12. Zachary Taylor was proud of a somewhat unpleasant habit
The antebellum age is often depicted with women in beautiful gowns and well-dressed gentlemen escorting them, an era of grace, style, and manners. This picture omits the spittoons, which were everywhere, in almost every room of the White House, on the floors of the Senate and the House, in taverns and saloons, businesses and offices. Chewing tobacco was prevalent everywhere, commented on disapprovingly by Charles Dickens following his 1841 visit. Zachary Taylor disagreed. One of the skills the accomplished soldier was most proud of, frequently boasting of it and demonstrating it to onlookers, was his ability to hit a spittoon dead center from extraordinary distances.