Andrew Jackson Badass Fact #7

The office of Commander in Chief has its perks. In 1835, a generous New York dairy farmer sent President Andrew Jackson a pretty big one: a 1400-pound wheel of cheese. Not sure exactly what to do with it, Jackson figured he might as well bring it in, and left it in the middle of the floor of the White House entrance hall. For two years.


In 1837, after he felt it had aged sufficiently, Jackson threw open the doors to the White House, allowing the public to come right in and help eat the monstrosity. As soon as the cheese was opened, it emitted a pungent odor that filled the air in the entrance hall for years afterward. In addition, although the mob of cheese-crazed citizens managed to consume the entire block in under two hours, it had been left in one place for so long that it left a permanent grease stain on the White House carpet. That's what I call a Presidential legacy.