1

Norma Jeane Mortenson

Image: Juliane Liebermann

She’s the iconic blonde from 1950s cinema, famously portrayed by artists like Andy Warhol! Films like Some Like It Hot (1959) and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) catapulted her to stardom.

Here’s another hint: This was the real name of the woman who famously sang, " Happy birthday, Mr. President! " You got it?

2

Frances Ethel Gumm

Image: Chau Le

If we say " red ruby slippers, " who comes to mind? Remembered, among other things, for her melodious voice, this actress starred in classics like A Star Is Born (1954) and Meet Me in St. Louis (1944). But the role that made her truly unforgettable was Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz (1939). Have you guessed it yet?

3

Marion Robert Morrison

Image: Ashim D’Silva

A true gem of Hollywood’s Golden Age, this actor became a legend in Westerns and war films. His commanding presence and deep voice made him the perfect fit for roles like Ringo Kid in Stagecoach (1939) and Ethan Edwards in The Searchers (1956). His birth name was Marion Robert Morrison, but in our hearts, he'll forever be "The Duke."

4

Bernard Herschel Schwartz

Image: Jordan Whitfield

With his bright smile and clean-cut style, he was considered one of the most handsome actors of the 20th century. Bernard Herschel Schwartz starred alongside the blonde from our first entry in the legendary Some Like It Hot (1959) . One of the highlights of this blue-eyed star’s career was his versatility, as he showcased his talent in both dramatic and comedic roles.

5

Margarita Carmen Cansino

Image: Brady Bellini

If anyone ever blended talent and beauty to perfection, it was her! One of the most celebrated stars of the 1940s, she rose to fame with the 1942 film You Were Never Lovelier , but her most iconic role was in Gilda (1946) . Her elegant presence and striking red hair made her an unforgettable symbol of the silver screen. In addition, she also had a short marriage to the very famous Orson Welles. Who is she?

6

Issur Danielovitch

Image: Austrian National Library

Maybe his real name might not ring a bell, but his stage name is legendary! His career took off in the 1940s and 1950s, with tough-guy roles that made him stand out, like his performance in Champion (1949), where he portrayed a talented boxer. As a final clue, we can't forget his unmistakable cleft chin!

7

Norma Jeane Mortenson: Marilyn Monroe

Image: Susi Kleiman

Norma Jeane Mortenson was the birth name of the iconic and incomparable Marilyn Monroe! That’s right—the famous actress was born with that name on June 1, 1926, in Los Angeles, California. As her Hollywood career took off, she changed her name to Marilyn Monroe, inspired by Broadway star Marilyn Miller , a celebrated actress and dancer of the 1920s and early 1930s.

8

Frances Ethel Gumm: Judy Garland

Image: Aman

The legendary star we know as Judy Garland was actually born Frances Ethel Gumm on June 10, 1922, in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. Coming from a show-business family, she received a stage name at the tender age of 13. That's right—by that age, she had already signed her contract with MGM.

9

Marion Robert Morrison: John Wayne

Image: Eniko Polgar

Marion Robert Morrison was the birth name of one of Hollywood's most beloved and famous actors—the incredible John Wayne . He changed his name when he was still young in the early 1930s , at the start of his career, something that was very common at the time. And who chose his legendary stage name? That would be Fox Studios !

10

Bernard Herschel Schwartz: Tony Curtis

Image: Levi Meir Clancy

Bernard Herschel Schwartz may be a difficult name to remember, which is why this iconic actor changed it to Tony Curtis. Born in New York in 1925, he had a passion for acting from a young age. However, Hollywood wasn't his first career path—before pursuing acting, Curtis joined the Navy during World War II!

11

Margarita Carmen Cansino: Rita Hayworth

Image: Unseen Histories

We all remember the iconic Rita Hayworth , but many don’t know her real name—Margarita Carmen Cansino! Quite different, right? Why did she change her name? Well, when Margarita signed a contract with Columbia Pictures in the late 1930s, the studio believed she needed a shorter, more artistic, and memorable stage name. And so, Rita Hayworth was born—a star who would become an indelible part of American film history.

12

Issur Danielovitch: Kirk Douglas

Image: Natalie Parham

"Issur Danielovitch" may sound exotic, but it was the birth name of the legendary star we know as Kirk Douglas . Before rising to fame as an actor and film producer, Issur worked various jobs to help support his family. In 1940 , he made the bold decision to move to Hollywood and pursue his dream career: acting. It was then that his great stage name was born.

1

Martha Washington

Let’s begin with the inaugural first lady of our country. In May 1789, Martha Washington inaugurated the role of First Lady of the United States when she arrived in New York City to meet her husband, George Washington. Interestingly, the name "First Lady" wouldn’t be used until some time later. Instead, Martha was simply referred to as "Lady Washington".

As you would expect, Martha Washington installed practices that went on to become traditions held by many future First Ladies, including receptions to the general public on New Year’s Eve. Furthermore, President Washington asked Martha to hold special drawing room events at their residence. These social gatherings became instrumental in forming what was known as the "Republican Court" , an influential group of American intellectuals and politicians.

2

Rosalynn Carter

According to Rosalynn Carter , she first became attracted to her husband, future president Jimmy Carter, when she saw him in a photograph dressed in his U.S. Navy uniform. What followed is a long and prosperous love story, which only ended in 2023 after Rosalynn passed away at the age of 96 years old.

During her tenure as First Lady, Rosalynn became an advocate for mental health and women’s rights, and she continued to support these causes through her work in the Carter Center. Both Rosalyn and President Carter were awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1999.

3

Barbara Bush

Few First Ladies hold the honor of being both the wife and the mother of a U.S. President, and Barbara Bush is one of them. She served as the First Lady during the presidency of George H. W. Bush, who acted as the 41st U.S. President from 1989 to 1993.

Although she presented herself in an almost apolitical manner, Barbara often engaged in charity work, most notably in campaigns to fight illiteracy. After her husband’s presidency ended, she continued to work in campaigning for her sons, including our 43rd President, George W. Bush.

4

Eleanor Roosevelt

Eleanor Roosevelt is remembered as the longest-serving First Lady in U.S. history. However, the legacy of this amazing figure is not limited to this fact. Roosevelt is considered to be one of the most groundbreaking First Ladies in history, completely revolutionizing the function.

Roosevelt took an active role during her husband’s terms, actively engaging in public events, travels, and cultural activities. Not only that, she was instrumental in President Roosevelt’s involvement with the then-newly formed United Nations. Eleanor served as a delegate to the U.N. General Assembly, acting as the leading figure behind the drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

5

Nancy Reagan

Just like her husband, Nancy Reagan’s career before the White House was filled with the glamour and excitement of Hollywood. Between the 1940s and 1950s, she starred in several blockbusters such as "The Next Voice You Hear...", "Night into Morning", and "Donovan ’ s Brain", acting under her maiden name, Nancy Davis.

In 1952, she married then-fellow actor Ronald Reagan, the president of the Screen Actors Guild at the time. Nancy first served as First Lady of California when her husband was governor of the state, and later on as First Lady of the country in 1981.

6

Lady Bird Johnson

Some First Ladies (although not many) are better known by their nicknames, and that’s certainly the case with " Lady Bird" Johnson . Born Claudia Alta Taylor in Karnack, Texas, this First Lady’s nickname comes from the fact that her nursemaid apparently stated that young Claudia was "as pretty as a ladybird".

When she was in her early 20s, Lady Bird met a young congressional aide named Lyndon B. Johnson after a mutual friend introduced them. The First Lady would later declare that she felt "like a moth drawn to a flame" on that first meeting. A few weeks after their first dates, the couple married and went on to have two daughters, Lynda Bird and Luci Baines.

7

Jackie Kennedy

For many Americans, First Ladies are the pinnacle of glamour. Their impeccable manners and warm personalities perfectly match their classy outfits. In that sense, Jacqueline "Jackie" Kennedy is considered to this day an international icon, known for her daring yet elegant attire and her devotion to their family and her country.

Jackie met President Kennedy, then U.S. Representative for Massachusetts, at a dinner party held by journalist Charles L. Bartlett. A year later, in 1953, the couple married in an event that was listed as the social event of the season. Jackie took a rather active role in her duties as First Lady. She conducted a massive restoration process of the White House and often joined her husband on many trips abroad, becoming a beloved cultural ambassador for America.

8

Hillary Clinton

Hillary Clinton is definitively the person on this list with the most political experience. She was Secretary of State, Senator for the State of New York, and presidential candidate. However, we shouldn’t overlook the fact that she dutifully served as First Lady of the United States while her husband was in the White House.

While the world knew her as Hillary Rodham, she entered Yale Law School in the early 70s, where she met a fellow law student by the name of William "Bill" Clinton. They married in 1975 and welcomed their only daughter, Chelsea, in 1980.

9

Michelle Obama

Following her graduation from Princeton University, a young lawyer by the name of Michelle LaVaughn Robinson started working in a Chicago law firm, focusing on marketing and intellectual property law. During her time in this office, she met another young lawyer named Barack Obama. Did any of them know that they were meeting their future spouse?

Let’s now jump to the year 2009: Barack Obama was the first African-American President of our country, and Michelle Obama became the First Lady of the United States. During her time in the White House, Michelle took a stand against many difficulties, like poverty, childhood obesity, and illiteracy.

10

Betty Ford

Elizabeth Anne "Betty" Ford assumed the role of Second Lady when her husband, Gerald Ford, served as Vice President to Richard Nixon (1973-1974), and she became the First Lady when Nixon resigned from the presidency in August 1974.

However unexpected her rise to the role was, Betty Ford is fondly remembered as one of the most courageous First Ladies of our country; she was not afraid to speak her mind and get involved in politics. During her time in the White House, she became known as a passionate defender of the Equal Rights Amendment, as well as a public spokesperson for breast cancer awareness.

1

It was almost completely torn down

Did you know that very little of today’s White House interior is actually original? Looking at the building now, it’s hard to imagine that it was once so unstable that it was in danger of collapsing.

By 1948, after decades of heavy use, outdated wiring, poor structural supports, and years of renovations layered over one another, the White House had become unsafe. Floors and walls cracked, and parts of the residence were literally sinking. President Harry S. Truman even joked that the place felt haunted because it made so many strange noises. Rather than abandon it, Truman launched a massive reconstruction project with Congress. Between 1948 and 1952, nearly the entire interior was gutted and rebuilt while the original exterior walls were preserved, giving America a strong and reliable White House.

2

During WWII, they built an underground bunker

Did you know there’s a fortified bunker hidden beneath the White House? A couple of years before Truman’s famous renovation, another major project was quietly built beneath the presidential residence.

In 1942, during World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered the construction of a secure underground shelter to protect government leaders in case Washington, D.C., came under attack. Built quickly and in great secrecy, the bunker was completed within months, though it was luckily never needed during the war. Today, the facility is known as the Presidential Emergency Operations Center, or PEOC, and it was famously used in 2001 by President George W. Bush and again in 2020 by Donald Trump.

3

It was not originally meant to be white

Can you imagine if it were called "the Gray House"? Today, it’s impossible to picture America’s most famous home as anything other than bright white, but that wasn’t the original idea.

During construction in the 1790s, workers covered the exterior sandstone with a lime-based whitewash to protect it from moisture, cracking, and harsh winter weather. The coating gave the building a pale grayish appearance, not the brilliant white we recognize today. A long-standing myth claims the White House was painted white to hide the burn marks left after British troops set it on fire in 1814, but in reality, the building had already been whitewashed years earlier. Still, after the fire and reconstruction, the white exterior became permanent and eventually inspired the famous name "White House," though for many years people still called it the "President’s House."

4

10 people have died in the White House

Many people have lived and worked in the White House over the centuries, but, according to the White House Historical Association, only 10 people are officially recorded as having died inside the presidential residence.

Among them were two U.S. presidents. William Henry Harrison died there at age 68 in 1841 after falling seriously ill, likely from contaminated water. Zachary Taylor died at age 65 in 1850 from a severe stomach illness after attending Fourth of July celebrations in extreme heat. Three First Ladies also passed away in the White House: Letitia Tyler in 1842, Caroline Harrison in 1892, and Ellen Axson Wilson in 1914. Other deaths included presidential relatives, aides, and staff members, among them Abraham Lincoln’s son, Willie Lincoln, whose death at the age of 11 in 1862 deeply affected the family and became one of the White House’s most heartbreaking stories.

5

Presidential whims

Not every White House renovation happened due to war, damage, or urgent repairs. Some changes came simply from the personal tastes and hobbies of the presidents who lived there, and over the years, there have been quite a few memorable ones.

In 1973, Richard Nixon installed a one-lane bowling alley beneath the North Portico. Years later, in 1989, George H. W. Bush added a regulation horseshoe pit near the White House grounds, where he often relaxed and challenged visitors, including Queen Elizabeth II, to games. Then, in 2009, Barack Obama had the South Lawn tennis court modified so it could also be used for basketball, one of his favorite sports.

6

Jackie Kennedy's furniture

When the Kennedy family entered the White House in 1961, the first lady was disappointed to find that many of the historic rooms had lost much of their original character.

Determined to restore the White House’s history and elegance, Jackie Kennedy famously launched a massive restoration effort. She helped create the White House Fine Arts Committee, brought in historians and curators, and filled the residence with genuine antiques and historical pieces tied to past presidencies. On February 14, 1962, an estimated 46 to 56 million people tuned in to watch the First Lady’s televised tour of the White House, making it one of the most-watched programs of its era. She also supported a congressional act that made many of the White House’s historic furnishings official property of the nation, so future presidents could no longer sell, replace, or discard them.

7

Official name changes

As we mentioned, the building was not always white, and therefore was not always officially called the White House. For much of the 19th century, Americans usually referred to it as the "Executive Mansion" or the "President’s House." Even after its famous white exterior made the nickname popular, it still was not the building’s official name.

That finally changed in 1901, when Theodore Roosevelt began printing "The White House" on presidential stationery. According to official sources, Teddy Roosevelt preferred this name because it clearly separated the president’s residence from the many state "executive mansions" used by governors across the country.

8

It was once America's largest house

There is one thing about the White House that no one can deny: it has always been huge, even in its early days.

When the White House was first occupied in 1800, it already contained more than 100 rooms spread across three floors, making it one of the grandest homes in the United States at the time. In a time when most Americans lived in modest houses or farms, the presidential residence was seen as a palace. Many historians even consider it the largest private residence in the country during its early years. Today, the White House covers about 55,000 square feet, though modern private buildings, like the Biltmore Estate in North Carolina, are now far larger.

9

President Benjamin Harrison’s fear

Among the many changes the White House has undergone over the years, few were as revolutionary as the arrival of electricity.

For nearly a century after it was built, the presidential residence relied on candles, oil lamps, and gas lighting. That finally changed in 1891, when electricity was installed during the presidency of Benjamin Harrison. But, like many families in that era, the Harrisons were not exactly thrilled by this modern invention. According to White House stories passed down over the years, President Harrison and First Lady Caroline Harrison were so nervous about the possibility of electric shock that they rarely touched the light switches themselves. Instead, they often asked the house staff to turn the lights on and off for them.

10

Hillary Clinton’s special gift

Of course, Jackie Kennedy wasn’t the only First Lady to leave her mark on the White House. Hillary Clinton added her own personal touch as well, this time as a gift for her husband.

In 1996, Hillary Clinton transformed a little-used room on the White House’s third floor into a private music room for President Bill Clinton. The gift came during the year of Bill Clinton’s 50th birthday and reflected one of his best-known passions: music. Complete with space for listening to records and playing his famous saxophone, the room gave the president a quiet retreat inside the White House.