Fun Facts: The White House

In honor of Presidents’ Day, we’re looking at the most famous address in the country- 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue- and discovering fun, obscure facts about the White House. For instance, did you know that…

Electricity was installed in the White House in 1891- Though the technology had been around for nearly a decade by that point, electric lighting was still very much a mystery when it was installed in the White House- so much so, in fact, that President Benjamin Harrison and his wife Caroline were afraid of it and refused to operate the light switches lest they be shocked.

Mamie Eisenhower first decorated for Halloween in 1956- Mrs. Eisenhower started what is now a tradition by adding a spooky touch to the White House, then hosted a lunch for the wives of the staff members in the State Dining Room.

The famous “State Piano” in the East Room is longer than the average piano- given to FDR in 1938, the Steinway piano measures seven inches longer than the standard nine-foot grand piano, though it has identical musical works.

The record for the number of Christmas trees in the White House is 36- The honor is held by the Clinton administration, who eclipsed the long-standing record of 26 trees, held by the Eisenhower administration.

The White House is white for a reason- The White House was originally painted with lime-based whitewash in 1798 in order to keep the porous stone finish from freezing. Though it has been said that the White House was painted white in order to cover the damage from the building being burned by the British in 1814, that is just a myth. .

If you’re looking for upgrades in your own home, check out the Appliance Factory Presidents’ Day sale going on now! Have a safe and happy holiday weekend.

Special thanks to www.whitehousehistory.org for our source information.