Jimmy Carter was the first US President to be born in a hospital.

Being a mother in the 1800's and early 1900's was a tough job, even before you take into account the diffculty of child birth.

Before the 1920's, most births took place at home under the care of a midwife, with hospital births only becoming common place in the 1930's—and that was only because effective pain medication could only be received in a hospital.

Initially only available to the wealthy, hospital births become more freely available after extensive campaigning by women's rights activists.

Considering these timelines, one would be surprised at how many famous people were not actually born in a hospital. For instance, the first American President to be born in a hospital was Jimmy Carter, born as recently as 1924. He was the 39th president, implying that all presidents before him had been born at home with the help of a midwife, and likely to a woman using no pain medication at all.

No wonder they went on to such greatness!