JFK appointed Roosevelt to chair the President's Commission on the Status of Women

President Harry Truman appointed Roosevelt as one of the first US delegates to the United Nations

After FDR's death in 1945, Roosevelt joined the delegation to the newly established United Nations. She was the only woman among the General Assembly delegates and was unanimously elected to chair the UN Commission on Human Rights.

See a visual record of how Roosevelt helped build the United Nations

When President Truman appointed Eleanor Roosevelt to the first US delegation to the UN in 1946, her male colleagues assigned her to a minor committee, assuming she would play a minor role. In the end, she became one of the delegation's most effective negotiators—and chaired the drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

As first lady, Roosevelt held 348 press conferences open only to female reporters

Starting just two days after FDR's inauguration in 1933, Eleanor Roosevelt began holding White House press conferences that admitted only female journalists. She continued to hold these events throughout her 12 years as first lady.

The FBI surveilled Roosevelt for decades, suspicious of her civil rights and political work

J. Edgar Hoover's FBI maintained a large file on Eleanor Roosevelt, monitoring her involvement with civil rights groups, connections to progressive causes, and vocal opposition to McCarthyism. Although a formal investigation was never initiated, Hoover regarded her as a person of interest for most of her adult life.

Joseph Kennedy Sr., President John F. Kennedy's father, became the first chairman of the Securities Exchange Commission in 1934.

Frances Perkins was the first woman in the US to hold a cabinet position

President Franklin D. Roosevelt named her the United States Secretary of Labor in 1933. In her cabinet seat, she not only helped establish the first federal minimum wage in the US, but also the Social Security Act.

Roosevelt chaired more than 3,000 hours of debate to produce the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Roosevelt led the drafting committee for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, guiding representatives from 18 nations through debate on conflicting ideas about rights, government, and citizenship. The General Assembly unanimously adopted the final document in December 1948.

The White House Situation Room was created in 1961

In 1961, John F. Kennedy approved the establishment of the White House Situation Room—a secure crisis-management center in the West Wing basement—following the intelligence failures of the Bay of Pigs invasion and the growing tensions of the Cold War.

Roosevelt resigned from a prominent women's organization after it barred a Black singer from performing

When the Daughters of the American Revolution refused to allow Marian Anderson to perform at their Washington hall in 1939 because she was Black, Roosevelt publicly cut ties with the group. She worked to arrange an alternative outdoor concert for Anderson at the Lincoln Memorial, which drew a crowd of 75,000.

Roosevelt joined the NAACP and campaigned for anti-lynching laws—even receiving a $25K bounty from the KKK

Eleanor Roosevelt joined the NAACP board, lobbied for a federal anti-lynching law, and pushed to integrate the Army Nurse Corps—often going beyond the support her husband was willing to give to racial justice efforts. Her advocacy made her a target: The Ku Klux Klan placed a $25,000 bounty on her head.

Eleanor Roosevelt transformed the role of the first lady of the United States.

Explore Eleanor Roosevelt's marriage to FDR, their partnership, and her work after his death

Eleanor Roosevelt revolutionized the role of first lady by holding regular press conferences and hosting a radio show. This podcast features her discussions about their relationship, how she handled policy disagreements with FDR, and her role in drafting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights at the UN.

Jacqueline Kennedy transformed the White House into a museum of American history

Between 1961 and 1963, first lady Jacqueline Kennedy oversaw a dramatic restoration of the White House, furnishing rooms with authentic antiques, founding the White House Historical Association, and securing congressional protection for the White House's historic interiors.

'One man can make a difference and every man should try.'

- Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (1929-1994)

FDR greatly expanded the authority and size of the executive branch

FDR expanded presidential power through the New Deal, World War II leadership, and direct communication with the public. He redefined the executive branch as an active policymaking force and established expectations for strong, interventionist presidential leadership.

Food stamps were revived as a JFK pilot as one of his first actions upon taking office in 1961, but the program had its largest expansion under President Richard Nixon in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Eleanor Roosevelt sheltered student activists at the White House after they were subpoenaed by HUAC

In 1939, when Congress subpoenaed leaders of the American Youth Congress on suspicion of communist ties, Eleanor Roosevelt attended the hearings herself and then invited all 10 students to stay at the White House, as they had nowhere to sleep.

Edith Roosevelt's White House redesign created the modern West Wing

In 1902, first lady Edith Roosevelt oversaw a significant renovation that separated the family residence from official offices. Architect Charles McKim added the West Wing to house the president's staff—establishing the modern layout still used today.

The 25th Amendment clarified presidential succession and disability after JFK's assassination

Ratified in 1967, the 25th Amendment established procedures for replacing a vice president and transferring power when a president is incapacitated. It was designed to prevent leadership crises like those exposed after President Kennedy's death.

The US Commission on International Religious Freedom monitors and reports on religious persecution

USCIRF is an independent, bipartisan federal commission that tracks religious freedom conditions worldwide and provides policy recommendations to the president, secretary of state, and Congress.

'Most of man's problems upon this planet, in the long history of the race, have been met and solved either partially or as a whole by experiment based on common sense and carried out with courage.'

-Frances Perkins (1880-1965), first female member of US Cabinet

Among the recipients of the 1962 Federal Woman's Award—an award for women in civil service—was Nancy Roman, NASA's chief of astronomy and solar physics.

FDR inspired Rockwell's 'Four Freedoms'

In his 1941 State of the Union speech, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt defined "Four Freedoms" that democratic societies provided: freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear. Rockwell conceived of a series of paintings based on those values, using his small-town examples of the principles in action. Below is "Freedom From Want."

A movie helped make JFK assassination conspiracies widespread

Oliver Stone's film "JFK" (1991) imagined the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy as the result of a conspiracy by US government agents. Before the film, this belief was not common, but it became widely adopted afterward. The film's impact contributed to the release of major CIA files in subsequent decades. (Some users may experience a paywall.)

Theodore Roosevelt is considered by many to be the "first modern president"

Roosevelt transformed the presidency by expanding executive power beyond conventional norms, arguing that the president could act in the national interest unless expressly forbidden to do so. His energetic leadership, media use, and policy activism expanded the office's role and prestige.

The Securities and Exchange Commission was created during the Great Depression to restore public trust in financial markets after the 1929 crash.

Franklin D. Roosevelt was the first president to use the term 'State of the Union'

In 1934, President Roosevelt became the first president to formally call the annual address the "State of the Union," replacing the older title "Annual Message to Congress" and using the language from the Constitution.

Franklin D. Roosevelt's 1937 court-packing plan sought to expand the Supreme Court—and failed

Frustrated by Supreme Court rulings against the New Deal, Franklin D. Roosevelt proposed expanding the court in 1937. The failed plan triggered fierce backlash and is regarded as the last serious presidential attempt to alter the court's size for ideological ends.

Eleanor Roosevelt's 1941 flight with a Black pilot helped legitimize the Tuskegee Airmen program

During a 1941 visit to the Tuskegee Institute, Roosevelt ignored protests from her Secret Service detail and flew for an hour over Alabama with chief instructor Charles Alfred Anderson. Photos of the flight were shared nationwide and helped advance the case for Black pilots in combat.

Franklin D. Roosevelt used radio to connect directly with Americans through his 'Fireside Chats'

Beginning in 1933, FDR harnessed the new medium of radio to explain policies and reassure the public during the Great Depression and World War II. His conversational fireside chats revolutionized presidential communication.

The formation of the UN elevated the US on the world stage

This podcast episode of "To the Best of My Ability" from the National WWII Museum goes behind the scenes of the United Nations' founding from the American perspective. It explores how FDR's vision for global peace took shape, how Truman carried it forward, and how Eleanor Roosevelt helped define human rights—set against the backdrop of wartime diplomacy, Cold War tensions, and the San Francisco Conference, where the UN Charter was signed.

Hear Eleanor Roosevelt speak about human rights

On International Human Rights Day, Roosevelt addressed a TV audience to explain the importance of the Declaration of Human Rights. She discusses her work and plans to spread information about the United Nations' efforts.

After FDR was paralyzed by polio in 1921, Eleanor Roosevelt became active in politics and supported his political ambitions

FDR contracted polio at age 39 and permanently lost the use of his legs. Eleanor Roosevelt persuaded him to stay in politics, then took on the task of maintaining his public profile—attending events, building relationships, and serving as his "eyes, ears, and legs" across the country.

The Oval Office was completed in 1909

Completed during William Howard Taft's presidency, the Oval Office was designed as part of an expansion of the West Wing. President Franklin D. Roosevelt redesigned the room and moved it to the southeast corner of the West Wing in 1934.

Title IX was signed into law in 1972

Title IX of the Education Amendments Act, signed into law by President Richard Nixon on June 23, 1972, prohibits sex-based discrimination in federally funded education programs. In its five-plus decades, it's been credited with increasing the number of women enrolled in college and shaping the modern world of women’s sports.

Sci-fi author Ray Bradbury offered to help aid the Kennedy Administration during the 1960s Space Race.

See who appointed the Supreme Court's 116 throughout its history.

The 22nd Amendment was a reaction to Roosevelt's four terms

After Franklin D. Roosevelt won four elections, Congress moved to prevent future presidents from holding power indefinitely. Ratified in 1951, the 22nd Amendment set a firm two-term limit as a safeguard against extended presidencies.

Hear Roosevelt's first 'Fireside Chat'

The president's casual radio addresses ditched the language of sloganeering and politiciking, intentionally framing the broadcasts as conversational explanations of current events and politics. The inaugural episode was broadcast in 1933, during the Great Depression, and outlined his plans to restore faith in the banking system.

You can read First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis' will online

Unlike trusts, the contents of a will are public information. Former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy's will included her copy of John F. Kennedy's Inaugural Address signed by Robert Frost and other fascinating historic objects.

Franklin D. Roosevelt's 1941 speech framed World War II as a global fight for universal rights

Eleven months before the attack on Pearl Harbor, President Roosevelt outlined four fundamental freedoms that, in his words, people "everywhere in the world" ought to enjoy—speech, worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear.

Roosevelt's 4 elections were driven by 2 major crises

Franklin D. Roosevelt won third and fourth terms in 1940 and 1944 as Americans emerged from the Great Depression and sought continuity during World War II. Voters prioritized stability, keeping Roosevelt in office until his death in 1945.

The New Deal shifted economic and social authority to the federal government

Franklin D. Roosevelt's response to the Great Depression expanded federal power through economic regulation and social welfare programs, permanently reshaping federalism by shifting responsibility for financial security to Washington while leaving states to administer many of these programs.

White House renovations have always been controversial

From Theodore Roosevelt's 1902 overhaul to Harry Truman's complete gutting in 1948 and Jacqueline Kennedy's historic restoration in the 1960s, nearly every major White House renovation has faced criticism over cost, design choices, or historical preservation.

Watch former Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler's 'Eras Tour' for the agency's 90th anniversary, a look back on the pivotal moments in the agency's history.

Roosevelt left a White House dinner to fly over Washington with Amelia Earhart

In April 1933, Eleanor Roosevelt and Amelia Earhart flew on a round trip from Washington to Baltimore in their evening gowns. Roosevelt, who had a long-standing interest in flying, had recently earned her student pilot's license.

The Social Security System was created to protect Americans from economic disasters like the Great Depression

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal created new government agencies and programs in the wake of the Great Depression.

Bernice Sandler, a part-time teacher in Maryland, helped launch Title IX with a class-action lawsuit.

Roosevelt wrote a nationally syndicated newspaper column 6 days a week for 27 years

Roosevelt's My Day column was launched in late 1935 and ran nearly every day until shortly before her death in 1962. It began as an account of her daily life but grew into one of the most widely read opinion columns in the country, with 4 million readers at its peak.

Many historians believe Eleanor Roosevelt had a romantic relationship with Lorena Hickok, a female journalist

Roosevelt and AP reporter Lorena Hickok exchanged over 3,000 deeply affectionate letters, many written twice daily. Hickok lived in a room near Eleanor's in the White House for several years. Biographers who have examined their correspondence conclude it was a true-love relationship.