John Quincy Adams’ Dawn Skinny Dips
America’s sixth president, John Quincy Adams, began each day at 5 a.m. with a naked plunge into Washington, D.C.’s frigid Potomac River. He believed cold water invigorated mind and body, helping him draft treaties before Congress even stirred. Local newspapers joked about the “icy diplomat,” warning fishermen of unexpected moonlit reflections.
Legend says reporter Anne Royall once secured the first presidential interview by sitting on Adams’ clothes until he answered her questions—an early masterclass in holding power accountable (and captive). The ritual ended only when doctors feared hypothermia would freeze U.S. foreign policy altogether. With modern wellness gurus touting cold plunges for dopamine boosts, Adams emerges as the OG influencer—though few CEOs today would risk paparazzi at sunrise in nothing but political ambition.
