10 things you didn't know about Abraham Lincoln, really?

Every now and then people will come out with wacky facts for the consumption of the general public. In that vein, The History Channel screened an episode called, 'Ten things you didn't know about...'. That time around, it was on Abraham Lincoln, who used many a poor boy's idol to come out of poverty with stories of him studying in the street light etecetera.

Some of facts laid out in the story appeared far fetch with no proper documentation but the producers tried to authenticate the whole thing by having a history professor as the presenter and the interviews with many history academicians from the Mid West universities.

1. Enslaved as a child - As a child, Abe had to have from Kentucky to Virginia. To settle family debts, he was enslaved to work to pay off the debts. As a child labourer, he must have felt the inhumane and unjust treatment of slaves which must have had an impact on his future life.
2. Enjoys a good fist fight - Growing at a time when the strength of the might counted much more than now, Abe enjoyed a good fight to settle issues. During a political speech, he stopped his speech half way to beat up guy from an opponent party who was beating up his own man. After nicely giving the opponent a piece of his mind, Abe continued his speech with the loud approval of the crowd. 
3. A jovial person - Contrary to how Abe appears in the photographs as a stern no nonsense stiff upper lipped kind of a person. in real life, he was said to be a jovial person who livens up a meeting. It is the obsolete photographic techiniques that require prolonged stillness of the subject for this misconception.
4. Never joined a church - Abe was a revolutionary thinker and did not give too much thought of joining a church. he, however, used words used in the scriptures for his political speeches for garner mileage.
5. Is a techno geek - by 1860 standards, that is. Abe is a hands-on kind of a person who would test fire weapons before commissioned for use by the army. He even has a device patented by him to help ferries stalled in the sand bed of the river.
6. Problem connecting with women - AL was considered as uninteresting by marriagable girls of his era and after unsuccessful attempt after rejections and turning 'cold feet', AL married at late age of 34 years. Anyway, his wife, Mary Todd, was a politically correct choice as her father was connected. If fact, early in his marriage, AL had been seen being chased by Mary with a broom and even butcher's knife!
7. Could be considered racist by present standards - In spite of his fight for equality for all, he had said the whites and blacks can never be at par. He had a plan to free the slaves and deport them all to the isthmus of central America!
8. Shared bed with men - During tour of his duty, he had shared bed with 3 other guys ( Billy Green,  Joshua Speed, David Derikson). The relationship with Speed lasted 3 years before his marriage to Todd.
9. Best friends had slaves - AL's friend like Joshua Speed had a farm with many slaves. Perhaps during his visit to the farm, the idea of the emancipation policy must have materialized.
10. Almost shot in head - Months before his assassination, whilst riding home alone on horseback (as he usually he would), he was shot at. The bullet just hit his hat, missing his scalp by inches. That is when he came up with the idea of secret service for the President. The SS was started just a day before his assissination!
11. Was in the same picture with assassin - JW Booth, an actor, was the second most photographed person at that era after the President. In a few shots, he was seen in the same frame. JW often poses majestically as an actor would. JW was in a diiferent camp who despised AL's policy on slavery. He must have become incensed and pulled the trigger when AL suggested equal voting rights for slaves.

Joshua Speed AL's confidant

Supposed to be ten, but No.3 is a bonus!