Today is one of those days you should remember from when you were a kid in history class.
Today is the birthday of President Abraham Lincoln. He was born 209 years ago today in Kentucky, February 12th 1809. He died on April 15th 1865, at the age of 56, one day after being shot in the head at Ford’s Theater in Washington D.C. by assassin John Wilkes Booth.
Abraham Lincoln, who was our 16th president, is the most popular president in history, beating out George Washington and Franklin Roosevelt for the top spot year after year.
Here are 6 things you may not know about President Abraham Lincoln taken from a story in the International Business Times:
- Lincoln’s father was only literate enough to write his name, but Lincoln could read and write.
- As an adult, Lincoln liked to read Shakespeare in his spare time
- Lincoln did not drink, smoke or chew tobacco.
- Lincoln’s famous Gettysburg Address was only 272 words long.
- Lincoln was the first to establish Thanksgiving in 1864.
- President Lincoln was a Republican
Of course, Abraham Lincoln is most remembered and revered as being the president who preserved the Union during the Civil War and who signed the Emancipation Declaration to free the slaves to end a practice that threatened to tear our country apart.
With the current political divide in our country, it begs the question of what President Lincoln would have to say. Our government leaders here in 2018, from both parties might want to think about that today, when they’re not fighting with each other.
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(Photo credit Getty Images)