An American Icon
Savior of American portraiture, server of ice cream, dual term first lady and mentor of White House hostesses: all of...
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The Origins of the March 4 Inauguration
Today, Inauguration Day falls on an exact day and time—January 20 at noon. Every four years, either the president or th...
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The History of Lafayette Park
Today, Lafayette Park sits just north of the White House, enclosed by H Street NW (north), Madison Place (east), Pennsylvania...
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Rescue of the Papers of State During the Burning of Washington
In August 1814, British forces occupying the Chesapeake Bay began to sail up the Patuxent River in Maryland. Fearing an attack...
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Foreword; White House History (Number 35)
This number of White House History recalls the burning of the White House, which took place in 1814, two hundred years...
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Presidents' Day at the White House
Just how does the president celebrate Presidents’ Day? Throughout the more than 200-year history of the White House, presidents themselves ha...
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The Presidential Sweet Tooth
As the holidays approach, thoughts inevitably turn to sugar plums, gingerbread, and all of the other delectable treats that season...
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Reflections After the Fire
This shaving mirror, one of a pair, has a remarkable history. It not only reflected the face of President James...
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"We Shall Overcome"
After the 1964 electoral landslide, President Lyndon Johnson’s political position changed considerably. With a larger liberal majority in both houses of...
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Ida B. Wells-Barnett: Anti-lynching and the White House
Ida B. Wells-Barnett was an American investigative journalist, educator, and activist in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.1 An...
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The Election of 1876
The morning of Monday, March 5, 1877 was cold and overcast as Americans anticipated the Inauguration of Republican candidate Rutherford B. Hayes...
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The Christmas Eve West Wing Fire of 1929
On Christmas Eve 1929 the White House experienced its most powerful fire since the British torched the Executive Mansion 115 years earlier....