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Intrepid Innovation

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  • Trying to Lower the White House Temperature

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    This ink and charcoal drawing by W. A. Rogers depicts men delivering ice on a hot morning in 1881. In the weeks following the shooting of President James Garfield, horse-drawn carriages lined up down the north drive to the White House to deliver ice, which was intended to help cool the temperature in the house and aid the ailing president. Ice was used as the primary method of cooling the White House until the first air conditioning system was installed in the White House in 1933.

    White House Historical Association
  • East Room Decorated for Dinner Honoring Prince Henry of Prussia

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    Electric lighting was installed in the White House in 1891. Only a decade old, few Americans trusted the new technology enough to rely on electric lighting exclusively. By the time Theodore Roosevelt took office in 1901, the use of electric light was common in American houses. The next year, the entire wiring system at the White House was replaced during a major restoration. After this addition, only the service areas of the house retained their gaslight fixtures, and these were used only in case of a power failure. This photo from February of 1902 shows the East Room of the White House lit up with red, white, and blue lights for a dinner honoring Prince Henry of Prussia.

    White House Collection/White House Historical Association
  • Chandelier, East Room

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    This photo provides a detailed look at the lighting fixtures from the previous image. This cut glass and gilded brass chandelier was made by Christoph Palme & Co. of Parchen, Bohemia (Austria-Hungary) for Edward F. Caldwell & Co. of New York, which was a prominent lighting design firm. Caldwell & Co. supplied electric lighting fixtures to the White House in 1902, included the chandelier pictured here. This one was one of three purchased for the East Room, which were later shortened and modified in 1952. Each chandelier consists of 6,000 pieces of glass and weighs about 1,200 pounds.

    White House Historical Association
  • Taft at the Phone

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    The first White House telephone was installed for Rutherford B. Hayes in 1879, but it was rarely used as there were so few telephones in Washington. This black and white photograph shows President William Howard Taft using the telephone circa 1908. On January 25, 1915, President Woodrow Wilson joined the first transcontinental telephone call from New York to San Francisco via a loop connection that also extended to Jekyll Island, Georgia. From Washington, Wilson greeted Alexander Graham Bell in New York, Bell’s associate Thomas Watson in San Francisco, and AT&T President Theodore Vail in Jekyll Island.

    Library of Congress
  • Sound Movie Trucks at the Front Door of the White House

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    This photograph of movie trucks at the White House north entrance was taken in December 1929 by Herbert E. French of the National Photo Company during Herbert Hoover's administration. The advent of film technology gave the public unprecedented access to the White House and its residents, who began to appear in newsreels during the 1920s.

    Library of Congress
  • Franklin Roosevelt Delivering a Fireside Chat

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    In this black and white photograph, President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivers a fireside chat on the radio in the Diplomatic Reception Room. President Roosevelt's fireside chats were one of the most well-remembered features of his presidency. He delivered 30 broadcasts between 1933 and 1944 and expanded the use of mass media technology to connect the president with the American public.

    Library of Congress
  • Eisenhower Prepares to Board Helicopter

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    This black and white photograph is of President Dwight D. Eisenhower posing next to the first presidential helicopter, a Bell UH-13J Sioux, on the South Lawn of the White House Grounds. Although presidents had used airplanes to travel for some time, helicopters were not adopted for use as presidential conveyance until Eisenhower's administration.

    Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum/NARA, National Park Service
  • President Lyndon B. Johnson in the Oval Office

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    In this photograph, taken in the Oval Office circa 1963 by Yoichi Okamoto, President Lyndon B. Johnson speaks over the telephone while watching live news coverage on three television sets he had installed in the office. Next to the television cabinet sits a wire service that printed a running stream of ticker tapes with the latest news.

    Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library and Museum/NARA
  • White House Switchboard Operators

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    This photograph of White House switchboard operators was taken in June 1975 by Len Lahman during the Gerald R. Ford administration. The operators worked in the Old Executive Office Building, which was rededicated as the Eisenhower Executive Office Building by President George W. Bush in 2002. The ten-position Western Electric switchboard was installed in 1963. Switchboard operators answered thousands of calls every day.

    White House Historical Association
  • President Jimmy Carter Observes Operation of a Proposed Computer System

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    This 1978 photograph shows President Jimmy Carter reviewing a proposed White House computer system with members of his staff. The Carter administration began the task of automating the White House with computers. Initial uses included assembling databases, tracking correspondence, developing a press release system, and compiling issues and concerns of Congress. In 1978, the West Wing was equipped with a Hewlett Packard 3000, which was connected to terminals in the office of senior and mid-level staff. By the end of Carter's term, the White House had purchased its first laser printer, a water-cooled IBM model that measured 8' x 10' x 3'. President Ronald Reagan's staff expanded the uses of computer office technology soon adopting the word processor with the widespread introduction of personal computers in the 1980s.

    Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum/NARA
  • Jimmy Carter at a Solar Panel Dedication Ceremony

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    On June 20, 1979, Bill Fitz-Patrick took this photograph of President Jimmy Carter at a ceremony for the dedication of the solar panels he had installed on the roof of the West Wing. Known in part for his efforts to protect the environment, Carter hoped that the 32 thermal solar collectors used to heat water for the White House staff mess would contribute to a nationwide effort to seek alternative energy sources. Ronald Reagan removed the panels in 1986, but George W. Bush and Barack Obama reinstalled solar technology at the executive mansion.

    Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum/NARA
  • The Internet at the White House - Photo 1

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    E-mail was introduced to the White House in 1992. President George H.W. Bush became the first president to use this new technology. The White House's first web site was developed during the William J. Clinton administration and made its debut in 1994. Several updated versions of the site followed, establishing the online presence of the White House as a "Gateway to Government."

    National Archives and Records Administration
  • Barney in the White House Press Room

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    Presidential pets have taken part in testing out new technology at the White House too. From 2002 through 2008, President George W. Bush's dog Barney stared in a series of internet videos along with the president's other dog, Miss Beasley. "Barney Cam" brought people to the White House digitally, with White House staffers recording the playful pooch as he toured the holiday decorations at the White House, among other things. In the days before YouTube, the videos were uploaded on the White House's website, where the debut Barney Cam video released in 2002 was downloaded 600,000 times. Demand for Barney's videos were so great, he even got his own website, Barney.gov.

    George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum/NARA
  • Visitor Snaps Photographs of the Presidential Seal

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    This photograph by Matthew D'Agostino was taken in the Cross Hall on July 1, 2015. Visitors to the White House that day were the first following the lifting of a 40 year restriction on cameras and photography. In this photograph, a visitor is seen capturing a picture of the Presidential Seal above the doorway to the Blue Room. The restriction was lifted by President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama due to the emergence of cell phone cameras, advances in technology, and White House-related social media. The restriction had initially been enacted due to the severity of flash cameras on the priceless pieces of fine and decorative arts in the house.

    White House Historical Association

About this Gallery

The computer, the car, space travel. These technologies, while seemingly old hat now, are examples of monumental technological advancement. Even less glamorous technologies such as the modern bathroom, electrical lighting, and electric vacuum cleaners have fundamentally shaped modern life. For many of these technologies, the White House has acted as a testing ground, ultimately demonstrating to the American people their convenience, practicality, and safety. For other advances, the White House has served as a national voice, sharing updates with the world about scientific achievements, tragedies, and everything in between. As such, the White House has been a site of intrepid innovation, boldly embracing new technologies since its inception.

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