In America’s nearly 250-year history, there have been 46 presidents, each with his own eccentricities that cement him as an important historical figure. However, a few have stood out much more, leaving the others behind. They may not make the cover of any history book, but these overlooked presidents are still interesting, and learning about what they did can shine a light on our country’s history.

Howard Taft

Taft may not be the most popular president, but he is one that many people remember due to the rumor that he once got stuck in a bathtub. This particular claim doesn’t have much to back it up, but another interesting part of Taft’s presidency rings true.

The teddy bear was named after Theodore Roosevelt—who preceded Taft in the US presidency—because of his refusal to shoot a captured bear cub. Toy-makers grew wary when Taft came into office, thinking teddy bear sales would decline. So they came up with the “Billy possum,” a similar toy with a much more unsavory origin story: Taft reportedly enjoyed eating meals consisting of “possum and taters.” Thankfully, this toy would never see the popularity of the teddy bear.

Dwight D. Eisenhower

Dwight D. Eisenhower, who served as president between Harry S. Truman and John F. Kennedy, was quite a unique president. One of the most notable things he did was create the Interstate Highway System as well as the departments that would later become the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Education.

In 1954, Eisenhower also issued a proclamation about proper half-mast flag-flying rules. He also changed the name of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s presidential retreat from Shangri-La to Camp David, after his father and grandson. He said the name Shangri-La was “too fancy for a Kansas farm boy.”

Franklin Pierce

One of the US presidents that many people often forget about, Franklin Pierce served from 1853 to 1857. Pierce completed the Gadsden Purchase, obtaining Arizona and New Mexico from Mexico, but he was even more interesting after his presidency. The Democratic Party rejected his renomination, and he turned to alcohol following his departure from office. Some claim that Pierce ran over and killed a woman with his horse-drawn carriage, but historical scholars debate the legitimacy of this claim.

There are a lot of notable presidents in America’s history, and while some of them are less memorable, this doesn’t mean they didn’t do anything. These three overlooked presidents did a lot of interesting things that the history books should touch more on. To gain the office of the US presidency, you have to be quite a unique individual, and this list is only the tip of the iceberg.

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