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5 Odd Things Named After Presidents

By Linton Weeks
Published July 18, 2013 at 12:12 PM EDT
Roosevelt elk on a river gravel bar in Olympic National Park.
Picasa 3.0
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Courtesy of the NPS
Roosevelt elk on a river gravel bar in Olympic National Park.

The headquarters of the Environmental Protection Agency in Washington was renamed for former President Bill Clinton this week. "President Clinton not only protected the environment, which saved thousands of lives," Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., said when she introduced the idea, "he also maintained a strong economy and created jobs. Naming the EPA headquarters is a fitting way to honor his legacy."

It makes sense to name a federal edifice after a president. After all, counties, cities, public schools, libraries and airports around the country honor former chief executives.

But some other things — including spiders, mountains and a swan boat — that are named for U.S. presidents frankly seem a little odd. Here are a few more:

1) Obamadon – an extinct lizard

An illustration of the extinct lizard Obamadon.
Carl Buell / Courtesy of Nick Longrich, Bhart-Anjan Bhullar, and Jacques Gauthier/Yale University
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Courtesy of Nick Longrich, Bhart-Anjan Bhullar, and Jacques Gauthier/Yale University
An illustration of the extinct lizard Obamadon.

2) Jimmy Carter Nuclear Submarine

The nuclear-powered attack submarine USS Jimmy Carter in 2004.
Bob Child / AP
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AP
The nuclear-powered attack submarine USS Jimmy Carter in 2004.

3) Dwight D. Eisenhower Locomotive

The locomotive Dwight D Eisenhower at the National Railway Museum in York, England.
Ian Forsyth / Getty Images
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Getty Images
The locomotive Dwight D Eisenhower at the National Railway Museum in York, England.

4) Roosevelt Elk, named for Theodore Roosevelt

5) Cleveland Panic of 1893

The Cleveland Panic: A scene at the New York Stock Exchange on the morning of May 5, 1893.
/ Library of Congress
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Library of Congress
The Cleveland Panic: A scene at the New York Stock Exchange on the morning of May 5, 1893.

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Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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Linton Weeks
Linton Weeks joined NPR in the summer of 2008, as its national correspondent for Digital News. He immediately hit the campaign trail, covering the Democratic and Republican National Conventions; fact-checking the debates; and exploring the candidates, the issues and the electorate.
See stories by Linton Weeks