Every US President's Death Explained in 21 Minutes transcript

From eating raw cherries to contaminated water at the White House to getting assassinated in broad daylight, this is how every US president died and their final words. And spoiler, while some left an epic message, others talked about soup. But first, let's start at the beginning with George Washington, our first president, who got a serious throat infection after riding his horse in cold, snowy weather. He likely had epiglatitis, which is when the little flappy thing at the base of your tongue becomes inflamed.

Today, that's an easy fix with antibiotics. But back then, doctors tried bloodletting, which is when they cut your arm and drain blood from your body. They thought it would somehow help, but it ended up making things way worse. And it's believed Washington lost 80 ounces of blood. That's like six Red Bulls. He told his doctor, "I die hard, but I'm not afraid to go." And as he struggled to breathe, his final words were, "Tis well." But if you thought that was dramatic, this is the most insane coincidence in US history.

Where John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, the second and third presidents, died on the exact same day. They started out as friends and revolutionary bros. Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence and Adams helped defend it. Squad goals. But in the election of 1800, the two became political rivals. Then after a decade of not speaking, Adams and Jefferson reconnected as pen pals and became besties again. However, on July 4th, 1826, exactly 50 years after signing the Declaration of Independence, the spookiest thing happened.

Jefferson grew ill from diarrhea, pneumonia, and a kidney infection. And on the night before his death, he asked, "Is it the fourth?" When they told him not yet, he held on for one more day. And his final words were, "No, doctor, nothing more." Meanwhile, hundreds of miles away in Massachusetts, John Adams was a sickly 90-year-old man dealing with heart failure. Completely unaware that his bestie Jefferson died hours earlier, Adam said his famous last words.

Thomas Jefferson survives. It's kind of crazy that these two, who spent their whole lives being frenemies, ended up checking out on America's birthday. Kind of like our fourth president, James Madison, who almost completed the Fourth of July trifecta. Because after dealing with congestive heart failure, the father of the US Constitution was on his deathbed and doctors were trying desperately to keep him alive until July 4th.

But when offered more stimulants by his niece, Madison said, "Nothing more than a change of mind, my dear. I always talk better lying down," which basically meant he was ready to go. And died on June 28th, 1836. I mean, come on. He was so close to making it to the fourth. But you know who did make it? The fifth president, James Monroe, who became the third one to die on Independence Day. He had heart troubles which worsened after contracting tuberculosis.

But his final words were about how he missed his old friend James Madison. I regret that I should leave this world without again beholding him. And while most presidents die on their deathbeds, some die on the floor of Congress, like the sixth president, John Quincy Adams, who after serving as president, didn't retire to play golf, but instead went back to Congress as a representative. And while casting a no vote, he suffered a massive stroke, grabbing his desk and collapsing on the House floor.

And after they carried him out, John Quincy Adams said, "This is the last of Earth. I am content." But some presidents have more peaceful endings, like Andrew Jackson, who is one of the most insane presidents in American history. He was a tough dude who fought in duels, survived the first ever presidential assassination attempt, and beat up his wouldbe killer with a cane. But despite all this, he didn't go down the way you might think.

He got tuberculosis, had heart problems, and suffered from dropsy, which is when your body fills with too much water. Hydrate or dehydrate, am I right? And on his deathbed, surrounded by family, this tough guy turned into a softy. With his last words being, "Oh, do not cry. Be good children, and we shall all meet in heaven." And then there's Martin Vanurren, our eighth president, who struggled with asthma and heart problems.

He died quietly at his fancy house called Lynenwald, with his last words being, "There is but one reliance." Which was his way of expressing his trust in God. And while Van Beern lived a long 79 years, our next president holds the record for the shortest presidency because of this one dumb mistake. During his inauguration, William Henry Harrison gave an insanely long 2-hour speech in the freezing cold rain without even wearing a coat.

And for over a century, we thought he caught pneumonia and died. However, recent studies suggest this probably wasn't the cause because he didn't get sick until 3 weeks after the inauguration. Experts now believe he either died from typhoid fever or septic shock due to contaminated drinking water at the White House. That's insanely unlucky cuz Harrison only lasted 31 days in office, which means his vice president, John Tyler, got a promotion.

But this president didn't have the best record with the people. He was the only president whose death wasn't officially mourned by the country because during the Civil War, John Tyler sided with the South. He was even elected to the Confederate Congress. But before he should start the job, he started having dizzy spells and died of a stroke with his last words being perhaps at his best. Agreed, John. Then there was James Pul, who died far too young at 53 years old.

And it's because 3 months after leaving office, he was on a tour of the South where he contracted chalera, a nasty disease that gives you explosive diarrhea. But despite the circumstances, he went out as a romantic with his last words to his wife being, "I love you, Sarah, for all eternity. I love you." I'm not crying. You're crying. But for this next president, you might be laughing because Zachary Taylor died from eating too many cherries and drinking too much milk.

Or did he? During a Fourth of July celebration in the sweltering heat of DC, Zachary Taylor desperately needed to cool off. So, he ran into the White House, ate a bowl of raw cherries, and drank several glasses of milk. The problem was food safety was basically non-existent back then and Taylor came down with gastroenterteritis and died 3 days later. However, many believe Zachary Taylor was poisoned because he was the current president when this went down and pre-Ivil War tensions were rising.

But when forensic scientists looked at his body in the9s, they found nothing fishy. So it really was just some bad cherries. And before he died, Taylor said, "I'm about to die. I expect the summon soon. I've tried to discharge my duties faithfully. I regret nothing." And after death by Cherries, VP Millard Filillmore stepped up to the plate. And unlike Taylor, Filmore lived a long time after his presidency until he had a stroke.

But right before he died, someone gave him soup. And Filillmore said, "The nourishment is palatable." Which basically means in fancy talk, it tastes good. Five stars for the soup. But our next president had one of the saddest deaths ever. Just weeks before taking office, Franklin Pierce's son was killed in a horrific train accident. And this sent Pierce on a downward spiral of depression. He started drinking too much, became an alcoholic, and destroyed his liver with a disease called cerosis.

He died after losing re-election, and nobody wrote down his last words because he was all alone. Dang, that's sad. And unfortunately, the downward spiral of America continued with the next president, James Buchanan, who many view as one of the worst presidents because the Civil War was coming and he did nothing to stop it. Buchanan died of a bad respiratory infection. Although some believe he fell victim to the mysterious National Hotel disease outbreak, but that's just rumors.

He went out proclaiming, "Oh Lord God Almighty, as God wilt." But you know what they say, weak men create hard times and hard times create strong men. Which leads us to this tall drink of water with a top hat. Abraham Lincoln, one of the greatest presidents in American history. Although the Confederate South might disagree because while watching a play at Ford's Theater, Abraham Lincoln was shot in the head by John Wils Booth and unfortunately couldn't leave us with any words of wisdom.

Instead, his final words were casual reassurance to his wife in the theater box. She won't think anything about it. He was referring to what a friends might think of them holding hands at the theater. Scandalous. But after Lincoln's crazy assassination, VP Andrew Johnson took over, and he wasn't exactly popular. Congress tried to kick him out of the office with impeachment. And years later, Andrew Johnson died from two strokes he suffered while visiting his family in Tennessee.

The second stroke left him paralyzed on one side with his final words being, "My right side is paralyzed." I need no doctor. I can overcome my own troubles. And while some presidents were hated, others were celebrated as war heroes, like President Ulissiz S. Grant, who led the Union forces to victory in the Civil War. But after his presidency, things took a turn for the worst. Where Grant lost his life savings in a bad investment scam.

Turns out some dude was running a Ponzi scheme. And to make matters worse, Grant was diagnosed with throat cancer, probably from all the cigars he loved smoking, sometimes 20 a day. Get this guy a nicotine patch. But before he died, Grant wanted to write his memoirs so his family wouldn't be broke after he passed. So he sat there every day writing as cancer ate away at his throat. And his last word was water. A simple request for a glass of water because his throat was so dang dry.

Pretty crazy way to go out. But our 19th president, Rutherford Be Hayes, died like most of the others at old age from heart failure. His emotional last words were, "I know that I'm going where Lucy is." Referring to his wife, who passed away 4 years earlier. But things got even crazier with our 20th president, James Garfield, who after being in office for a 100 days, was walking through a train station when a mentally unstable man stepped behind him and fired two shots.

The first bullet graced his arm. The second bullet was lodged in his back, but Garfield didn't die because the bullet never hit any organs. All right. However, it all went downhill when doctors stepped in. They probed around with unsterilized instruments and one even punctured his liver. So, although Garfield initially survived, he suffered from massive infections over the next 80 days until he slowly died with his last words being, "Swame, can't you stop the pain?" Poor guy was basically the victim of medical malpractice.

Man, I hate Mondays. Garfield was succeeded by Chester A. Arthur, who eventually suffered from Bright's disease, which is kidney failure, and died from a stroke at 57. No definitive last words were recorded, but some say he whispered, "Life is not worth living." That's a bummer because our next president was a dude living life to the fullest, Grover Cleveland, who was our 22nd and 24th president. You go, Grover. He died from heart failure at 71 with his last words being, "I've tried so hard to do right." And the president caught between Cleveland's two terms was Benjamin Harrison, who came down with a bad case of the flu, which progressed to pneumonia.

And despite good medical care, his lungs failed. and his last words being, "Are there any doctors here? Doctor, my lungs." Poor guy couldn't breathe. But at least he wasn't one of the four US presidents assassinated. Like William McKinley, who was attending a meet and greet in Buffalo when one of the people waiting in line was Leon Cholosh, a Polish American anarchist. He concealed a 32 caliber revolver under a handkerchief wrapped around his right hand.

When it was his turn to meet the president, Leon fired two bullets into McKinley's abdomen. Luckily, one bullet grazed him, but the other went deep into his stomach. So, they rushed him to the hospital. But the problem was doctors couldn't locate the bullet. So, 8 days after the doctor's attempted game of operation, gang green set in and McKinley died with his last words being spoken to his wife. We're all going. We're all going.

God's will be done, not ours. But after this, Americans were fed up with presidents being killed. So, the Secret Service gained full-time responsibility for protecting the president. Yeah, I think it's about time. Now, VP Teddy Roosevelt got promoted to the top job, and this guy was one of the toughest presidents we've ever seen. He served two full terms and wanted to come back for a third. In 1912, Teddy ran again as a third party candidate for the Bull Moose Party.

And when stepping out of his hotel to give a speech, he was shot in the chest. However, he didn't die. In fact, he got right back up and gave an 84minute speech with a bullet lodged in his chest. That's pretty wild. Teddy went on to live another 6 years where he led a deadly expedition through the Amazon rainforest and once again almost died. This time from a leg infection, weight loss, and malaria. And many believe this permanently weakened him because at 60 years old, Teddy died from a blood clot in his sleep with his last words being, "Put out the light, James." Man, pour one out for Teddy.

Cuz while some presidents are warriors, others are William Howard Taft. The president famous for being so fat he got stuck in his bathtub. Charming. But believe it or not, that's not how he died. At only 5'11, William Taft ballooned to over 300 lb, which drained his heart. And although he lost a great deal of weight, the damage was already done. With Taft dying from heart failure at 72, and his final words weren't recorded, so we'll just have to use our imagination.

Woodro Wilson never fully recovered from a massive stroke he suffered while in office. Unfortunately, he lived his final years partially paralyzed with his last words being, "I am a broken piece of machinery. When the machine is broken, I am ready." But at least this dude died after being president. Unlike Warren G. Harding, who is dealing with corruption scandals while president, so in an effort to rebuild public trust, he went on a cross-country speaking tour.

But the situation was so dang stressful, he developed pneumonia. And while resting in bed with his wife reading the paper, Harding died from a heart attack. Poor guy's last words were, "That's good. Go on, read some more." And his VP, Calvin Culage became the next president, who after a few years of leaving office died suddenly of a heart attack at age 60. Silent Cal was famously super quiet, so upon news of his death, Dorothy Parker joked, "How can they tell?" Cal's last words were, "Good morning, Robert." a simple greeting to a worker in his home.

And while some presidents lives are cut short, others live a long life, like Herbert Hoover, who was the second president to reach 90 since John Adams. Hoover eventually died of internal bleeding, but because he was so weak, no last words were ever documented. And then we have Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was elected president of the United States a ridiculous four times in a row. I mean, leave some for the rest of us.

But by his fourth term, FDR's health was falling apart. He dealt with high blood pressure, heart disease, and secretly had polio, which left him paralyzed from the waist down. Oh, and on top of all that, he had to deal with the stress of the Great Depression and a small conflict called World War II. Pretty crazy. So, in his fourth term, FDR suffered a massive stroke while posing for a portrait at his Georgia retreat.

His last words were, "I have terrific pain in the back of my head." which means VP Harry Truman became the next president and he lived for several more decades until he was hospitalized at 88 years old from pneumonia. Truman's condition worsened as multiple organs failed and he slipped into a coma. And because he was in a coma, no last words were recorded when he died. On the other hand, we know the exact last words of Dwight D.

Eisenhower and they were pretty direct. After a long history of heart attacks and strokes, Eisenhower was hospitalized at the famous Walter Reed Hospital. He ultimately died from congestive heart failure with his last words being, "I want to go. God take me." Sometimes presidents are ready to go, while others are taken far too soon. Like President John F. Kennedy, who is famously riding in an open motorcade in De Plaza when a sniper's bullet struck his head, killing him in an instant.

Now, we're not going to get into all the theories about who really killed JFK, but most believe the main dude responsible was Lee Harvey Oswald, who was murdered himself just 3 days later. Making things even more suspicious. But before the assassination, Nelly Connelly was sitting in the middle row when she told JFK, "Mr. President, you can't say Dallas doesn't love you." And JFK responded, "No, you certainly can't." Just seconds before he was shot.

At just 46 years old, Kennedy was the youngest president ever killed in American history. And the man that took his place was Lynden B. Johnson, who died 10 years later when he had a massive heart attack at his Texas ranch. And as he felt it come on, he grabbed the telephone and said, "Send Mike immediately." Referring to his Secret Service agent, but it was too late. Those were his final words as he dropped dead. Now, Richard Nixon died in a similar fashion.

Famous for dealing with Watergate and getting impeached, dude lived a pretty stressful life, but Nixon didn't die until he was 82. After suffering a massive stroke in his home in New Jersey, Nixon yelled, "Help!" That was his last word as he was rushed to the hospital and slipped into a coma before finally passing. But I wonder if that was more stressful than the time he resigned from being the president. Because the next man up was Gerald Ford, who served out the rest of his term.

And thanks to modern medicine, Gerald Ford lived to the ripe age of 93 years old when he died from cerebrovascular disease, which is a fancy way of saying blood couldn't flow to his brain. He also struggled with arterioclerosis, which is hardening of the arteries. All of this led to the peaceful passing of Gerald Ford in his California home, where he set the new record for the longest living president in US history. But no last words were made public.

His family wanted to keep things private. But Ford's record didn't last very long because the next president, Jimmy Carter, seemed to live forever. In fact, he literally just died. Jimmy Carter lived to be a 100red years old before dying of natural causes on December 29th, 2024. Although his actual moment of death last words weren't publicly reported, in the final weeks, Carter told his family that he was ready to see Rosalyn again, referring to his wife who had died a month earlier.

It's pretty crazy to see a president reach the century mark. And Ronald Reagan wasn't too far behind, dying at 93 years old after a decade long battle with Alzheimer's. And since he had Alzheimer's, Reagan had no lucid final words before he died. Man, I hate that disease. Kind of like I hate Parkinson's, which is what George HW Bush suffered from in his final years, which left him wheelchair bound. His last phone call was to his son, the other President George Bush, where he said his final words, "I love you, too." Right before dying at 94 years old.

But that takes us to today, where five presidents remain. And although it's the most dangerous job in the world, modern-day presidents live longer than ever before. Shout out to the Secret Service and top-notch medical care cuz the average lifespan of presidents went from 70 years old in the 18th and 19th centuries up to 78 years old in the 20th century. In fact, we have an old guy in office now and he had to dodge a couple bullets to get there.

But if you think that's crazy, I'll leave you with the most insane presidential death facts. Eight presidents died while in office. Four were assassinated and four died from natural causes. The youngest president died at 46 while the oldest president died at 100. Remarkably, Adams and Jefferson died on the exact same day. And don't get me started on the insane coincidences between Lincoln and JFK's assassinations, but I guess we'll save that for another