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Bathtubs in the White House 15 years before Fillmore
Is this the information which confirms Mencken’s writing was really a hoax? Can we confirm there was a bathtub in the White House before Millard Fillmore got there? America’s premier building...
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A neglected 91st anniversary of Mencken and Millard Fillmore’s Bathtub
91 years ago today, on December 28, 1917, this column by H. L. Mencken was published in The New York Evening Mail: 1927 Portrait of H. L. Mencken by Nikol Schattenstein; Enoch Pratt Free Library,...
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One view to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. It sounds like a number Fred Waring’s Glenn Miller’s band could shout out at the end of instrumental verses. It’s the street address of the White House, not so secretly, and...
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Abigail Powers Fillmore (Women’s History Month)
Millard Fillmore’s life was shaped by the women he loved. His first wife, Abigail Powers, probably was the chief spur for his drive which took him to the presidency. In the White House, she stood for...
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A neglected, “Neglected Anniversary”– Mencken, Fillmore and the bathtub
Otherwise occupied, I nearly forgot: 92 years ago yesterday, on December 28, 1917, this column by H. L. Mencken was published in The New York Evening Mail: A Neglected Anniversary H. L. Mencken at...
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Pinewood Derby, Scouting and the West Wing
What if you were a Cub Scout, hoping to win your Pack’s Pinewood Derby, but your father worked at the White House? Does the White House support Scouting? Robert Gibbs at White House press briefing,...
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Boy Scouts talk with President Obama in the White House
President Barack Obama shakes hands with a young Cub Scout, during a meeting with representatives from the Boy Scouts, in the Oval Office, July 12, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza) I...
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Almost neglecting the “neglected anniversary” of Millard Fillmore’s Bathtub,...
Could I get a longer title? Here is our annual tribute to the hoax that gave its name and much inspiration to this blog. Otherwise occupied — Kenny’s due to board an airplane in Beijing soon; tires...
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“White House hates Christmas” hoax season opens
Christmas gets underway at the White House, with a special guest appearance by Bo, the dog: One long-standing American Christmas tradition is the Christmas hoax about the president. Probably the most...
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Film in a high school class: Atticus Finch as a role model
This year is the 50th anniversary of the release of the film “To Kill a Mockingbird.” In the American Film Institute‘s polling to find the greatest hero in the movies, Atticus Finch finished first....
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July 4 naturalization ceremony at the White House
It’s one of those great and wonderful mysteries: Why do people enlist to put their lives on the line for a nation in which they are not citizens? Regardless the motivations, many people do that, for...
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A neglected 95th anniversary of Mencken and Millard Fillmore’s Bathtub –...
A Millard Fillmore’s Bathtub December 28 tradition; mostly encore post, but worthy of note on National Bathtub and Presidential Obscurity Day 95 years ago today, on December 28, 1917, this column by H....
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White House Easter Egg Roll tickets go to kids of military
Not big news — they do this almost every year — but I want to put down the anchor on this story. First lady gives White House Easter Egg Roll tickets to military kids – wp.me/p4HKM-1a0M— CNN Political...
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President Obama, a man of grace and encouragement
Consoler and Encourager in Chief: Caption from Pete Souza‘s slide show: A message from President Barack Obama is seen on a Plaza Towers Elementary School sign, at Moore Fire Department Station #1 in...
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Remember when business leaders supported civil rights?
Remember civil discussion? June 4, 1963: Business leaders listening to Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson, with President John F. Kennedy, in the White House. Photo from the Kennedy Library, public...
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Presidential proclamation for Veterans Day 2013
President Barack Obama started a tradition of hosting veterans for breakfast at the White House on Veterans Day, before the ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns and other commemorative events at...
View Article100th anniversary of the “neglected anniversary” of Mencken and Millard...
THIS IS IT! December 28, 2017, is the 100th anniversary of the false news item, the hoax column written by curmudgeonly newspaperman H. L. Mencken, that lamented the unmarked passing of the anniversary...
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