelve months of formal schooling throughout his entire life. Instead, Lincoln taught himself the law by borrowing books, including William Blackstone's famous Commentaries on the Laws of England. He spent countless hours reading under trees, studying late by candlelight, and mastering complex legal principles through intense self-discipline. In 1836, he passed the Illinois bar examination and built a highly successful twenty-year legal career.