John Adams, the Founding Father whose intellect, passion and
political philosophy fueled American independence and gave
shape to constitutional governments now found around the
world, became the first president to live in the White House on
this day in history, Nov. 1, 1800.

"I pray Heaven to bestow the best of Blessings on this House
and all that shall hereafter inhabit it," Adams wrote to first lady
Abigail, who had yet to arrive, on his second night in the new
executive mansion.

Paintings of former U.S. President John Adams, right, and
his wife Abigail Adams, are displayed at the Massachusetts Historical Society in Boston, Massachusetts.

President John F. Kennedy introduced a new era of White
House communications when he hosted the first live
televised presidential press conference on this day in
history, Jan. 25, 1961.

       (1864 – 1941)

President Benjamin Harrison welcomed Alice Sanger as
the first female White House staffer on January 2, 1890.

During an otherwise uneventful presidency remarkable
only for allowing Congress a free-for-all in spending public
funds, Alice Sanger’s appointment may have been an olive
branch to the growing women’s suffrage movement that
had gathered momentum during Harrison’s presidency. 

The cornerstone was laid for a presidential residence in the
newly designated capital city of Washington, D.C. In 1800,
President John Adams became the first president to reside
in the executive mansion, which soon became known as the
“White House” because its white-gray Virginia freestone
contrasted strikingly with the red brick of nearby buildings.

John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826)

President Harry S. Truman (above) officially opened the first
White House bowling alley on April 25, 1947. The two-lane
bowling alley, situated in the West Wing, had been constructed
earlier that year.           

According to Smithsonian magazine, a group of Truman’s
fellow Missourians funded the construction of the bowling
alley in honor of the president. They had intended to open
the alley as part of Truman’s 63rd birthday celebration on
May 8, but construction was completed ahead of schedule.

The Harry S. Truman Bowling Alley entertains thousands of
White House staffers and their guests each year.