We all know who Barack Obama is- the first Afro-American US president. He was born on Aug 4, 1961 in Honolulu and his first name ‘Barack’ means ‘blessed’ in Swahili. It was his father’s first name as well.
But that’s not all! There are a lot of things which you wouldn’t know about Mr. Obama such as – while living in Indonesia, he once had a pet monkey named Tata!
Read on to know more of such 10 unknown facts about Barack Obama.
#1 Biracial Origins
Barack Obama was born to a white mother and African father from Kenya. His parents met in a Russian class at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa. His father was a foreign student on scholarship there.
#2 Hobbies
He loves playing poker and scrabble. He was also known to collect Spider-Man and Conan the Barbarian comics during his teenage days.
#3 Good Luck Charm
Looks like Mr. Obama believes in good luck charms. He carries a tiny Madonna and child statue and a bracelet belonging to a soldier in Iraq for good luck.
#4 The Prez Connection
His desk at the Senate office once belonged to Robert Kennedy.
Moreover, he is left-handed which makes him the sixth post war president to be left-handed.
#5 “O’Bomber” and Barry
Back in high school, he was known as “O’Bomber” for his amazing skills at basketball. During childhood, he went by the name ‘Barry’ until university asked him to be addressed by his full name.
#6 Books
His favourite book is Moby Dick by Herman Melville.
#7 The Ice Cream Connection
Back in Honolulu, Hawaii, Barack Obama once worked with Baskin Robbins. However, he doesn’t like ice cream.
#8 Food and Drinks
His favourite meal is his wife’s shrimp linguini and his favourite drinks include black forest berry iced tea. He doesn’t drink coffee and rarely drinks alcohol.
#9 The First Date
He met his wife Michelle Robinson in 1989 and got married in 1992. For their first date, he took her to see the Spike Lee film ‘Do the Right Thing’.
They have two daughters now- Malia and Sasha Obama.
#10 The Other Talent
Mr. Obama’s competence isn’t just restricted to running the United States of America. He is also a Grammy Award winning artist. He won the Best Spoken Word Album in 2006 for recording an audio version of his memoir ‘Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance’. He again won a Grammy in 208 for Best Spoken /word Album for ‘The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream’.