Myth Busters - Presidential Edition. Did President Taft get Stuck in his Bathtub?

Rub-a-dub-dub, President Taft’s in the tub.

Okay, so that opening line is probably not painting visions of sugar plums, but hear us out. In honor of Presidents’ Day, we thought we’d help a guy out and burst a presidential rumor. Did President Taft really get stuck in his bathtub? We have answers.

It has been rumored that President William H. Taft, the 27th President of the United States of America, once got stuck in a White House bathtub.

Raise your hand if you’ve heard that one before! TOA Waters is here to set the record straight.

Taft may have had larger dimensions and he is known to have overflowed a White House bathtub. However, there is no evidence that proves he got stuck in a bathtub.

Four men in President Taft’s bathtub, originally published in a 1909 issue of Engineering Review. Photo credit: U.S.

After his election in 1908, Taft commissioned a Manhattan-based company to build a bathtub designed to please the heftiest of men. When finished, the tub weighed a ton, literally, and it measured more than seven feet in length. In fact, pictures of this tub exist showing four adult men sitting comfortably in the tub. Local news sources of the time reported that similar custom tubs were installed in the White House and various other properties that Taft was known to frequent.

So, there you have it. We hate to burst your bubble, but Taft is not known to have burst his!

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