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Peggy Fleming
On February 10, 1968, nineteen-year-old American figure skater Peggy Fleming stepped out onto the ice at the Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France. She impressed the judges with her free skate routine, winning the gold medal in Ladies’ Figure Skating singles. In addition to clinching the only gold medal win for the United States at Grenoble, her victory marked a rebirth for the sp
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“Kitchen Genius”: Dolly Johnson at the White House
Cuisine is a central part of life at the White House. From State Dinners and diplomatic receptions to private meals and family events, the White House executive chef and their team feed some of the most influential people in the world. The menus, ingredients, and flavors selected by the culinary staff often convey the personality, taste, budget, and lifestyle of
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Girl Scouts and First Lady Lou Hoover
Girl Scouts have been connected to the White House for almost as long as they have existed. Juliette Gordon Low founded Girl Scouts of the USA in 1912. Low came from a prominent southern family and lived abroad for many years in England, where she first encountered the scouting movement.1 After befriending Robert Baden-Powell, author of the book Scouting for Boys
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A Pool for the President
Gerald Ford was an avid swimmer, swimming twice a day in his backyard pool in Alexandria, Virginia. When President Ford moved into the White House, he no longer had immediate access to a pool. Although the White House had previously featured an indoor swimming pool, it was converted into the White House Press Room during Richard Nixon’s presidency.1
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Article
An Essay on "The Visit" by Peter Waddell
One of the most revered historic interiors of the White House is the one that President Abraham Lincoln occupied as an office. Located in the east end of the Second Floor, it shared the upstairs with the family's private living quarters. Although intended as a bedroom, it had been used for an office since 1817.Historical documentation, written and visual, is
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Baseball and the White House in the Nineteenth Century
“Baseball is the hurrah game of the republic!” said poet Walt Whitman in 1889, near the end of a century that saw baseball emerge as an enormously popular spectator sport. “More intriguing than a horse race,” noted historian Eliot Asinof, “more civilized than a boxing bout or a cock fight … a pleasant, even exciting afternoon in the sunlight[.]”1
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The First Fan
While both President Calvin Coolidge and First Lady Grace Coolidge were well known baseball supporters, not everyone realized that of the two, Grace Coolidge was by far the more knowledgeable and enthusiastic fan. Bucky Harris, who managed the Senators during their great run of 1920s success, said she was “the most rabid baseball fan I ever knew in the White Ho
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Article
Presidents and College Football
Nearly 150 years after its beginnings college football season is in full swing. The sport has attracted countless players and even more fans, and presidents have belonged to the ranks of both. Although Theodore Roosevelt never played collegiate football because of his nearsightedness, he had more impact on the sport than any other president. In the early 1900s he joined a
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Article
Easter Egg Roll: Games, Old and New
The primary Easter Monday entertainment at the White House has always involved egg rolling. Participants roll dyed, hard-boiled eggs across the grass to see whose will go the furthest before cracking. Other egg sports enjoyed in the early years were egg ball, toss and catch, egg croquet and egg picking—a contest where eggs are pecked together until they crack. Af
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A History of Presidential Vacations & Retreats
In this series of video clips, Historian Lawrence L. Knutson talks about presidential vacations and retreats. He offers anecdotes for presidents including Abraham Lincoln, Grover Cleveland, Lyndon B. Johnson, and William J. Clinton. Remarks are taken from his book Escaping the Gilded Cage: An Illustrated History of Presidential Vacations and Retreats. Knutson is a journalist who retired in 2003 after a 37
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Article
Presidents and the Hey Day of Horse Racing in the Federal City
President Richard M. Nixon was the first sitting president to attend the Kentucky Derby on May 3, 1969. In his party that day were Mrs. Nixon and then Governor and Mrs. Ronald Reagan, all rooting for the winner, California-based Majestic Prince. Presidential parties attending horse races was once a common occurrence in the colonial period and early republic. Even before the seat
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America Under Fire: Timeline
Timeline of Events (Year 1814):May 9: News of Napoleon's abdication reached Washington.May 10-19: U.S. forces under Lt. Col. John B. Campbell captured and burned Port Dover and Port Talbot, Upper Canada (Ontario)—an outrage that contributed to the British decision to burn the public buildings of Washington, D.C.May 20: President James Madison tried to prod Secretary of War Jo