21 Surprising Facts About Moving Into The White House

16. The first movie screened at the White House was Birth of a Nation, by Woodrow Wilson in 1915.

Birth of a Nation, adapted from The Clansmen, centered on themes like Reconstruction and the KKK with alarmingly racist overtones but was a landmark film at the time.

17. The Oval Office wasn’t put in until 1913, per William Howard Taft’s instructions.

18. A lot of animals other than Bo and Sunny have lived there. At different times, the White House has housed snakes, alligators, bear cubs, lion cubs, bobcats, and more.

Here is First Lady Grace Coolidge holding her pet raccoon, Rebecca, on the White House lawn in 1927.

19. White House staff only has 12 hours to move in a new president’s belongings on inauguration day.

Move-in doesn’t start until noon, and in those 12 hours, the staff must unpack and arrange all furniture and personal items, clean, and tidy up. However, the president coordinates the move using private movers.

20. There’s a coffee maker that was a gift from Tom Hanks.

He bought an espresso maker for the press room in 2004 and upgraded it to a newer one in 2010. Here he is looking admiringly at his gift.

21. George Washington never actually lived there.

(Credits: dailydisclosure and Buzzfeed)

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