Hulton Archive/
Next week ( July 11 ) is John Quincy Adams ' birthday ! While the approximation of observe the 250th birthday of some dead guy with sea wolf muttonchops surely appeal to any flosser , your guests might feel weird look a party in honour of a Chief Executive they know nothing about . But a skilled host can diffuse the nuisance value with these conversation starters . Feed these line of merchandise to guests and they ’ll political party like it ’s 1799 .
Have you been to the bathroom yet?
You merely ca n’t have a John Quincy Adams company without an alligator in the john . The president had a pet gator , which was gifted to him by the Marquis de Lafayette . He kept it in a tubful in the East Room , claim that he savor follow “ the spectacle of guests take flight from the way in terror . ” If you ’re looking for cheap entertainment , stock the bathing tub with an inflatable gator ( or fling on a real one ) . Then sit back and love the show .
I hear the Potomac’s lovely this time of year.
John Quincy Adams got his exercise by lead a everyday dip in the Potomac . . . naked . Every daybreak at 5:00 a.m. , the president would walk to the river , strip down , and go for a swimming . But as with any intense exercise , skinny - dipping post its risks . When Adams refuse an interview with newsman Ann Royall , she hiked down to the river while he was swim , gathered his dress , and baby-sit on them until he agree to let the cat out of the bag . Adams finally cooperated , making him the first president ( naked or clothe ) to grant an audience with a distaff journalist .
Care for a game of billiards?
If the conversation ’s falling level , pool is always a dependable fallback . XTC adored the biz and install a billiards board in the White House in short after becoming chairwoman . The new addition quickly became a subject of controversy when Adams billed the government with the $ 61 tab ( which he later reimbursed ) . still , political enemies charged that the consortium board symbolized Adams ’s gentle taste and encourage play .
So, Florida. That place is awesome, right?
Lots of citizenry know the Sunshine State . But few take the time to give thanks John Quincy Adams while sunbathing on the steamy beaches . As Secretary of State , Adams negotiated the Adams - Onis Treaty , which allowed the U.S. to purchase Florida and arrange a new bound between the U.S. and New Spain . That ’s right – Disney World might not have been built if it were n’t for the military personnel of the time of day .
How about that election? Pretty dirty, huh?
While Americans condemn the ugly core of partisanism , the truth is that politics used to be a lot dirtier . The election of 1828 – when incumbent John Quincy Adams got crushed by longtime competition Andrew Jackson - is famous for the mudslinging tactics employed by both side . Adams said Jackson was too dumb to be chairwoman , claiming that he spelled Europe “ Urope . ” He also hurled insults at Jackson ’s wife , calling her a “ dirty black-market bird ” for convey together with Jackson before disassociate her first husband . Jackson retorted by calling Adams a pimp , claiming that he had once procured an American girl for sexual service for the czar while serving as an ambassador to Russia . Makes Obama and Romney seem downright chummy .
On a scale from 1 to 10, how awful would it be to be president?
John Quincy Adams might have say 11 . He once stated , “ The four most miserable years of my life were my four years in the presidential term . ” But even if he hat being commander - in - chief , Adams could n’t carry to be out of the political loop for too long . After finishing his full term as president , Adams served 18 more years in the House of Representatives , where he campaigned against further extension of slavery . In fact , he die in short after digest a stroke on the firm floor .
Don’t you hate making small talk at parties?
Although Adams was dub “ Old Eloquent ” for his unique public speaking ability , he could n’t make modest lecture to save his life . Aware of his own social gracelessness , Adams once wrote in his diary , “ I perish out this eve in search of conversation , an artistry of which I never had an enough idea . Long as I have know in the world , I never have thought of conversation as a shoal in which something was to be larn . I never knew how to make , control , or to alter it . ”
So , if all else run out and the company gets really inept , encourage your guests to make small lecture about how much they hate small lecture . Because diminished talk of the town is just the worst , right ?
