Videos
Podcasts
Blogs
Quizzes
GamesStuff You Missed in History Class
Didn't pay attention in history class? HowStuffWorks has you covered.
Podcast Transcript | Listen to the Podcast Now
Comment Now
Recent Postings by Category
BrainStuff
- Thank You and Best Wishes to Marshall Brain
- Contest – Design a $300 house and win $25,000
- How the Philtrum works – the place under your nose where your face comes together
The Coolest Stuff on the Planet
- Sailing, Takes Me Away…To The Seychelles
- Cute Animal Tuesday: Black Vulture
- Traveling on the Orient Express
Keep Asking
- Why can a 5 foot 8 inch man dunk a basketball on a 10 foot rim while some people of taller stature can’t?
- What happens to our sun once it runs out of fuel?
- How do we know the age of the universe?
Stuff Mom Never Told You
- Who invented the Christmas card?
- How the Kinsey Report Fueled Whiskey Sales
- How to Get Your Wedding Announcement into The New York Times
Stuff to Blow Your Mind
- The Seven Deadlies: Pride Cometh Before the Brain
- Warhammer 40K: 25 Years of Orks in Space
- A Visit to the Tellus Science Museum
Stuff You Should Know
- The Southern Death Cult, the Maya and Georgia
- Deformed Baby Spider Brains
- Amazing Medical Conditions: Maple Syrup Urine Disorder
The Stuff of Genius
CarStuff
- Was Chrysler’s “It’s Halftime in America” Super Bowl commercial a little too political?
- Why is NASA studying car safety?
- Tips for in-car Navigation Systems
How-to Stuff
- How to Make the Most of a Gallery Crawl (When You’re on a Shoestring Budget)
- How to Swim with Dolphins (When Deep Water Terrifies You)
- How to Cure a Homemade Cookie Craving Without Turning on the Oven
PopStuff
- PopStuff Show Notes: Episode 43: Drag Queens: You Better Work!
- PopStuff Show Notes: Episode 42: Road Trip!
- PopStuff Show Notes: Episode 41: Celebrity Couples
Stuff They Don't Want You To Know
Stuff to Change the World
- Who will own the Arctic?
- Obesity: The New Global Crisis
- Bill Gates Makes For A Pretty Decent Cartoon
Stuff You Missed in History Class
- Butch Cassidy: Should we read between the lines?
- Are we rooting for D.B. Cooper?
- Party Time: A Look at Unconventional Politics
Announcer
Welcome to Stuff You Missed in History Class from howstuffworks.com.
Candace Keener
Hello, and welcome to the podcast. I’m editor, Candace Keener, joined by staff writer, Jane McGrath.
Jane McGrath
Hey there, Candace.
Candace Keener
Hey, Jane. I wanted to bring our listeners up to speed about a special fact about you they might not be aware of it.
Jane McGrath
Oh, yeah. Put me on the spot.
Candace Keener
And that’s that, in addition to being a very fabulous history writer, Jane is also the resident website’s money writer. And so she read this article that’s technically for our money channel of the website, but it has lends very strongly to history and facts that we thought you all might be interested in, so we decided to hijack it and present it to you today.
Jane McGrath
It’s a really cool subject and pretty fun because it’s fun to imagine what life would be like as a president, even though they have probably the most stressful job in the world. It’s fascinating to delve into all these special perks and extras that they get just by virtue of being the Chief Executive of the United States.
Candace Keener
And it’s pretty controversial, some of these big financial perks that the president gets. Because, as you know, if you’ve been keeping up with the news, the Obama Administration has really been cracking down on people from Wall Street and perks that people in the financial sector have been getting. And many of them have been lashing back at the President and saying, "You get a lot of perks, too. And what’s more, yours are tax free so who are you to say what we can and cannot have?" The President’s salary is capped by nature of the law, but he gets plenty of things on the side that has some people pretty worked up.
Jane McGrath
He doesn’t even need a salary for all the things that he gets.
Candace Keener
I know. And two presidents in history have actually refused a salary. Do you know who they are?
Jane McGrath
Oh, I don’t.
Candace Keener
George Washington and JFK. JFK had tons of family money, so I understand.
Jane McGrath
That’s true. But George Washington, that’s pretty cool. So I guess I’ll kick it off with the White House, which is probably the most obvious of the Presidential perks. All in all, there’s about 132 rooms in the residential White House, and 35 bathrooms. In addition to the standards – the swimming pool, tennis courts, basketball courts – you’ve got the jogging track, putting green – which just sounds so much fun.