Today in 1877, President Rutherford B. Hayes got a phone installed at the White House. It's been used to make landmark deals, shape the course of world events, and even say hi to astronauts on the moon. And Lyndon Johnson infamously used that phone to talk to a tailor.
Today in 1800, President John Adams first moved into the president's house, which, despite rumors to the contrary, was always a White House. Here's how it gets repainted.
Today in 1929, the start of one of the most outlandish stories in American political history: the time Louisiana Governor Huey Long had the governor's house torn down and a virtual replica of the White House built in its place, because (as it's said) he wanted to get used to living in the White House before he was elected president.
Champ and Major are the new White House dogs, but there have been lots of pets at the president's house over the years, including Rebecca the raccoon, who definitely left her mark on the place during Calvin Coolidge's presidency.
For years, on New Year’s Day, Americans could go the White House and shake hands with the president. It's a tradition that went back to John Adams and the early days of the Executive Mansion. Plus: starting the new year by ending an old relationship? Meet the Breakup Lightbulb!
Today in 1800 President John Adams moved into the White House, the first chief executive to live in what was then called the President’s Mansion. One of the house's most adorable stories - though possibly an apocryphal one - is the time in 1862 that Abraham Lincoln supposedly helped a couple elope. Plus: the New England WizardFest gets underway this weekend in Massachusetts. Mischief managed!
It was like a Limp Bizkit concert, only not as undignified.
