Sad news arrived earlier this month concerning our 39th U.S. President, Jimmy Carter. The former president will be receiving hospice care at his home in Plains, Georgia. This week in our American history, we’ll uncover some fun facts about the oldest living and longest living U.S. President.
• Did you know Jimmy Carter was a distant cousin of Elvis Presley? They remained friends until the end of Presley’s life.
• President Carter was a movie buff and reportedly watched over 40 films while he was in office.
• Carter is the first president who was born in a hospital. His mother was a registered nurse.
• His favorite color is blue.
• He played on the Plains High School basketball team and was a lifelong fan of sports.
• His presidential campaign button read, “I’m nuts about Jimmy Carter…”
• Immediately after becoming President, he granted amnesty to all the Vietnam War draft evaders.
• He carried his own bags onto Air Force One and refused to have “Hail to the Chief” played when he walked into a room.
• On Sept. 18, 1973, then Governor Jimmy Carter filed an official report claiming he’d seen a UFO. It happened in October of 1969. Carter was outside a Lions Club in Leary Georgia. At about 7:30 p.m. he, along with about 20 other witnesses, spotted what he called, “the darndest thing I’ve ever seen.” He said, “One thing’s for sure, I’ll never make fun of people who say they’ve seen unidentified objects in the sky.”
• President Carter lives in the same home he bought with his wife, Rosalynn in 1961. In 2018, it was valued at just $167,000.
• The Carters live modestly. In fact, they’ve been known to shop for clothes at discount stores, fly commercial airlines and make their own yogurt.
June Gayle Perry is a member of The Ocklawaha Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, which invites anyone interested in pursuing membership to contact her at: spooker15@aol.com
