Did you know...

President Franklin Pierce

While Pierce was president, he accidently ran down an old woman with his horse and was arrested. The officer released the President when he discovered who he had in custody. A few chief executives later, President U. S. Grant was arrested for speeding in his horse carriage.

President Warren Harding

From the ages of 22 to 35, Warren Harding had five nervous breakdowns that landed him in Dr. Kellogg's famous clinic in Battle Creek, Michigan. Harding's wife continuously went to fortune tellers and tailored her life around their advice.

President Calvin Coolidge

It's said Calvin Coolidge loved to eat breakfast in bed while having his head rubbed with Vaseline.

President Andrew Jackson

Upon becoming president, Andrew Jackson immediately ordered twenty spittoons for the White House parlors. His wife, Rachel, almost became the only first lady who smoked a pipe, but she died just before he took office.

President William Henry Harrison

William Henry Harrison was killed by his own inaugural address. The 68-year-old general delivered it on a cold winter's day and he droned on for two hours without a hat, coat or gloves. He caught pneumonia and died a month later. In his address, he had promised not to run for a second term.

President John Quincy Adams

As president, John Quincy Adams liked to go skinny dipping in the Potomac. On one occasion someone stole his clothes and he had to ask a passing boy to run back to the White House to get him some more.

President George Washington

George Washington was one of the richest men in the country at that time. At his death, his estate was valued at about a half a million and included 33,000 acres of land. A tremendous amount at that time. His family motto was "Exitus acta probat," meaning "the end justifies the means."

Washington had a fiery temper that, as Thomas Jefferson put it, "was naturally irritable" and when "it broke its bonds, he was most tremendous in his wrath." On one occasion, Jefferson said Washington became "much inflamed, [and] got into one of those passions when he cannot command himself." After his temper flared up, it usually subsided quickly and he would regain control. On another occasion, Washington chewed out Alexander Hamilton for keeping him waiting for ten minutes. Hamilton, who said it was only two minutes, promptly resigned from Washington's staff.

Like Mark Twain, Benjamin Franklin and even Abraham Lincoln, Washington enjoyed dirty jokes and often told obscene anecdotes. While he and Martha destroyed most of his letters, a few did survive. In the late 1920s, multi-millionaire J. P. Morgan bought some, but he burned them saying they were "smutty."

You know you wanna do this!

How to Make a Disco Ball With CDs

Here's how to recycle all those freebie and unwanted CDs and turn them into something funky and new.

Steps

1. Gather your unwanted CDs.

2. Cut each CD into little squares.

- Kitchen shears are better for this job. This could ruin a good pair of scissors. Also, the scissors shouldn't be thin, or else your hands will ache.

- To soften the CDs for cutting (and reduce splintering) dip the CD into boiling water without letting it touch the bottom of the pot. Pull it out before it starts to warp (this might take a little experimenting on your part to determine how long they need to be dipped). Use gloves to cut the CD while it's still warm.

3. Collect the squares in a pile. You will end up with all different sizes of little squares.

4. Fetch the Styrofoam ball and glue gun.

5. Put a hole through the ball with a bamboo skewer or any thing else. Run some fishing wire or a string through the ball and knot into a loop from which the ball can be hung.

6. Start by gluing the little squares from the center of the ball. Work your way up and down. Continue until the ball is covered. Leave the top of the disco ball, where the loop comes out, for last. It's a good place to put irregular bits and pieces because it's the least conspicuous.

7. Hang the ball. You now have a mini disco ball and you've reused the old CDs!