4. John Quincy Adams enjoyed swimming, though not in the Potomac as legend suggests
Swimming was a popular form of exercise though few pools designed for the purpose existed in the early 19th century. Swimmers resorted to local bodies of water for their recreation. Washington DC was blessed with several such bodies of water, including the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers, and Tiber Creek. It was the latter which was the destination for John Quincy Adams when he left the White House for his daily swim during the warm months, and he did usually swim naked, as was the custom for men and boys of the day. But the legend of his being accosted by a female reporter who sat on his clothes until he agreed to an interview is utterly false.
The second President Adams is also sometimes described as keeping a pet alligator in the White House, another falsehood often repeated but with no basis in fact. He did however install a billiards table in the White House, the first, though he was not the first president to enjoy the game. Washington played billiards too. Adams’ billiard table drew the wrath of some in Congress and the hostile press, who derided the president for installing gambling devices in the executive mansion. Adams paid for the offending table out of his own pocket.