Curious to learn all that you need to know about the White House? You basically have two choices: you can either raise hundreds of millions of dollars, win the Democratic or Republican Party nomination, go on the campaign trail for months on end, and then hopefully convince around 70 million people to vote for you. Alternatively, you can just read this article. Personally, we recommend the former, but completely understand if you’d prefer the easy way out and choose the latter.

1. The White House wasn’t originally white

Who just blew your mind? We did. When the construction of the White House was being completed, the exterior was actually grey. But in 1798 the sandstone was given a white, limestone coating so that the building would be protected from moisture and cracking during those cold, harsh D.C. winters.