White House Technology Timeline
1790sInventories of the tools in the stonecutting sheds suggest that some of the stone was sawed, a technique that bypassed...
By Land, By Sea, By Air
Whether by hoof, air, waterway, road, or rail, the President’s access to reliable transportation is essential during their time in the Executive Mansion. Modes of transportation have varied over the course of time as technology and the individual presidents’ needs have changed. While George Washington may have thought a well-bred horse was the pinnacle of mobility, subsequent presidents would find that the steamboat, train, and later cars and air travel would further increase the effectiveness of travel to and from the White House. Even today, White House transportation continues to shift based on the needs of the modern presidency. In 2019, the Navy announced that a new fleet of Marine One helicopters, originally introduced by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1957.
-
-
First Lady Helen Taft's Luneta
“That Manila could lend anything to Washington may be an idea that would surprise some persons, but the Luneta is an...
-
White House Stonecutting Tools
Inventories of the tools in the stonecutting sheds suggest that some of the stone was sawed, a technique that bypassed...
-
Benjamin Brown French in the Lincoln Period
Benjamin Brown French first arrived in Washington City in December 1833 and went to work for the House of Representatives. A...
-
Gettysburg and Golf Courses
On July 12, 1957, Dwight D. Eisenhower became the first president in office to employ a helicopter in his transportation service. This...
-
Theodore Roosevelt Invents the Modern Presidential Vacation
On a July afternoon in 1902, Theodore Roosevelt exchanged the sizzle of a Washington summer for the ocean breezes of Oyster...
-
Presidential Press Conferences
The Kennedy White House and the PressSince Woodrow Wilson held the first presidential press conference in March 1913, all sixteen of...
-
The West Wing: 1925-1949
1929: Herbert Hoover was the first president to have a telephone installed on his desk on March 27. A fire on Christmas...
-
The West Wing: 1950-1974
1953: President Truman's last speech as president.
-
"Off for the Ditch"
Prior to President and Mrs. Theodore Roosevelt’s visit to Panama in 1906, no American president had set foot outside the co...
-
The Airborne Ambassador
Eighteen years ago when the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library was dedicated, President Reagan expressed his dream that it would bring...
-
The Diplomatic Reception Room's Historic Wallpaper
After the destruction of the White House by the British in 1814, the Executive Mansion was reconstructed with a servants’ hall di...