PRESIDENTS

Ronald Reagan and His Six-Year-Old Pen Pal

I had a pen pal when I was a little kid. My teacher set up a program for our class with another teacher's classroom across the country. I imagine a bunch of you had a similar setup sometime in elementary school, and so did Washington, D.C. student Rudy Hi

9 of Thomas Jefferson’s Head-Turning Hobbies

If television existed in the 18th and 19th centuries, Thomas Jefferson could’ve earned a living starring in Dos Equis commercials. As a writer, wine-maker, astronomer, gourmet chef, and even a fossil-hunter, our third President was clearly one of the most

Andrew Jackson's Big Block of Cheese

On Wednesday, the White House is holding "Big Block of Cheese Day." Here's a look back at the Andrew Jackson party that inspired it.

11 Fan Art Tributes to Teddy Roosevelt

There are hundreds of artists out there with their own tributes to Mr. Roosevelt. Here are a few of our favorites.

Abraham Lincoln's Retirement Plans

We all know Honest Abe’s untimely fate, but had it not been for that deadly trip to Ford’s Theatre, how would he have spent his private life after leaving office?

The Time Teddy Roosevelt Traumatized Dr. Seuss

Given some of his outlandish characters, you might not peg Dr. Seuss as the quiet type. But by most accounts, the beloved author was a shy, soft-spoken person who hated addressing large groups. Who gets the blame for his stage fright? Theodore Roosevelt a

7 Fun Facts About the White House Movie Theater

There’s no shortage of amenities at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, but perhaps the most culturally significant is the White House Family Theater, which has been playing everything from classic American films to shameless campaign promos since its inception in

7 Nifty Things in George Washington’s Presidential Library

It took 216 years, but on Friday George Washington was finally honored with his own presidential library. Let's take a peek inside.

The Time Ronald Reagan Was Nearly Strangled By A Chimp

Making Bedtime for Bonzo was certainly not monkey business; in fact, one unfortunate run-in with its leading ape nearly cost future president Ronald Reagan his life.

Harry Truman and Herbert Hoover: An Unlikely Friendship

“Yours has been a friendship which has reached deeper into my life than you know,” Hoover once wrote of Truman, a sentiment often reciprocated by the latter president.

The Bizarre History of White House Pets

There's a new Portuguese water dog roaming the White House grounds. Now that Sunny has joined Bo, let's look back at some of our favorite White House pets.

11 Historical Photos of the Panama Canal

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

Wikimedia Commons/Thinkstock/Bryan Dugan

Squirt Guns Predate the Civil War

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

John Adams: National Archive/Newsmakers/Hulton Archive. Background: iStock/Getty Images Plus/smartstock.

When John Adams Predicted the Wrong Independence Day

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.

9 Ways to Celebrate Independence Day Like a POTUS

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.

Getty Images (Reagan)/Thinkstock (Life saver)/Erin McCarthy

The Summer Jobs of 14 Future U.S. Presidents

Before landing our nation's top job, some presidents held less-than-glamorous gigs.

Billy Possum: President Taft's Answer to the Teddy Bear

Teddy bears are beloved everywhere. They make up roughly 70 percent of the billion dollar plush toy industry. But it wasn’t supposed to be that way. The supporters of President William H. Taft wanted you to snuggle up to an opossum instead.

4 Presidents Who Painted for Fun and Profit

For four presidents in history that we know of, and likely a few more that we don’t, painting has been a comfort both before their executive years and after them.

Presidential Flight Before Air Force One

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

Oleksii Liskonih/iStock via Getty Images

45 Odd Facts About U.S. Presidents

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.

Thinkstock (fish)/Getty Images (George Washington)

George Washington's Fishery

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

A Song of the South, Born in the North

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.

Why Don't We Celebrate Washington's Birthday On His Birthday?

Happy Washington's Birthday! Oh, did you think we were celebrating Presidents' Day? In fact, the federal holiday on the third Monday in February is officially known as Washington's Day to celebrate the birthday of the first president.

5 Other Americans Who Were Kinda, Sorta President

You might not know all their names, but these people were closer than a heartbeat away from the presidency.

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