1

Abraham Lincoln

Image: Library of Congress

Probably one of the most remembered presidential beards is that of the 16th US President and author of the unforgettable Gettysburg Address, Abraham Lincoln. But, while his image is forever linked to his top hat and distinctive, mustache-free beard, he actually didn't always have it.

Before he was elected president, an 11-year-old girl wrote him a letter suggesting he grow a beard. Fortunately, Lincoln took her advice! Thus, he became the first president to grow a beard while in office.

2

Theodore Roosevelt

Image: Library of Congress

Another iconic style was that of Teddy Roosevelt. His handlebar mustache is not only seen in photos and portraits from his time in office but is also forever etched on the imposing Mount Rushmore. Many men of his era imitated his dramatic, thick, and bushy mustache, which perfectly matched the vigor and toughness that defined the 26th US president.

3

Ulysses S. Grant

Image: Sergei Starostin

Beard? Yes! Sideburns? Of course. Mustache? That too! That is the case with Ulysses S. Grant, a president with a full look, fitting for a Civil War hero.

Grant's beard and mustache were thick -though not long- covering his jawline and also much of his cheeks. Thus, the 18th US president set a fashion trend that would be followed by several other presidents of the 19th century.

4

Grover Cleveland

Image: Dave Sherrill

Another president with a well-remembered mustache was Grover Cleveland, the first US president to serve two non-consecutive terms.

Cleveland's mustache was fluffy and extended just past the edges of his mouth. Although this might have been a problem when dining with guests, his mustache always looked neatly trimmed.

5

William Howard Taft

Image: Ronaldo Guiraldelli

Now, it's time to talk about the only person in the history of the US to have served as both President and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court: William Howard Taft.

Taft sported a bushy mustache, like Teddy Roosevelt, who served right before him. But, unlike his predecessor, the tips of Taft's mustache didn't point downward; instead, they bent upward, making it much more theatrical.

6

John Quincy Adams

Image: Library of Congress

John Quincy Adams didn't need a mustache to stand out with his style. His hallmark was something quite original: sideburns.

Remembered for being bushy and always well and neatly groomed, the 6th president's memorable sideburns extended down the sides of his face, even connecting beneath his chin!

7

Rutherford B. Hayes

Image: Nikolaos Dimou

Rutherford B. Hayes was another 19th-century president known for sporting a full beard. In addition to being thick, his beard and mustache were quite long and even joined together, fully covering his lips, as seen in portraits from the time. While the 19th President looked really distinguished, we can't help but wonder how he handled summer with that style!

8

James A. Garfield

Image: Sean Foster

James A. Garfield had a look strikingly similar to that of his predecessor, Rutherford B. Hayes.

Also sporting a thick, long, full beard, Garfield's mustache was slightly shorter than Hayes', and his beard extended further onto his cheeks. It seems that you had to put some serious effort into perfecting your facial hair to be trendy in the late 19th century!

9

Martin Van Buren

Image: Jack Bulmer

"Mutton chops" is the term for the thick, bushy sideburns worn by Martin Van Buren, the 8th president of the United States, a style known more for its volume than its tidiness.

As seen in portraits from different moments of his life, Van Buren had sideburns from a young age, but they definitely stood out during his presidency. In fact, political cartoons of his time often emphasized that very feature, making his sideburns exaggeratedly large.

10

Zachary Taylor

Image: Josh Sorenson

Before Lincoln, the dominant fashion was a clean-shaven look. But Zachary Taylor -just like John Quincy Adams and Martin Van Buren- came to revolutionize things with his sideburns.

We have to admit Taylor's sideburns were far more modest than those of his predecessors, but he remains one of the few presidents to have worn any facial hair before Honest Abe made it a trend!

1

"Do your best, history will do the rest."

Image: Sincerely Media

This line is attributed to a leader who preferred plain talk over fancy speeches. Yes, this quote is simple, but the message behind it is quite powerful! He grew up in the Midwest, worked on a farm, and often said that good work speaks for itself. His steady outlook carried the country through the final stretch of a world conflict and the anxious years just after. Who is it?

2

"A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor."

Image: Maël BALLAND

We love this quote! Why? Well, because it is as simple as it is true. That was this President’s goal: to use simple images to make big ideas feel close to home. He guided the nation through economic trouble and global war, often mentioning topics like patience, courage, and hope. Even from his wheelchair, he painted pictures of strength. A true American leader, right, but who is he?

3

"Perseverance and spirit have done wonders in all ages."

Image: Brett Jordan

This next quote came from a leader whose early years were marked by hard travel, long campaigns, and delicate diplomacy. He had a calm way of encouraging people without raising his voice. His belief in steady character helped shape the country in its very first chapter. Please stand up for this one!

4

"The best way to predict your future is to create it."

Image: Hadija

These words are those of a tall, thoughtful president from Illinois who knew the sting of loss more than once. Books were his teachers, and ambition kept him moving. He often reminded people that life answers to those who keep trying, even when the odds look unfriendly. Do you know the answer already?

5

"A man may die, nations may rise and fall, but an idea lives on."

Image: Mika Baumeister

This line came from a young president who brought a burst of energy to the White House. His speeches felt crisp and hopeful, reflecting the spirit of the early space age. He believed in bold thinking and often told Americans that imagination could outlast fear, conflict, and even time.

6

"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are."

Image: Marija Zaric

Here we have a quote from a president known for his childhood struggles and his later love of adventure. He boxed, hiked, studied wildlife, and charged into politics with the same energy. He liked practical advice, especially the kind that encouraged people to begin where they stood. If you haven’t figured it out yet, keep reading, and you’ll find all the answers below!

7

Harry S. Truman

Image: Volodymyr Hryshchenko

Truman is often quoted as saying, "Do your best, history will do the rest," as a reminder that results are not always immediate. He took office during the final months of World War II and faced monumental decisions regarding postwar rebuilding, peacekeeping, and the early Cold War. His plainspoken manner matched his no-nonsense style.

8

Franklin Delano Roosevelt

Image: Jason Leung

FDR often used sea imagery, including the quote above. He leaned on this message during the Great Depression and again in wartime. It helped people feel braver in moments when the country needed every bit of steady leadership.

9

George Washington

Image: Hrayr Movsisyan

Washington’s line, "Perseverance and spirit have done wonders in all ages," came in the context of the Revolutionary War. Supplies were thin, the weather was brutal, and morale often wavered. He used words like these to keep soldiers and citizens believing in the long fight ahead. Big thanks are in order!

10

Abraham Lincoln

Image: Fine Photographics

Lincoln is often credited with the thought, "The best way to predict your future is to create it." His whole life story reflected that idea. He rose from frontier poverty to the presidency by reading constantly, working hard, and following his own path one determined step at a time. Perhaps we should just do what he said, right?

11

John F. Kennedy

Image: Lucrezia Carnelos

Kennedy’s quote, "A man may die, nations may rise and fall, but an idea lives on," represents his love of big thinking. He shared it during speeches that encouraged Americans to look beyond fear and aim for progress, whether that meant civil rights, science, or world cooperation. Do you agree with him?

12

Theodore Roosevelt

Image: Nils Huenerfuerst

Roosevelt often told people, "Do what you can, with what you have, where you are." He practiced this philosophy in public service, conservation efforts, and his personal life. He believed action beats hesitation and that results grow from simple beginnings. It really makes you think!

1

The ball drop only exists because the city banned fireworks

New Year’s Eve celebrations began in Times Square as early as 1904. That year, New York Times owner Adolph Ochs threw an extravagant fireworks party to christen the paper’s new headquarters.

Two years later, the city banned fireworks over fire hazard concerns. Ochs’ chief electrician, Walter Palmer, proposed a "time-ball" to replace the pyrotechnics. This would imitate a navigational device used by ships. So, on December 31, 1907, a 700-pound iron-and-wood ball, five feet in diameter, lit by 100 twenty-five-watt bulbs, made its first descent from the flagpole atop One Times Square.

The tradition has continued every year since, except in the wartime dimouts of 1942 and 1943. Today’s ball is the ninth version and is the largest ever: 12.5 feet wide, weighing 12,350 pounds, and covered in 5,280 handcrafted Waterford crystal discs.

2

It used to be called "Satan’s Circus"

The area was once called Longacre Square, named after London’s carriage district, because the neighborhood was the center of New York City’s horse carriage industry. It was also one of the most vice-ridden corners of Manhattan. In 1901, the surrounding blocks contained 132 brothels and at least as many saloons. Police called the area "the Tenderloin." Locals called it "Satan’s Circus."

The transformation began when the New York Times decided to build its new headquarters there, betting on the city’s first subway line, which was already planned to run beneath the block. In 1904, the area was officially renamed Times Square in a public ceremony. Later that year, the newspaper moved into its gleaming new tower, then the city’s second-tallest building. The Times only stayed there for 9 years before relocating to larger offices on West 43rd Street. But the name it left behind proved permanent.

3

It was once one of the most dangerous blocks in America

While it lost its "Satan’s Circus" nickname long ago, the tourist-friendly Times Square most visitors know today is almost unrecognizable from what it was just four decades ago. By 1984, more than 2,300 crimes were being committed every year within a single-block radius.

The streets were dominated by drug dealers, street crime, porn and peep show theaters, and open prostitution. The TKTS discount theater ticket booth, opened in 1973, was conceived as an emergency measure, an attempt to pull foot traffic back into a neighborhood that businesses had abandoned. The City of New York and the State of New York, as well as private investors and the non-profit Times Square Alliance, collaborated to reduce the crime rate and welcome the commerce and brands that eventually turned Times Square into a tourist hub.

By 2001, major felony offenses had fallen 62.3% from their 1993 peak. Today, Times Square is one of the most policed and most surveilled public spaces in the United States, with a dedicated NYPD substation on the premises. The same block that was America’s most notorious danger zone now draws 50 million visitors a year.

4

The TKTS red stairs are actually a roof

Most of the millions of tourists who climb the famous ruby-red stairs in Times Square assume they’re just a viewing platform. In fact, they’re a roof. Underneath the 27 steps sits the TKTS booth, operated by the Theatre Development Fund, where theatergoers can buy same-day Broadway and off-Broadway tickets at discounts of up to 50%.

In 1999, a design competition was held for a permanent replacement. The winning concept proposed building the new booth’s roof as a public staircase. It would be a bleacher-style ascent that would give visitors an elevated vantage point over the square. The structure was completed in October 2008. It glows red at night because it is lit entirely from below. About 13,000 people walk past it every day.

5

New York City law requires the lights to stay on

Did you know that Times Square stays aglow by law? A 1987 New York City zoning ordinance requires all new developments and major enlargements on blocks in the area, with frontage on Seventh Avenue or Broadway, to include large-scale illuminated signage.

The regulation was introduced to protect the district’s visual character after years of blank-faced modernist towers had dulled its energy. Buildings are legally required to display a minimum illuminated surface area, and signage must remain lit during designated hours.

6

The most famous building there is almost empty

One Times Square building is famous; the whole world watches the ball drop from it every New Year's Eve. But few people know that it’s all but empty inside. It has no regular office tenants. Its upper floors are largely unused.

When the New York Times vacated in 1913, the building passed through several owners and eventually became what it is today: a structure whose primary economic purpose is its skin. Still, the billboard faces on its exterior generate millions of dollars per year — a single advertising slot can command upwards of $4 million annually. In effect, One Times Square is a 25-story billboard dressed as a skyscraper.

7

50 million people visit every year, more than all Disney Parks combined

Times Square draws an estimated 50 million visitors annually —more than all Disney theme parks worldwide combined. On a typical day, approximately 330,000 people pass through. On peak days, that number exceeds 460,000.

Its official website notes that more people walk through Times Square each year than live in the entire country of Iceland. Visitor spending totals roughly $4.8 billion per year, and for every dollar a tourist spends anywhere in New York City, approximately 22 cents are spent within Times Square’s few blocks.

After a dip during the pandemic, tourism to New York City has rebounded strongly, with the city welcoming over 65 million visitors in 2025 and projecting 67 million in 2027. Times Square remains the single biggest draw within the city, accounting for a disproportionate share of that spending.

8

It’s not actually a square; it’s two triangles

Geometrically speaking, Times Square is not a square. It’s more like a bowtie; two elongated triangles formed where Broadway, a diagonal road that predates the Manhattan street grid by centuries, cuts across Seventh Avenue.

The city’s famous grid was laid out by the Commissioners’ Plan of 1811. Broadway, an ancient Indigenous trade route that became a colonial road, was already there and simply too important to straighten. Every point where it crosses a major avenue creates an irregular intersection, and Times Square is the most famous of them.

9

It has witnessed incredible moments in American history

Times Square has functioned, again and again, as the place where Americans gather when history breaks. On May 8, 1945, a.k.a. V-E Day, crowds flooded the streets to celebrate the end of the war in Europe. Three months later, on August 14, 1945, a.k.a. V-J Day, the moment Japan’s surrender was announced, ending World War II entirely, the square erupted again.

Life magazine photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt was in the crowd and photographed a sailor spontaneously grabbing a nurse in white uniform and kissing her, an image published in the magazine. Also, on December 31, 1999, the world watched Times Square’s ball drop as the year 2000 arrived and Y2K fears proved unfounded.

10

Buildings are required by law to display bright signage

The exterior of a Times Square building generates more revenue per square foot than almost any interior use could. Running a single billboard requires no HVAC, no tenant improvements, no elevator maintenance, no building management. It requires a screen and electricity. The result is a district where the most valuable real estate in America is literally the surface of things.

Building owners sometimes spend tens of millions of dollars on facade renovations not to improve the building but to improve the view of the building.