John McCain Biography

When angered as a child, McCain would hold his breath until he blacked out

McCain’s second wife, Cindy, and 13-year-old son, Jack, were on an Amtrak train that derailed in 1999 in Eagle Lake, Texas. They were not injured.

McCain's youngest son, James McCain, enlisted in the US Marine Corps in September 2000

McCain was flying an A-4 Skyhawk when he was shot down over North Vietnam on 26 October 1967

McCain served 22 years as a naval aviator. He retired from the Navy as a Captain in 1981

In June 1999, on a campaign stop in rural New Hampshire, McCain played the fiddle for more than 3,000 residents

McCain’s 2000 presidential campaign bus tour was called the Straight Talk Express

McCain received a large advance from Random House for his book ‘Faith of My Fathers’ (2000). He split the money with his staff and donated his half - $70,833 – to charity

McCain was the first sitting US senator to host 'Saturday Night Live'

Some have sniggered about aides combing McCain’s hair and dusting off his suit jacket before TV appearances. What they do not realize is that McCain cannot do it himself – his shoulders are too damaged from injuries suffered ejecting from a Navy jet and later mishandling as a POW

McCain’s family roots in Europe are Scotch-Irish. His great-aunt was a descendant of Robert the Bruce.