Today in History- October 13th WHITE HOUSE CORNERSTONE LAID: October 13, 1792 The cornerstone is laid for a presidential residence in the newly designated capital city of Washington. 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.The city of Washington was created to replace Philadelphia as the nation's capital because of its geographical position in the center of the existing new republic. The states of Maryland and Virginia ceded land around the Potomac River to form the District of Columbia, and work began on Washington in 1791. French architect Charles L'Enfant designed the area's radical layout, full of dozens of circles, crisscross avenues, and plentiful parks. In 1792, work began on the neoclassical White House building at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue under the guidance of Irish American architect James Hoban, whose design was influenced by Leinster House in Dublin and by a building sketch in James Gibbs' Book of Architecture. President George Washington chose the site.On November 1, President John Adams was welcomed into the executive mansion. His wife, Abigail, wrote about their new home: "I pray heaven to bestow the best of blessings on this house, and on all that shall hereafter inhabit it. May none but wise men ever rule under this roof!" In 1814, during the War of 1812, the White House was set on fire along with the U.S. Capitol by British soldiers in retaliation for the burning of government buildings in Canada by U.S. troops. The burned-out building was subsequently rebuilt and enlarged under the direction of James Hoban, who added east and west terraces to the main building, along with a semicircular south portico and a colonnaded north portico. The smoke-stained stone walls were painted white. Work was completed on the White House in the 1820s.Major restoration occurred during the administration of President Harry Truman, and Truman lived across the street for several years in Blair House. Since 1995, Pennsylvania Avenue between the White House and Lafayette Square has been closed to vehicular traffic for security reasons. Today, more than a million tourists visit the White House annually. It is the oldest federal building in the nation's capital. ------------------------------------------------------------------ MORE GENERAL INTEREST 1775 Continental Navy established 1812 Sir Isaac Brock saves Canada 1843 B'nai B'rith founded 1977 Palestinians hijack German airliner historychannel.com/tdih/tdih.jsp?category=general&month=10272962&day=10272978 AUTOMOTIVE 1953 The Artmobile Hits The Road historychannel.com/tdih/tdih.jsp?category=automotive&month=10272962&day=10272978 CIVIL WAR 1863 Ohio voters reject Vallandigham historychannel.com/tdih/tdih.jsp?category=civil&month=10272962&day=10272978 COLD WAR 1957 Popular sci-fi film reflects America's ambivalence about nuclear weapons historychannel.com/tdih/tdih.jsp?category=coldwar&month=10272962&day=10272978 CRIME 1935 A doctor is charged with murder historychannel.com/tdih/tdih.jsp?category=crime&month=10272962&day=10272978 ENTERTAINMENT 1941 Paul Simon is born historychannel.com/tdih/tdih.jsp?category=entertainment&month=10272962&day=10272978 LITERARY 1943 Poet Robert Lowell sentenced to prison historychannel.com/tdih/tdih.jsp?category=literary&month=10272962&day=10272978 OLD WEST 1845 Texans ratify a state constitution and approve annexation historychannel.com/tdih/tdih.jsp?category=oldwest&month=10272962&day=10272978 VIETNAM WAR 1966 McNamara claims that war is progressing satisfactorily historychannel.com/tdih/tdih.jsp?category=vietnamwar&month=10272962&day=10272978 WALL STREET 1988 Sundstrand Fined Millions on Fraud Charges historychannel.com/tdih/tdih.jsp?category=wallstreet&month=10272962&day=10272978 WORLD WAR II 1943 Italy declares war on Germany historychannel.com/tdih/tdih.jsp?category=worldwarii&month=10272962&day=10272978