Capturing History
The first known image of the White House was a daguerreotype taken in 1846, during the administration of President James K....
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Significant Events
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The Nation's Guest
On September 7, 1825, a tearful Marquis de Lafayette embraced President John Quincy Adams after delivering a farewell speech at the entrance...
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Distinguished Cellists in the White House
The White House has hosted many musical performances featuring artists playing a wide variety of instruments. When the first cello—an...
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The American Protective League and White House Security During World War One
The United States remained neutral during the early years of World War I, from the outbreak of hostilities in August, 1914,...
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Picketing the White House
In the second half of the nineteenth century Americans headed west to seek greater opportunities for themselves and their families....
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April 6, 1917
At eight o’clock on the morning of April 2, 1917, President Woodrow Wilson and his wife Edith “threw responsibilities to the wind...
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A Brief History of the Presidential Seal
The Presidential Seal is synonymous with presidential authority and executive power. However, there were many different iterations, modifications, and alterations...
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Civil War Veterans Visit the White House
In May 1865, at the close of hostilities, a Grand Review throughout Washington, D.C., exhibited parading Union troops from the...
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"He Stands for All the Fallen"
“Quentin’s mother and I are very glad that he got to the front and had the chance to render some...
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Emancipation Day in Washington, D.C.
Congress passed the Compensation Emancipation Act to end slavery in the District of Columbia and President Abraham Lincoln signed the...
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Canadian Visits to the White House
“Geography has made us neighbors,” President John F. Kennedy told the Canadian Parliament in May 1961, “History has made us friends. Econom...
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Presidents' Day at the White House
Just how does the president celebrate Presidents’ Day? Throughout the more than 200-year history of the White House, presidents themselves ha...