Calvin Coolidge's Bizarre Breakfast Ritual

Calvin Coolidge, the 30th President of the United States, was famous for being a man of few words. His nickname "Silent Cal" was well-earned. But what most people don't know is that his morning routine was anything but ordinary.

Every morning, Coolidge would eat his breakfast in bed while a White House valet massaged petroleum jelly into his scalp. Picture it: the leader of the free world, propped up on pillows, working through his eggs and toast while someone greased up his head.

Why Petroleum Jelly?

The practice wasn't as random as it sounds. In the 1920s, petroleum jelly was believed to promote hair health and prevent baldness. Coolidge, like many men of his era, was concerned about thinning hair. The scalp massage was thought to stimulate blood flow while the jelly conditioned the hair.

Whether it actually worked is debatable, but Coolidge kept a full head of hair throughout his presidency.

A President of Peculiar Habits

The petroleum jelly routine was just one of Coolidge's eccentricities. He was also known for:

• Taking four-hour afternoon naps
• Having his pet raccoon, Rebecca, walk around the White House
• Pressing all the buttons on his desk to summon staff, then hiding to watch them scramble
• Riding a mechanical horse in the White House for exercise

His aides and servants found him endlessly puzzling. Despite his silent, stoic public image, Coolidge had a mischievous streak that few Americans ever saw.

The Man Behind the Silence

Coolidge's quiet demeanor masked a sharp wit. When a dinner guest once told him she had bet someone she could get more than two words out of him, he replied simply: "You lose."

His wife Grace was the social butterfly of the pair, often smoothing over his awkward silences at state functions. She reportedly found his quirks charming rather than annoying.

The petroleum jelly breakfast became such a fixed part of his routine that staff knew better than to interrupt it. Important matters of state would have to wait until the president's scalp had been properly attended to.

A Different Era of Presidents

Today, every presidential habit gets scrutinized and photographed. Coolidge had the luxury of privacy that modern presidents can only dream of. His strange morning ritual stayed largely within White House walls during his lifetime.

It's a reminder that behind the formal portraits and official biographies, presidents are just people—complete with weird habits, secret quirks, and in Coolidge's case, an unusually greasy scalp at breakfast time.