Donald Trump has reached the threshold of victory in the US presidential election. In other words, his address is going to be in the White House again. Let's take this opportunity to learn some facts about the White House that you may not know.
George Washington did not live in the White House
In 1791, the first president of the United States, George Washington, selected the site for the White House and approved its final design. The foundation stone of the building was laid on 13 October 1792 and construction began. But George Washington, whose term as president ended in 1797 and died in 1799, never got to live here. John Adams, the first president, began living in the building in 1780. But the interesting fact is that the city where the White House is located is named after George Washington.
Another city built their own version of the White House
Philadelphia was not happy that the new city of Washington would be home to the President's Palace. In the 1790s, the city built its own presidential palace as a way to entice George Washington and others to stay in Philadelphia. The city was then the temporary capital. But Washington refused to stay there and lived elsewhere in Philadelphia.
The White House did not bear his name until 1901
It has been the official residence of US presidents since 1800. However, it was not officially named the White House until Theodore Roosevelt used this name for the building in 1901. Earlier it was known as 'The President's House' or 'The President's Mansion'.
Some claim that the name came about after the terrible fire of 1814, when the smoke-stained walls were painted white. However, historians say that this claim is baseless.
Little remains of the original White House
In 1814, the British burned down the original White House after US forces set fire to Canada's Parliament. However, it was possible to save the famous Gilbert Stuart painting of George Washington. Apart from this only some outer stone walls survived the fire.
Three tones of color
Just like any other historic building, the White House needs regular maintenance to keep it sparkling like new. But the amount of paint needed for the entire building will surprise anyone. The volume is 570 gallons or three tons. 300 gallons of paint are required to paint only part of the residence.
So big!
The White House is a huge building, no one should doubt that. But how big? It has 132 rooms and 32 bathrooms on six levels. Besides, there are 412 doors, 147 windows, 28 fireplaces. There are eight stairs, three elevators.
The White House is 168 feet long and 85 feet wide. The height of the southern part is 70 feet and the height of the northern part is 60 feet 4 inches. The building and its grounds are spread over 18 acres of land.
The farewell bell rang
In 1948, the White House was on the brink of being declared unusable. Engineers then discovered that it was structurally unsound and on the verge of collapse. President Harry S. Truman was forced out of the White House and moved into Blair House.
Truman then led an extensive renovation and restoration project of the White House, which was completed in 1952.
Is the White House haunted?
Numerous presidents, first ladies, employees and guests have reported seeing ghosts in various rooms of the historic building. The ghost of Abigail Adams has been seen heading towards the East Room, where she used to hang her clothes. The most notable ghost of the building is Abraham Lincoln. While Coolidge, Johnson and Roosevelt were presidents, their wives claimed to see Lincoln's ghost. Even British Prime Minister Winston Churchill reported seeing Lincoln's ghost while in the White House during World War II.
Based on Reader's Digest and Constitution Center.org Ishtiaq Hasan
