21 Surprising Facts About Moving Into The White House

Remind us never to wander the White House halls after dark ever again. Supposedly, there are plenty of ghosts residing in the walls, and we’d rather not take out chances. Read on for these 21 shocking facts about the White House. 1. The Ghost of Lincoln “Lives” On When Lincoln was president, his son died of typhoid in the White House. Not long after, Lincoln began having dreams of his assassination just days before he was killed. Many people, including Eleanor Roosevelt and Winston Churchill, have said that they’ve felt Lincoln’s presence. alplm.org 2. Nothing Is Really Free You’d think that all your meals would be free, your laundry done without additional cost, and other amenities would be taken care of free of charge if you lived in the iconic landmark. Mr. President, and his family has to pay for all of their meals, their laundry and everything else. nationaljournal.com 3. The Presidential Aids Are Pranksters Bill Clinton’s aids took the W key off of 62 keyboards, left raunchy phone messages, stole a presidential seal, and glued certain drawers shut before leaving the White House when George W. Bush took over. HAHA. 4. The Cornerstone Is A Mystery The cornerstone of the building, laid on October 13, 1792, has not been found by anyone. It supposedly has a brass plate, which might have been signed by the founding fathers. techcrunch.com 5. The White House Has It’s Own Beer When Barak Obama arrived at the Oval Office, he decided to use a portion of his salary to buy a brewing kit. The chefs make special honey ale for official events. 6. There Were Some Suicides Committed Here On September 12, 1994, Frank Corder, an ex-Army mechanic, stole an airplane and steered it towards the White House. He was drunk, unemployed, and depressed. eyewitnesstohistory.com 7. About Those Ghosts William Henry Harrison (the shortest-serving president) is believed to be haunting the White House attic. A few presidents have claimed they heard noises coming from a room above the Oval Office. armorgames.com 8. The Building Has A Twin Who knew the White House isn’t the only one of its kind. James Hoban, an Irish architect, based the plans of the White House on the Leinster House located in Dublin. It houses the Irish Parliament. dailydisclosure.com 9. The Basement Is Basically A Shopping Center Not only is there a bowling alley in the basement, but there is a flower shop, a dentist office, and carpenter’s shop. Mr. President doesn’t have time to go out and buy flowers! pinterest.com 10. They Have A LOT Of Visitors The White House gets 30,000 visitors, 65,000 letters, 3,500 phone calls, 100,000 emails, and 1,000 faxes (when people actually used fax machines) A week. A WEEK, PEOPLE. 11. Even Frisky Business Has its Own Code When the president and his wife want a little alone time in between the sheets, they say they’ll be “discussing the Bosnian problem.” If they’re not actually getting busy in that way, the code is “they are reviewing the Bosnian situation.” 12. Slave Labor Was Used In Construction The President’s home was built using many foreign immigrants, including Scottish, Irish, and Italian plaster workers. In addition, many African American slaves were forced to work on the building. townandcountrymag.com 13. FDR Made Some Significant Changes When house no. 1600 on Pennsylvania Ave was first built, it was not handicap friendly. When FDR was elected, ramps and elevators were installed with a heated indoor pool for his physical therapy. whitehousemuseum.org 14. The West Wing Was Supposed To Be Temporary The West Wing of the building was constructed by Teddy Roosevelt to keep living business spaces separate. Originally, it wasn’t even attached to the main house. Then President Taft decided he wasn’t interested in all that walking, so he approved the construction. whitehousemuseum.org 15. The White House Wasn’t Always The White House Before the White House had its name, it was referred to as the Executive Mansion. This was before Theodore Roosevelt became President of The United States. 16. The first movie screened at the White House was Birth of a Nation, by Woodrow Wilson in 1915. Birth of a Nation, adapted from The Clansmen, centered on themes like Reconstruction and the KKK with alarmingly racist overtones but was a landmark film at the time. National Archives/Newsmakers, David W. Griffith Corp. / Via IMDB (Buzzfeed) 17. The Oval Office wasn't put in until 1913, per William Howard Taft's instructions. Keystone View Company/Library of Congress/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images, Getty Images (Buzzfeed) 18. A lot of animals other than Bo and Sunny have lived there. At different times, the White House has housed snakes, alligators, bear cubs, lion cubs, bobcats, and more. Here is First Lady Grace Coolidge holding her pet raccoon, Rebecca, on the White House lawn in 1927. 19. White House staff only has 12 hours to move in a new president's belongings on inauguration day. Alex Wong / Getty Images (BuzzFeed) Move-in doesn't start until noon, and in those 12 hours, the staff must unpack and arrange all furniture and personal items, clean, and tidy up. However, the president coordinates the move using private movers. 20. There's a coffee maker that was a gift from Tom Hanks. He bought an espresso maker for the press room in 2004 and upgraded it to a newer one in 2010. Here he is looking admiringly at his gift. 21. George Washington never actually lived there. But his portrait hangs on its walls. The cornerstone was laid while he was president in 1792, and he died in 1799, less than a year before the first tenants moved in. 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