Did you know Grant wanted to annex the Dominican Republic into the Union for several reasons including as a military base, as a sanctuary for freed slaves, and as a market for U.S. goods ? (The treaty was approved by the Dominicans but stalled in the US Senate.)

Did you know while serving as president, Grant loved driving his horse-drawn carriage at high speeds around Washington, D.C and he was once stopped and ticketed by a police officer ?

Did you know after losing all his money in a Ponzi scheme and being diagnosed with terminal throat cancer, Grant wrote his memoirs to save his family from poverty ? (He completed the final pages just days before his death in 1885. To help ensure the financial success of his memoirs, Grant partnered with his friend Mark Twain, who published them to massive critical and financial acclaim.)

Did you know he went on a world tour after his second term presidency in 1877 ? (This world tour lasted two-and-a-half years and included meeting people such as Queen Victoria, Pope Leo XIII, Otto von Bismarck, and Emperor Meiji. Encouraged by his successor President Hayes to act in an unofficial diplomatic capacity, he was involved in resolving some international disputes. This tour served to increase the international reputation of America, as well as his own.)

Did you know he was born "Hiram Ulysses Grant," but when he applied for the West Point military academy, a congressman made a mistake and wrote "Ulysses S. Grant" instead ? (The "S" didn't even stand for anything, but Grant liked how it sounded so he kept it!)