Abraham Lincoln is the only United States president to ever secure a patent, having designed a device to lift boats over shoals and obstructions in shallow rivers.

A closer look

Abraham Lincoln is the only United States president to ever secure a patent, having designed a device to lift boats over shoals and obstructions in shallow rivers. Despite his legendary status as the Great Emancipator who navigated the country through its deadliest war, he was also just a massive nerd who spent his free time thinking about riverboat buoyancy mechanics. Sadly, his brilliant invention was never actually manufactured, meaning his engineering career peaked with a wooden model that now sits in the Smithsonian. It is quite refreshing to learn that even the most monumental figures in history had weird side hustles that completely failed to take off!