Among the many interesting facts about Abraham Lincoln—that he was the only president to hold a patent (for a device for lifting boats over shoals), that he was an accomplished wrestler and was honored in the Wrestling Hall of Fame, that he held several jobs (such as surveyor, storekeeper, and postmaster) before being elected to the local government in Illinois at the age of 25—there is the little-known fact that Lincoln also wrote poetry. Not only did he write poems himself, but he was very well-read and had a great love for poetry in general.
This is all the more surprising given that his parents could neither read nor write, and he was largely self-educated aside from about a year’s worth of formal schooling. Yet he went on to become a lawyer and politician. His Gettysburg Address is the most well-known speech by an English-speaking politician.
