14. Theodore Roosevelt had so many hobbies he barely had time left for work
Before, during, and following his presidency, Theodore Roosevelt had hobbies and interests almost too numerous to count. From his youth he enjoyed boxing, and as president he boxed often both in the White House and on its lawns. As president, he added judo and other martial arts. He continued to box until a detached retina cost him his sight in his left eye. The accident was kept secret for more than a decade. Partial loss of his sight did not impair Roosevelt’s love of shooting and hunting, and he frequently relaxed as President by practicing with his many rifles and pistols on the White House lawns and in nearby parks.
Big game hunting became a hobby of Roosevelt’s following the death of his first wife, when he turned to the Dakotas in the west to work out his grief. Buffalo, Grizzlies, Elk, Bighorn Sheep, and other American large animals he shot on his hunts decorated the White House. The president known as Teddy also enjoyed walking on stilts in the White House, and he installed the first tennis court on the White House lawn. He claimed to possess a photographic memory, which he used to be able to identify by sight and sound nearly all known species of North American birds. Somehow, he also found the time to read voraciously, though one wonders how he could sit still long enough to do so.