Home to the elected Presidents of United States of America, The White House is one of the most visited tourist destinations in the state and the country. With reporters flocking outside the famous monument every single day and reporting live news feeds, The White house has been one of the most important buildings in America for centuries. Each day, thousands of visitors are guided through the beautiful and magnificent halls of the monument to see famous artifacts belonging to the country’s history. Apart from the known, did you know that it has been home to some really exotic pets, deaths and also weddings? Well, here are 5 absolutely interesting facts about The White House that you didn’t know about.
GEORGE WASHINGTON NEVER STAYED IN THE WHITE HOUSE
The first president of the USA, George Washington never ever lived in the White House. In fact, Washington passed away in 1799 just a small time before John Adams became the President of the country. It was President John Adams who first lived in The White House. He moved in on the 1st of November, 1800 and lived for just a small time, before he lost his presidential post to Thomas Jefferson.
CONSTRUCTION OF THE WHITE HOUSE STARTED IN 1792
The construction of The White House started in 1792 by a crew comprising of slaves and immigrants hailing from Scotland, Ireland and a few other European countries. Irish Architect James Hoban is believed to have won a newspaper contest to design the huge and monumental building.
A VERY SMALL PART OF THE ORIGINAL WHITE HOUSE EXISTS
What we see today, is not the original White House! In fact, a very small part of the original White House exists today due to the various fires and attacks that were made by other countries. For instance, the British burned the original building in 1814 after Americans set fire to Canada’s parliament. The White House also suffered a second fire in 1929 on Christmas Eve which burned off parts of the West Wing and the Oval Office, when Herbert Hoover was the President.
IT IS BELIEVED TO BE HAUNTED
For a long time now, it has been believed that The White House is haunted. There have been complaints made by the staff and other leaders over the decades who described the sightings of political figures such as Andrew Jackson laughing and cursing, Thomas Jefferson playing a violin, Dolley Madison protecting the Rose Garden, etc. There are records stating that former President Abraham Lincoln had a vision of his 11 year old son, who had passed away in the White House. There are records of President Lincoln appearing to First Lady, Grace Coolidge and Prime Minister Winston Churchill. It is believed that President Lincoln makes his appearance when he thinks that the country is in danger.
A POPULAR WEDDING VENUE
We know that the White House is enormous and has several rooms, a bowling alley, a flower shop, carpenter’s shop, dentist’s office, etc. But did you know that it was also a wedding venue to several beautiful brides. Ulysses E Grant was the first to host a wedding in The White House for his beautiful daughter, Nellie. Other First Daughters such as Alice Lee Roosevelt, Lynda Bird Johnson and also Tricia Nixon got married at The White House. In total, there have been 18 weddings that have taken place in the beautiful building.
HOME TO EXOTIC PET ANIMALS
Most Presidents are known to have dogs as their pets, while they worked in the White House. But apart from dogs, many other exotic pets have spent their time in the White House along with their owners. Some of these animals include, a pony owned by the Roosevelt family and an alligator owned by Allan Hoover.