"The photograph was real, but the scene itself was fiction. Although the mini-series was based on a White House staffer's memoir, this exchange was wholly the invention of its screenwriters."
"Nearly 20 million households watched the 1979 television series, which helped cement in the public imagination a legend that continues to plague Taft's legacy."
"Historians have roundly debunked this tale, tracing it back to vague mentions in White House staff memoirs, particularly 42 Years in the White House."
"Depending on the telling, Taft needed the help of up to six men and a gallon of butter to free him. By some ahistorical accounts, he even died in the tub."
The anecdote of President William Howard Taft getting stuck in a bathtub is rooted in a fictional portrayal from a 1979 mini-series. Although a photograph of Taft in a bathtub exists, there is no historical evidence supporting the claim that he ever got lodged in one. This myth has persisted in popular culture, overshadowing Taft's significant achievements, including his unique role as a Supreme Court justice. The story has been perpetuated in trivia books and children's literature, despite being debunked by historians.
Read at Smithsonian Magazine
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