Jimmy Carter is 99!

In honor of Jimmy Carter’s 99th birthday, here are a few of my favorite facts about him.

He shot his sister in the keister with a BB gun because she hit him with a wrench.

I learned this gem from my son, who thought Carter went easy on his sister.

Snippet of day 18 of my doomsday diary.

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He ran 5-7 miles daily and usually 10 on weekends.

Sometimes Willie Nelson would join him for five miles.

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He studied theoretical nuclear physics at Union College.

Rosalynn loved their life in Schenectady. When he decided they’d return to George without consulting her first, she avoided speaking to him nearly the entire drive back to Georgia, communicating through their kids if needed.

Chester Arthur and FDR’s dad also went to Union. Reagan had a tie to Schenectady, as GE spokesman for a time… until his speeches went against GE objectives. Apologies to Rosalynn on the misspelling of her name in my sketchbook.

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He prevented a nuclear meltdown in Canada.

Not as president. As someone who was actively involved. The team carefully practiced each movement beforehand, as they only had a limited time for the fix. He had 90 seconds to do his part, exposing him to the maximum permissible radiation. For real.

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It took him 14 years to convince Rosalynn to try for a girl.

They already had three boys. Amy was born in ‘67.

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He worked tirelessly to eradicate diseases.

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He looks away when he drives past the 13’ giant Styrofoam peanut.

(He asked the owner to take it down, but no luck.)

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Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford were very close.

At the time, historians noted that they were closer than any presidents in recent history. In 2006, Jerry asked him to read the eulogy at his funeral. He agreed, if Ford would do the same for him. A few months later, Ford died.

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He was the first president born in a hospital.

There’s a plaque outside the room where he was conceived. Now a bed and breakfast, the plaque is outside the room his parents used to live in. Which I feel like is maybe making some assumptions… Do we really know…?

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He first met Rosalynn when he was three years old.

They were briefly next door neighbors. His mom Lillian had helped deliver her own future daughter-in-law.

(Thanks, Brittany G., for the last nugget.)

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The Carters were the only modern couple to return to their original hometown after the presidency.

They brought Plains, Georgia back to life … and even added a butterfly garden.

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For more on Jimmy Carter, check out these posts: