▲Susan Ford threw the first (and only, as of yet) White House prom in 1975. It sure beats the old gymnasium!

▲While it’s commonly believed that the duty falls on taxpayers, the First Family is billed every month for food, dry cleaning, toothpaste, and so forth. Maybe that’s why they have a garden!

▲In 2016, the Obamas told CBS that there are a lot of Wi-Fi "dead spots," which is concerning for the one building that should be the most connected!

▲In 2017, White House officials requested pest control to remove the mice from the Situation Room.

▲The Obama family biographer Jodi Kantor revealed that when the former president moved in, there were still stains on the carpet from the Bush cats.

▲You can't sneak away! Another downside to living in what is essentially a museum is that staff and tourists have access to the Diplomatic Room right near the living quarters, so the First Family often has to duck out of sight.

▲Jenna Bush famously managed to sneak a first kiss with her now-husband on the scenic rooftop of the White House.

▲The Hawaii-born Barack Obama was criticized for cranking up the temperatures in the Oval Office. Living in the White House might not be as different as you think.

▲For that presidential smile! The dental office is part of a strip mall that also features a flower shop, chocolate shop, carpenter's shop, and engineer's shop.

▲Former President Lyndon B. Johnson enjoyed nightly rubdowns and would often fall asleep on the table, making his ushers—who could only go off-duty when the President went to bed—stay up all night.

▲The White House Family Theater gets films sent straight from Hollywood at any time day or night, and often before the films' public release!

▲Lady Bird Johnson was a big 'Gunsmoke' fan, but state dinners often interfered with her viewing, so the White House Communications Agency taped it for her.

▲The Obama and Bush families loved taking their pups out for walks. A president might’ve been picking up poop at the same time as you!

▲Even though they have attendants at their beck and call, parents like Michelle Obama ensured their children continue cleaning up after themselves.

▲Built in 2009, the beehive hosts thousands of First Bees on the White House lawn and are taken care of by the official beekeeper.

▲A staff of nearly 100 ushers and movers are given only six hours to move new presidents in, and they get the same amount of time to move old presidents out, meaning there is absolutely no downtime.

▲The First Family has a kitchen of their own in their living quarters, and Hillary Clinton was known to have enjoyed making breakfast for her daughter to help create a sense of normalcy.

▲Jenna Bush was convinced the White House was haunted, claiming that "millions of ghosts" roamed the mansion and "opera noises" came from the fireplace.

▲George H.W. Bush and Reagan never carried cash, and there’s no need for it since everything just gets added to a tab.

▲Though it seems iconic and untouchable, every president is allowed to change things up. Eisenhower and Carter left things alone, however, and Reagan waited until his second term just to change the rug!

▲Not only do they have to move them in within six hours, the staff needs to have a stock of the First Family's food choices, prepare for their particular needs, and get the household under control.

▲The president can enjoy a trendy pour-over coffee from the now-famous Chemex brand glass brewing device. Obama's hip administration managed to snag 50 of them.

▲Imagine your bedroom wall littered with boy band posters and painted light purple. Now imagine that in the White House!

▲The White House has been home to some unusual pets, like former president Calvin Coolidge's raccoons and pygmy hippopotamuses.

▲The White House has 132 rooms, 35 bathrooms, 412 doors, 147 windows, 28 fireplaces, 8 staircases, and 3 elevators.

▲The code phrase is: "They are discussing the Bosnian problem." Very serious and urgent business that must be tended to, of course.

▲Bill Clinton installed it in 1995, and now presidents can step outside to perfect their putt in between press conferences and national crises.

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Not every president enjoyed living in the big house, particularly Harry Truman who called it a "glamorous prison" and "the great white jail."

▲It makes sense from a security standpoint, but never being able to feel the fresh breeze in the summer seems quite unpleasant.

▲An indoor pool was added by Roosevelt in 1933, and Ford built one outside in 1975. Unfortunately, Nixon transformed the indoor pool into the press briefing room.

▲Unofficially, at least. Sliding down the banisters seems to be a rite of passage for First Kids, including the Bush twins, the Obama kids, and Teddy Roosevelt's six children.

▲In 1814, British forces burned the White House down, and only a single painting of George Washington was saved, thanks to First Lady Dolley Madison.

▲A storage facility in the White House is accessible to each current president, filled with things like treasured artworks (think Georgia O'Keeffe and Norman Rockwell paintings), gifts from dignitaries, antiques, and a four-poster bed.

▲Bill Clinton installed the famous White House jogging track so that he could lose some weight.

▲Steve Ford brought a stereo onto the roof with a friend on his first night in 1974, and they listened to Led Zeppelin's 'Stairway to Heaven.' It doesn't get cooler than that.

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While the First Family can specially order almost anything they desire, the only wine served in the White House comes from American-grown grapes.

▲The lives of American presidents are often elusive to the public, but don’t you want to know what goes on in the house where the country’s biggest historic decisions are made? Check out this gallery to find out the lesser-known quirks and perks of living in America's most prestigious home.

Life in the White House

Fascinating little-known facts

27/11/24 por StarsInsider

LIFESTYLE Usa

The lives of American presidents are often elusive to the public, but don’t you want to know what goes on in the house where the country’s biggest historic decisions are made? Check out this gallery to find out the lesser-known quirks and perks of living in America's most prestigious home.