PRESIDENTS

Construction on the Panama Canal had ceased earlier in 1914, but it was on this date that the 50-mile-long canal officially opened to traffic after more than 30 years of planning, blasting, dredging, and building. Here are some vintage photos of the canal

Summer's here, and for many of us that means the season of squirt guns and Super Soakers is upon us. But this American pastime goes back much further than most of us realize, for these beloved water pistols have enjoyed a long history predating even the C

When John Adams penned a letter to future First Lady Abigail Adams on July 3, 1776, he guessed how future generations of Americans would celebrate Independence Day with remarkable accuracy—but he got the date wrong.

Fireworks. Barbecues. Trips to the ER. Sick of doing the same old thing every Fourth of July? Abandon your routine and celebrate like our presidents do.

They’ve been called “flying Oval Offices,” presently contain some of the world’s most high-tech missile defense systems, and even starred in an action movie alongside Harrison Ford. Yet, contrary to popular belief, Presidential airplanes have been around

Here's a whole bunch of strange facts about all the people who have been President of the United States, including the one named Leslie.

When we think of America’s first president, quarters, cherry trees, and false teeth often come to mind. But fishing?

While “Dixie” (you know, “Oh, I wish I was in the land of cotton/Old times there are not forgotten…”) might seem as inseparable from the South as collard greens and barbecue, the song was actually written in New York by an Ohio native.

It’s common knowledge among Lincoln historians that Mary Todd had a “courting cake” that she baked for Abe while they were dating after buying the recipe from her favorite bakery in Lexington, Kentucky. He declared it “the best cake I ever ate.” Here's th

Pete Souza/White House After TIME named Barack Obama its Person of the Year, it released a series of photos by Pete Souza—which included the adorable photo above, of the president pretending to get caught in Spider-Man's web (Spider-Man, in this case, wa

On June 12, 1987, President Reagan stood by the Berlin Wall and implored: "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" It is one of Reagan's most famous speeches and most memorable lines—but it almost never made it past Reagan's lips.