President Trump tore down the East Wing in October 2025 to build a new ballroom

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

Most White House renovations have cost no more than $10M

The storied residence of the US president has undergone many overhauls in its day, from rooftop fixes to bowling alley and pool installations. The majority of the renovation projects came in under $10M. President Trump's 2025 expansion of the West Wing, primarily funded by private donations, will cost more than $200M.

The White House's modern East Wing—demolished in 2025—was built above a secure underground bunker

Completed in 1942, the East Wing provided offices and a public entrance but primarily disguised the construction of the Presidential Emergency Operations Center beneath it—a secure command bunker built during World War II after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

White House renovations have always been controversial

From Theodore Roosevelt's 1902 overhaul to Harry Truman's complete gutting in 1948 and Jacqueline Kennedy's historic restoration in the 1960s, nearly every major White House renovation has faced criticism over cost, design choices, or historical preservation.

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.

The White House was almost entirely rebuilt from 1948 to 1952

Structural failure forced President Harry Truman to vacate the White House in 1948. Engineers gutted the building, keeping only its exterior walls, and rebuilt the interior with a new steel frame, modern utilities, and reinforced foundations by 1952.

The Oval Office was completed in 1909

Completed during William Howard Taft's presidency, the Oval Office was designed as part of an expansion of the West Wing. President Franklin D. Roosevelt redesigned the room and moved it to the southeast corner of the West Wing in 1934.

Go room by room in this deep look at the interior of the White House

Explore the White House's 132 rooms—from the Oval Office and East Room to the State Dining Room and Lincoln Bedroom—with this 3D video rendering that reveals the layout, design, and daily functions of the building before its 2025 renovations.

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.

In 2025, President Donald Trump signed an order shrinking the Department of Education

On March 20, 2025, President Donald Trump issued an executive order to “take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure” of the U.S. Department of Education, though complete dismantlement requires congressional approval.

The White House design was chosen through a national competition

In 1792, President George Washington launched a public contest to design the new executive mansion. Irish-born architect James Hoban's neoclassical plan won the contest. His design was inspired by Dublin's Leinster House, which houses Ireland's parliament.

President Donald Trump's 2025 address drew 36.6 million viewers

President Trump's audience was about 13% higher than President Biden's 2024 address, but it fell short of Donald Trump's first-term State of the Union viewership, which consistently topped 37 million and peaked near 48 million in 2017.

Donald Trump was impeached in 2019 for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress

The House charged President Trump with pressuring Ukraine to investigate political rival Joe Biden while withholding military aid. The Senate acquitted him in February 2020, with only one Republican voting to convict.

The 1902 McMillan Plan reimagined the National Mall as a formal, open civic space

Drafted by the Senate Park Commission, the McMillan Plan called for the removal of railroads, markets, and industrial uses from the Mall; revived key elements of Pierre L'Enfant's original layout; and established the framework for the Mall's long lawns, museum placement, and monumental core.

DOGE's claim of saving more than $64B lacks evidence

In the first month of President Donald Trump’s second term, his new Department of Government Efficiency celebrated slashing billions in federal spending and chopping away at the national debt. An article from the Poynter Institute’s fact-checking website digs into the numbers to investigate these claims.

Tour the UN building in NYC with architect Michael Wyetzner

The modernist building was meant to stand out among the New York skyline. It’s three primary buildings are distinct and were supported by millions in donations from philanthropists families like the Rockefellers.

What classified documents look like

It's hard to get a sense of what these classified documents being discovered at the homes of presidents look like. Here's some images of the ones found at former President Donald Trump's home.

Trump's 2025 tariffs represent a significant break from the rules-based trade order

The Trump administration imposed broad tariffs on other countries outside WTO rules in 2025, claiming that those countries had long violated trade agreements and that the US was simply leveling the playing field.

What Trump's second 75-day extension means for TikTok sale

After President Trump took office in January 2025, he offered TikTok the opportunity to find a US company to buy the app within 75 days. In the meantime, the app continued operating. In April, Trump extended that deadline by an additional 75 days. This BBC article breaks down what that means for the company's potential buyers and for its users.

The Wing was a coworking space and private members club before it closed down

The Wing was supposed to be more than a woman’s answer to the popular WeWork coworking spaces. Founder Audrey Gelman envisioned The Wing as a private members club where women could feel empowered and dignified—if they had a few thousand dollars a year for a membership, of course. However, after racism scandals and widespread employee criticism, The Wing ceased operations in 2022.

Fallingwater revived Frank Lloyd Wright’s career at age 67

A series of scandals and financial setbacks made Wright lose his previous relevance, leaving the public to view him as a “has-been.” Following the creation of Fallingwater, a masterpiece set atop a waterfall, Wright saw an uptick in commissions and continued to produce inspired buildings at an age that many others would retire by.

Reagan’s 'tear down this wall' speech challenged Soviet control of Berlin

In 1987, President Ronald Reagan stood at the Brandenburg Gate of the Berlin Wall and urged Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to “tear down this wall.” The speech became one of the most iconic moments of the Cold War and a symbol of growing pressure on the Eastern Bloc.

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

Disney World was originally known as the 'Florida Project'

Between 1964 and 1965, Disney quietly bought over 27,000 acres under fake names to keep prices low. But when the Orlando Sentinel exposed the scheme, Disney had to go public—forever changing Florida’s tourism industry.

A New York fireworks ban necessitated a new way to ring in the New Year

In 1906, the city banned fireworks displays, forcing the Times Square celebration to find a new centerpiece. The Times commissioned Jacob Starr, a Ukrainian immigrant who worked for Strauss Signs, to develop an ornament. He returned with the now-iconic New Year’s ball.

Nero's 'Golden House' was the peak of Roman imperial architecture

Constructed on land cleared by the Great Fire of Rome in 64 CE, Emperor Nero's large "Golden House" included gilded rooms, multiple gardens, zoo-like enclosures, an artificial lake that housed a boat, and a giant statue of Nero himself. The palace was destroyed after Nero's death in 68 CE.

US homes have been shrinking in recent years

Specifically, the median square footage of new single-family homes in the US has decreased in each of the past several years. In 2015, the typical new-construction home was about 2,467 square feet—but by 2024, that number had shrunk to 2,146 square feet.

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.

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.

In 1963, a basement renovation in Turkey revealed a passageway to a hidden, multilevel underground city that once housed as many as 20,000 people

Power lines are dotted with large, brightly colored balls to improve the visibility of these thin wires to helicopters and small planes and help prevent potential crashes.

In 1945, Surrealist artist Salvador Dalí and legendary animator Walt Disney began collaborating on a short film that was not completed until 2003, years after both men had died.

See 33 images that became central to huge scandals, including a young Charles and Camilla, Michael Jackson's baby on a hotel balcony, and Hugh Grant's mugshot.

The American Society of Civil Engineers' infrastructure report card gave the US a C in 2025, its highest grade since the project launched in 1998.

Jimmy Carter signed a 1978 bill that legalized home brewing, a move credited with kick-starting the craft beer industry.

NBA superstar Victor Wembanyama spent the 2025 summer training with monks in central China to enhance his body and mind.

11 people died from firework injuries in the US in 2024.

Gerrymandering works through two techniques: cracking opposing voters across districts to dilute their power, and packing them into a few to waste their votes in lopsided majorities.

For centuries, Niagara Falls has been a magnet for daredevils seeking to conquer one of nature's most powerful wonders, with its 200-foot drop and water rushing at 32 feet per second with 280 tons of force.

The 1987 Nintendo video game 'Stadium Events' isn't known for being particularly fun, but its scarcity has made it a highly sought-after item that has sold for up to $35K at auction.

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

'Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone,' a work by American painter Thomas Moran, inspired Congress to establish Yellowstone National Park.

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

SpaceX's S-1 or 'prospectus' revealed many previously unknown details about the company, including its unprofitability despite doing $18.7B in revenue in 2025, exactly how many voting shares Elon Musk will have in the company (roughly 85%), and more.

70 years ago today, city officials in Santa Cruz, California, banned rock 'n' roll to protect its youth from corruption after witnessing a 'provocative' concert the night before.

In its famous catalog, Sears sold $600 DIY house kits from 1908 through the 1940s, resulting in an estimated 100,000 'Sears and Roebuck homes.'

Explore what it's like inside a patient isolation unit, used in situations such as treating a patient or suspected patient with Ebola.

How fusion—which releases energy when two lighter atoms combine to form a heavier atom—differs from fission

In recent years a child anxiety expert has created and tested a novel phobia and anxiety treatment approach for children, focused on changing how parents respond to the fears.