PRESIDENTS

The Only 4 Private Citizens to Lie in Honor at the U.S. Capitol

Billy Graham will be one of just a handful to receive the honor.

George Washington’s Incredible Hair Routine

America's Founding Fathers had some truly defining locks. While our first president's hair itself was all real, the color was not.

7 Things You Might Not Know About William McKinley

The poor guy recently lost a mountain—not that he ever visited it, though.

House Sergeant at Arms Paul Irving and Donald Trump arrive for a meeting with the House Republican conference.

What Does the Sergeant at Arms Do?

Both the House and the Senate have their own Sergeant at Arms, and their visibility is highest during the State of the Union address. But what do they do the other 364 days of the year?

Alexander Hamilton’s Son Also Died in a Duel

When Hamilton met Aaron Burr in 1804, the scene would have been very familiar to a family tragedy in Hamilton's past.

©Thomas Jefferson Foundation at Monticello

Inside the Kitchen of Thomas Jefferson's Acclaimed—and Enslaved—Chef James Hemings

Hemings learned the art of French cooking in Paris and brought haute cuisine to America.

11 Words and Phrases Popularized by Teddy Roosevelt

Contrary to his well-known slogan “speak softly and carry a big stick,” Theodore Roosevelt was hardly one to speak softly.

That Hilarious Story About Taft Getting Stuck in His Bathtub? It’s Not True

He did, however, have another embarrassing—and very real—bathtub incident.

The Christmas Eve Fire That Destroyed the West Wing

Herbert Hoover's first year in office had already gone worse than anyone could have expected ... then the West Wing burned down.

The Funky History of George Washington's Fake Teeth

Mount Vernon holds perhaps the most famous dentures in American history: those of Founding Father George Washington.

Darren McCollester/Newsmakers/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

11 Famous Men Who Used to Be Cheerleaders

From future presidents to iconic funnymen, these future celebrities had spirit.

13 Fascinating Facts About Abigail Adams

The celebrated First Lady was light-years ahead of her time.

Abraham Lincoln Letter About Slavery Could Fetch $700,000 at Auction

Lincoln wrote the letter in 1858 while preparing for the famous Lincoln-Douglas debates.

3 Fascinating Items in Abraham Lincoln's Newly Released Archives

The Library of Congress has been working for years to put the 20,000 Lincoln-related documents online in high-resolution.

U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons

When Nancy Reagan Told Kids to ‘Just Say No’

The First Lady's catchphrase was everywhere in the 1980s. The problem? It didn't really keep kids from experimenting with drugs.

5 Intriguing Details Found in the Newly Released JFK Assassination Papers

The Soviets thought Lee Harvey Oswald was a total maniac.

Barack Obama Taps Kehinde Wiley to Paint His Official Presidential Portrait

The artist is known for his majestic paintings of hip-hop figures.

The Time Teddy Roosevelt Was Shot in the Chest, Then Gave a Speech Anyway

Roosevelt is said not to have noticed he was hit until he reached into his overcoat and felt the blood on his fingers.

8 Surprising Facts About the Presidential Yacht

From hosting JFK's last birthday party to becoming a raccoon habitat, this boat has seen it all.

You Can Buy the Oldest Surviving Photo of a U.S. President

Lookin’ good, John Quincy Adams.

Brown University Library, Wikipedia/Public Domain

Lincoln’s Famous Letter of Condolence to a Grieving Mother Was Likely Penned by His Secretary

Linguists used a technique called n-gram tracing to analyze the letter and identified John Hay as its likely author.

You Could Once Buy “Memento Kits” Made of White House Scraps

During the early 1950s, souvenir hunters could own a piece of the White House for as little as 25 cents.

Hulton Archive/National Archive/Getty Images

50 Surprising Facts About America's Founding Fathers

George Washington's famous hairdo was not a wig, Benjamin Franklin liked to walk around nude, and 48 other facts no true patriot would want to miss.

The Real Story Behind Hy Peskin’s Camelot

Most Americans got their first look at the Kennedys through the lens of photographer Hy Peskin.

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