How much do you know about former President Barack Obama? Whether you love the guy, loathe him or remain indifferent, there is no denying his poise under pressure. His life before the presidency groomed him for it. He is well-spoken and respected among his peers, regardless of the partisan politicizing.
Find out 12 things you didn’t know about Barack Obama.
1. His name has a unique meaning
The name Barack means “blessing” in Arabic. When it comes to popular baby names, Barack ranked 4,184 in 2018 according to Baby Center. This is up by 13,694 from 2017.
2. During his Indonesia stay, young Obama ate bizarre foods like roasted grasshoppers, dog meat, and snake meat.
3. He Has Good Luck Charms
We can imagine that it must be hard to stay grounded when you occupy such a challenging political position as being the President of the United States. To help with this, Barack Obama carries a couple of things—on Air Force One, Marine One, etc.—that he considers lucky charms.
The first is a Madonna with Jesus (as in Mary and Jesus vs. “Like a Virgin” Madonna) statuette, and the second is a bracelet from a soldier in the United States military. This is because Barack always wants to be reminded of his faith and the sacrifice that Americans have made to forge the ideological American dream of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
4. He hasn’t liked ice cream since his first job: working at Baskin-Robbins as a teenager growing up in Hawaii.
5. He’s a Grammy winner
Obama won two Grammy Awards. He won his first Grammy in 2006 for his spoken word album, Dreams from My Father. In 2008, he won his second Grammy Award for his spoken word album The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream. Obama beat out former President Bill Clinton and former President Jimmy Carter, who was also nominated for a Grammy.
6. Young Obama once ventured into modeling.
He was still studying at Harvard when he put down his name in a model picking for a black pin-up calendar. However, Barack got a rejection from the all-female committee.
7. Before becoming an Illinois state senator, Obama worked as a civil rights attorney, community organizer, lecturer, and professor.
8. He and Michelle have a deal with Netflix
In May 2018, Netflix announced Barack and Michelle Obama signed a production deal. The Obamas are slated to work behind the scenes as well as in front of the camera.
9. Barack’s father is Kenyan while his mother is American.
Barack Obama Sr. and Stanley Ann Dunham met at Honolulu University when they attended a Russian language class. Sadly, his parents divorced when he was only 2 years old. It was followed by his father’s return to Kenya.
10. Barack Obama is the record-holder for the 2017 Most Liked Tweet.
The former president regarded the 2017 Charlottesville tragedy in a tweet. Starting with a quote from Nelson Mandela, his inspirational tweet garnered 1.7 million retweets and 4.5 million likes.
11. Barack Obama was a president vlogger.
Another first for a president, he owned a YouTube channel to which he uploads his weekly addresses. The channel has more than 289 million views.
12. Obama’s family has settled in Washington’s Kalorama neighborhood in the aftermath of moving out.
They bought their home in 2016 for $8.1 million. November 2016 reports expressed that Barack was seen in the green of the family’s other house in Rancho Mirage, California.
Besides, it was discovered that they purchased one more house, a 6,892-square-foot magnificence in Martha’s Vineyard worth $11.75 million.
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