In observance of 206th Birth Anniversary of Abraham Lincoln, hear are interesting facts and quotes to share.
In observance of 206th Birth Anniversary of Abraham Lincoln, hear are interesting facts and quotes to share.Wikimedia Commons

On 12 February, Americans will celebrate the 206th birth anniversary of perhaps one of the best known historical figures in the US history, Abraham Lincoln.

The 16th President of the United States, who served from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865, is one of the most recognised faces in American history and is best known and remembered for his vital role as the leader in preserving the Union during the Civil War. He is also widely revered for initiating the Emancipation Proclamation that led to the abolition of slavery in the United States.

Remembered as a man of humble origins whose perseverance and determination led him to the nation's biggest office, Lincoln is also respected for his leadership quality.

Born on 12 February 1809, he went on be called the boldest and bravest of American leaders, spearheading the Civil War despite numerous pressures.

On the occasion of the 206th birth anniversary of the legendary American leader being celebrated in 2015, we have rounded up 10 little-known and interesting facts about him as well as 12 inspirational quotes from him and about him that can be shared as wishes, messages or greetings, courtesy to Good Reads and Brainy Quote:

Facts to Know:

  1. There are more books written about Abraham Lincoln than any other American, according to local Reboot Illinois website.
  2. Lincoln is known to be the first US president with a beard.
  3. His cat was always present and ate alongside the president at the White House dinner table.
  4. Lincoln has no living descendants today
  5. He ran for US Senate twice in 1854 and 1858 but lost in both occasions.
  6. It is estimated that the 16th President received only 18 months of formal education.
  7. Although he married Mary Todd eventually, he had initially broken off his engagement with her.
  8. He had pushed for women's right to vote as early as in 1836. That was 84 years before the actual Nineteenth Amendment was passed granting woman the rights to exercise their franchise.
  9. Although he is understood to have very often read Bible, he always refused to belong to any organized church.
  10. Lincoln established the Thanksgiving as a national holiday of America during the Civil War.

Best Quotes by Abraham Lincoln

  1. In the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.
  2. America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.
  3. Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power.
  4. The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time.
  5. You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.
  6. I can see how it might be possible for a man to look down upon the earth and be an atheist, but I cannot conceive how a man could look up into the heavens and say there is no God.
  7. It often requires more courage to dare to do right than to fear to do wrong.
  8. Let every American, every lover of liberty, every well wisher to his posterity, swear by the blood of the Revolution, never to violate in the least particular, the laws of the country; and never to tolerate their violation by others.
  9. In giving freedom to the slave, we assure freedom to the free -- honorable alike in what we give, and what we preserve. We shall nobly save, or meanly lose, the last best hope of earth.
  10. Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.

Quotes About Lincoln

"Everything which made Abraham Lincoln the loved and honored man he was, it is in the power of the humblest American boy to imitate."
― New York Times April 19 1865

"Abraham Lincoln was, in my judgment, in many respects, the grandest man ever President of the United States. Upon his monument these words should be written: 'Here sleeps the only man in the history of the world, who, having been clothed with almost absolute power, never abused it, except upon the side of mercy.'"― Robert G. Ingersoll, The Liberty of Man, Woman and Child

"When Lincoln was asked if God was on the Union's side, Lincoln's unvarying response was that what was really important was whether they were on God's side."
― Joe L Wheeler, Abraham Lincoln, a Man of Faith and Courage: Stories of Our Most Admired President

"You don't get drown by falling into a river. You get drown by remaining there. Falling accidentally and rising immediately was what distinguished Thomas Edison and Abraham Lincoln from the rest."
― Israelmore Ayivor