16. Abraham Lincoln may have popularized the name Fido for dogs
The Lincoln White House teemed with pets which included dogs, cats, chickens, rabbits, horses, goats and a turkey which became a pet after Tad Lincoln intervened with a cook who was preparing to kill it for Thanksgiving Dinner. Lincoln sided with his son in the first presidential pardoning of a turkey. One pet which did not accompany Lincoln to the White House was a dog left behind in Springfield in a neighbor’s care, named Fido by its master. Lincoln never returned to Springfield alive, and a few months after his assassination Fido was killed by an angry drunk. The American Kennel Club attributes the popularity of the name Fido for dogs to Lincoln’s use of the name.