Abraham Lincoln

A little bit about Abraham Lincoln:

• He lost 30 pounds during the time he was president.

• He was Melancholy (chronically depressed) and took the anti-depressant of the time, called Blue Mass. He became addicted to Blue Mass, but broke his addiction after he was elected. At Megan's request, I looked up Blue Mass on Wikipedia and found out some really interesting facts:

1. Blue Mass was used for child birth pains, tuberculosis, constipation, toothache, and parasitic infections.
2. Blue mass wasn't always made by the same pharmacist, but all versions contained mercury.
3. Over time, most people taking Blue Mass were certain to get mercury poisoning. However, most of the effects of mercury poisoning are reversible. Some people think that the Blue Mass that Lincoln took was the cause of erratic behavior and angry rages.
   
4. A typical daily dose of two or three pills is more than one hundred times the daily limits set by the Environmental Protection Agency in the US today!
5. It is also thought that Ulysses S. Grant and other famous historical figures also took Blue Mass.

To read the full article about Blue Mass, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_mass

• Abraham Lincoln had three sons.
• His sons, Tad & Willie, got typhoid fever from the White House's foul water supply. Tad survived, but Willie died.
• His wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, had a bad habit of taking from the White House's books.
• Abraham Lincoln got shot at 10:13pm on April 14th, 1865, during the third act of Our American Cousin at the Ford's Theater. His assassin was John Wilkes Booth.
  

Hope this is helpful!

Mona