John and Abigail Adams were the first to live in the White House, which was largely unfinished

Since 1800, every president has lived and worked in the White House

John Adams became the first president to live in the White House when it was completed in 1800. Since then, every American president has used it as both a residence and the official seat of executive power.

The Adams family brought the first pets to the White House

When John Adams became the first president to live in the White House, Abigail brought along the family's dogs—making them the first presidential pets to reside there. Abigail was known for her love of dogs.

Before the White House was constructed, the president lived and worked in Philadelphia

From 1790 to 1800, the President's House at 6th and Market Street in Philadelphia served as the executive mansion. George Washington and John Adams both served there as president before the capital moved to Washington, DC. The site is a tour of a replica of the house.

Abigail and John Adams married in 1764 and maintained a decades-long partnership

Abigail Smith married John Adams on Oct. 25, 1764, beginning a partnership that would last for more than five decades. Despite long separations during the Revolution and John's diplomatic career, the two maintained a deep intellectual and personal bond throughout their lives.

Abigail Adams sailed to Europe to join John during his diplomatic posting in Paris in 1784

This podcast chronicles Abigail's voyage across the Atlantic to join John in Paris during his diplomatic service, then follows the couple's return to America and their rise to the White House.

The White House still has its original stone walls

Construction of the White House began in 1792 and continued even after 1800, when John Adams moved in. Despite being burned by British troops in 1814 and repeatedly renovated since, the White House's original Virginia sandstone walls remain intact.

Adams was so involved as first lady that some nicknamed her 'Mrs. President'

As first lady, Adams took an active role in her husband's presidency—advising on appointments, critiquing his speeches, and corresponding extensively with politicians. She supported the controversial Alien and Sedition Acts and pressed for war with France during the XYZ Affair.

Edith Roosevelt's White House redesign created the modern West Wing

In 1902, first lady Edith Roosevelt oversaw a significant renovation that separated the family residence from official offices. Architect Charles McKim added the West Wing to house the president's staff—establishing the modern layout still used today.

See the White House bowling alley in use

First installed in 1947 for President Harry Truman, the White House bowling alley was later moved to the basement of the Executive Office Building. President Nixon, an avid bowler, added a new one-lane alley beneath the White House in 1973.

Early Washington lodging was scarce and uncomfortable for new congressmen

Boardinghouses near the Capitol in 1800 were so limited that many congressmen had no private rooms. Albert Gallatin complained that he had to share a bedroom with another congressman, "and look upon the same male faces day in and day out."

See what it's like to work at the White House

Anita McBride discusses her experience working at the White House across three presidential administrations. She began in 1984 as a correspondence analyst, reading mail, and later served as chief of staff to first lady Laura Bush from 2005 to 2009.

See how the White House is 'flipped' in a matter of hours on Inauguration Day

On Inauguration Day, the outgoing family departs after a morning farewell, and residence staff rapidly pack and move their belongings out while preparing rooms for the incoming first family—transforming the White House within hours before they arrive that afternoon.

Dolley Madison rescued George Washington's portrait before the White House burned

As British troops approached in August 1814, first lady Dolley Madison ordered Gilbert Stuart's full-length portrait of George Washington removed from the White House, which remains displayed in the building today. She also secured key state papers and valuables before fleeing.

The history of the White House Hanukkah party

Despite celebrating Christmas for hundreds of years, the US Presidential White House didn't have its first Hanukkah celebration until 1979, when Jimmy Carter oversaw the lighting of a menorah. Since then, the tradition has expanded, including lessons on playing with dreidels and big parties. See a timeline of the events here.

The State of the Union address was first delivered in New York City

The first address took place in New York City in 1790, when President George Washington addressed Congress at Federal Hall—the nation's capital under the Articles of Confederation and the seat of the federal government during the Constitution's first year.

See how the Declaration evolved from draft to final text

John Adams urged Congress to choose Thomas Jefferson to draft the Declaration because of his literary skill and low-profile reputation. Read Jefferson’s initial draft, which included passages later removed, including a forceful denunciation of slavery.

Before the current East Wing ballroom project, only two White House renovations in the past 100 years cost more than $10M.

Check out George Washington's beer recipe

The first American president's journal includes a recipe for "small beer," a low-alcohol beverage that was a cleaner (and slightly inebriating) alternative to the potentially sickening water of the time.

Former American President Abraham Lincoln is one of history’s most famous ghosts

Abraham Lincoln, Anne Boleyn, Pausanias, and the Maharajah Duleep Singh are just a few of the notable phantoms found around the world. Several White House occupants and visitors have claimed to see Lincoln, including Theodore Roosevelt, Grace Coolidge, and Winston Churchill.

James Hemings, Jefferson's cook, popularized mac and cheese in the US

The statesman sent Hemings to France to sharpen his culinary skills where he picked up recipes of baked pasta with cheese and butter. The recipe Hemings likely dictated to Jefferson was later used in an 1802 White House dinner, the first major public dinner in the US to include the dish.

President Andrew Johnson was mainly impeached for obstructing Reconstruction

In 1868, the House impeached Andrew Johnson for violating the Tenure of Office Act and obstructing congressional Reconstruction policies. Johnson was the first president ever to be impeached, surviving conviction and removal in the Senate by a single vote.

In 1949, O’Keeffe moved to the tiny desert village of Abiquiu, New Mexico

After nearly 15 years of trying to buy an idyllic hacienda from the church, she succeeded and moved in in 1949. The three-acre property featured a view of the Chama River Valley, which inspired many of her paintings.

Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton founded New York City's first private orphanage

Schuyler Hamilton, Alexander's wife for 24 years, continued telling his story after his death. She devoted decades to her own work—cofounding New York's first private orphanage, leading charitable fundraising, and becoming a prominent advocate for education and social welfare in the early republic.

The first glasshouse was constructed in 1931

The Maison de Verre in Paris was built to house a doctor's office on the ground level and an apartment upstairs. Unlike the typical model that would follow, this glass house exposed very little of the home's interior.

Read the only surviving eyewitness account of the first Thanksgiving

Edward Winslow’s short 1621 letter offers the only firsthand account of the first Thanksgiving, describing celebratory gunfire that drew Wampanoag leader Massasoit and 90 men—initially fearing conflict—before the gathering turned into shared feasting.

Twain didn’t start wearing his iconic white suit until later in life

The writer first wore the white suit in 1906, at the Library of Congress. “I have reached the age where dark clothes have a depressing effect on me,” Twain told the Washington Post. “I prefer light clothing, colors, like those worn by the ladies at the opera.”

After the Boston Tea Party, colonists switched to coffee, which became the main morning drink for revolutionaries.

Many legends about George Washington, including his supposed wooden teeth and the story of cutting down the cherry tree, lack evidence.

The power and influence of the American presidency have expanded significantly over time—far beyond what the founders envisioned.

Abraham Lincoln was almost assassinated weeks before his inauguration as he traveled from Illinois to DC through Baltimore in 1861; it took two independent claims for Lincoln to be convinced the threat was real

Meet the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence—most of whom didn't put pen to paper until August 2, 1776—and see their original signatures.

The 19th-century painters of the Hudson River School were among the first American romantics, with portraits that displayed the natural beauty of the young country.

Before writing 'Walden,' transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau nearly burned down his hometown with a campfire that grew out of control.

Legendary architect Frank Lloyd Wright designed the SC Johnson headquarters in Wisconsin, aiming to make a cathedral-like workplace

20,000 letters to the advice columnist 'Dear Abby' provide insight into prevailing sex, religion, and LGBTQ fears, anxieties, and concerns from the 1950s onward.

A researcher recently discovered an interview from 1967 between groundbreaking journalist Joan Didion and the Grateful Dead, years before the band became an institution.

US housing costs have risen by roughly 175% between 1991 and 2026—but a growing number of Gen Zers are becoming homeowners anyway. In 2025, 4% of homebuyers were Gen Z, up from 3% the year before.

At the beginning of the 20th century, a group of young men ate standard American food—replete with food additives like borax and formaldehyde—as part of government research to better understand food safety.

Sears sold DIY house kits starting at $600 in its famous catalog from 1908 through the 1940s, resulting in roughly 10,000 'Sears and Roebuck houses' being built.

Apollo astronauts left items in the moon's 'toss zone,' including golf balls, family photos, and bags of human waste, to make room for lunar rocks.

Hear about the 250-year history of the United States Postal Service, complete with some of its strangest deliveries, important innovations, and the figures that made it an American institution.

The Beatles' US label rejected the band's first two singles, 'Please Please Me' and 'From Me to You,' with one executive calling the band 'dead in the water.'

Georgia O'Keeffe's flower paintings are often assumed to be sexual, though the artist claimed she was simply interested in highlighting the beauty of flowers that most people neglect

The first horror movie is believed to be George Méliès' 1986 short 'The Haunted Castle,' which pioneered the use of special effects

English mathematician Ada Lovelace wrote the first computer algorithm a century before computers existed and hypothesized that computing devices would one day be able to compose music—foreseeing the generative AI systems of today.

For centuries, it was common to sleep in two shifts: a few hours at the beginning of the night, and a longer period beginning around midnight

Long before Major League Baseball began allowing instant replay for balls and strikes, an umpire reluctantly used the technology to determine whether a hit was a home run, a move that inadvertently ushered in a new era for the sport.

Brandi Chastain, the star of the 1999 US victory over China in the 1999 Women's World Cup, was a last-second choice to take the penalty kick that sealed the victory.

Watch contemporary footage covering the US-backed Shah of Iran fleeing the country in the face of the 1979 Iranian Revolution

While atoms are normally made of protons, neutrons, and electrons, exotic ones have been built with antimatter—alternate versions of normal matter that live for fractions of a second and are about a billion times as rare.