Jimmy Carter dies at 100: 5 surprising facts about the longest living former US President

Jimmy Carter, the peanut farmer who served as the 39th President of the United States, died on Sunday at his home in Plains, Georgia. He was one hundred. Carter lived longer than any other US president and, after leaving the White House, established himself as a dedicated humanitarian. During his single time in the White House from 1977 to 1981, Carter dealt with a terrible economy and the Iran hostage crisis, but he also mediated peace between Israel and Egypt and pioneered renewable energy as a less expensive alternative to foreign oil.

However, he became the first Democratic president since 1888 to lose reelection.

Carter was widely regarded as a better past president than he was as a president, a fact he readily admitted. His decades of dedication to worldwide humanitarian work after leaving the White House earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. He lived a simple life and was best known for his early emphasis on climate change and concerns about the country's increasing divisions. Here are some facts about life that may surprise you.

The first US President born in a hospital

Baby Jimmy Carter

(1925) pic.twitter.com/RYw20zy5Sr

〞 drewisgod6372 ??????? (@Andrew94722910) December 28, 2024

James Earl Carter Jr., the first US president born in a hospital, was born on October 1, 1924, in a Plains hospital with 60 beds. His parents were Lillian, a registered nurse, and James Earl, a farmer.

The occasion, which may appear routine, was momentous, as Carter went on to become the first US president to be born in a hospital, as practically all childbirths were still performed at home at the time.

Carter was exposed to nuclear radiation

When a partial meltdown of Ontario's Chalk River Nuclear Power Plant occurred in 1952, one of the 150 Americans brought in to help dismantle the parts of the reactor was Jimmy Carter.
He was lowered into the reactor in 90 second shifts, which was enough time to remove one bolt. pic.twitter.com/VACEx7KF2G

〞 Craig Baird - Canadian History Ehx (@CraigBaird) December 29, 2024

Jimmy Carter, a peanut farmer turned multi-role public servant, began his public life in the United States Naval Academy, where he served in nuclear-powered submarines.

Carter entered the Brigade of Midshipmen following a year of study in Georgia Tech's NROTC program and graduated from the Academy in the top tenth of his class in 1946.

When a nuclear reactor exploded in Ontario, Canada, in 1952, the US Navy sent a team that included Carter, then a 28-year-old lieutenant who had helped develop the first nuclear submarine, to help Canadian authorities dismantle its partially melted core, according to a Washington Post report.

Lt Carter, dressed in protective gear, reportedly entered the reactor with two other specialists, exposing himself in 89 seconds to the same amount of radiation as the normal population gets in one year. He then stated that his urine continued to test positive for radiation for six months.

First US President to be inaugurated with a nickname

Carter took the oath of office in 1977, using his nickname 'Jimmy' rather than his first name 'James', which he rarely used. He was the first American president to do so. Later presidents, such as Bill Clinton and Joe Biden, used nicknames at the White House, but they chose to be sworn in using their full names.

Appointed a diverse range of races and genders

Navy officer, businessman, peanut farmer, evangelist, politician, negotiator, author, woodworker, citizen of the world.

Jimmy Carter led America with principles, faith and humility and redefined post-White House life as a global humanitarian.

Rest in Peace, President Carter. pic.twitter.com/MGoLe2Zwfw

〞 John Digles (@JohnDigles) December 29, 2024

During his one-term presidency, Jimmy Carter appointed 57 minority judges and 41 female judges to the federal courts. According to the Carter Centre, the diversity of nominations exceeded that of all prior presidents combined. He is known for choosing Patricia Roberts Harris, the first Black woman to serve in a presidential Cabinet.

Accused of kissing the Queen Mother on the lips

The infamous State Dinner where Jimmy Carter kissed the Queen Mother on the lips.
The Queen Mother later delivered an anti-toast saying, 'He is the only man, since my dear husband died, to have had the effrontery to kiss me on the lips'. pic.twitter.com/AtEzq5W0X9

〞 ???? (@crk5) September 7, 2024

Following his inauguration as the 37th president of the United States, Carter paid a visit to Buckingham Palace in 1977. Two years after his visit, reports circulated in the British press that he kissed the Queen Mother on her lips.

The British media described this as a "scandalous" invasion of the Queen Mother's personal space. However, in his memoir, Carter categorically refuted the claim, insisting that his goodnight kiss was delivered lightly and on the Queen Mother's cheek.

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