February 12 is President Lincoln’s birthday

(KBSI) – The 16th president of the United States’ 215th birthday is celebrated on February 12.

He was born in 1809 in central Kentucky.

Lincoln was the president who led our nation through the Civil War, defending the nation as a constitutional union and abolishing slavery.

The nation’s 16th president was known for many accomplishments such as modernizing the US economy, the Gettysburg address, the Emancipation Proclamation. He is on the penny, the five-dollar bill and the Illinois license plate.

A less known fact is that Lincoln was a nearly undefeated wrestler in his time.

Dr. Christian McWhirter is the Lincoln historian at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Ill.

“One common claim is that Lincoln only lost one out of 300 or 500 matches,” McWhirter said. “All of these stories are out there. There’s not a lot of evidence for a lot of them.”

But there is one documented and verified wrestling match that happened shortly after Lincoln moved to New Salem, Illinois and started working at a general store.

The opponent was Jack Armstrong, the most feared wrestler in on the frontier. Nearly the whole town turned out to watch the contest.

Lincoln won the match.

Lincoln, who stood 6 feet 4 four inches tall was enshrined in the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1992.

A Lincoln cosplayer visited the Illinois Department of Transportation this week to celebrate his birthday.