- In 1942 the White House received a movie theatre in what used to be the cloak room.
- Because of his publicly documented struggle with weight, Bill Clinton had a jogging track installed.
- In 1939 the British King and Queen had a sleepover at the White House with FDR. This was the first time a British monarch had visited America.
- There are a total of 35 bathrooms.
- At the beginning of his presidency, Dwight D. Eisenhower had a make-shift putting green that he would set up outside of his office. Towards the end of his presidency, he had a putting green installed on the South Lawn – where it is still in use today.
The White House contains 6 floors and 3 elevators.
- The original plans drawn up by George Washington and the DC city planner were significantly more elaborate
- The White House initially wasn’t built with a handicapped President in mind. When Franklin Roosevelt was elected into office, the whole place had to be redone with ramps and elevators.
- FDR installed an indoor pool in 1933 to help him with his polio stricken legs. A few presidents utilized the pool, but Nixon ended up laying a floor on top of it and used it as a briefing room.
- The White House was the biggest home in the United States until the 1860s.
- The design for the White House was chosen in a contest. The winner was Irishman James Hoban.
- His design was influenced by the Leinster House in Dublin.
- Because of the resources available to the chef and the size of the State Dining Room, 140 people could be served at one time.
- President Truman called it the Great White Jail and the Glamorous Prison. Apparently being the top dog can get pretty lonely for some.
- In 1870, Ulysses S. Grant added a billiards room.
- Running water wasn’t present until 1833, when Andrew Jackson had it installed.
- The water wasn’t piped to the first family’s second floor bathroom until 20 years later in 1853
- Before Theodore Roosevelt, the White House was actually referred to as the Executive Mansion.
- Because the British burned the house down in 1814, there is very little of the original White House remaining.
Read more at http://thechive.com/2015/07/30/a-few-random-facts-you-never-knew-about-the-white-house-25-photos/#QEZEwrS4KFIhtzL2.99