1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:05,080 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of iHeartRadio. 2 00:00:05,440 --> 00:00:09,840 Speaker 1: Hello and Welcome to This Day in History Class, a 3 00:00:09,960 --> 00:00:13,600 Speaker 1: show that keeps rolling its way through history one day 4 00:00:13,840 --> 00:00:18,360 Speaker 1: at a time. I'm Gabeluesier, and in this episode we're 5 00:00:18,400 --> 00:00:22,479 Speaker 1: talking about one of America's most deeply held traditions, the 6 00:00:22,560 --> 00:00:25,840 Speaker 1: one day each spring when children gather on the lawn 7 00:00:25,880 --> 00:00:29,120 Speaker 1: of the White House to push around colorful, hard boiled 8 00:00:29,120 --> 00:00:43,839 Speaker 1: eggs while the President fain's interest. The day was April 9 00:00:43,880 --> 00:00:48,959 Speaker 1: twenty second, eighteen seventy eight, the White House hosted its 10 00:00:49,080 --> 00:00:53,519 Speaker 1: first official Easter egg role, held each year on the 11 00:00:53,560 --> 00:00:56,640 Speaker 1: south lawn of the White House grounds. The public event 12 00:00:56,840 --> 00:01:00,800 Speaker 1: is one of the oldest presidential traditions in US history. 13 00:01:01,520 --> 00:01:05,200 Speaker 1: It's now also the largest annual event held at the 14 00:01:05,200 --> 00:01:09,240 Speaker 1: White House, with some forty thousand people attending each year. 15 00:01:10,160 --> 00:01:13,399 Speaker 1: And while the egg roll was originally open to any 16 00:01:13,480 --> 00:01:17,560 Speaker 1: local children in Washington, participants are now chosen from all 17 00:01:17,600 --> 00:01:22,200 Speaker 1: over the country by lottery. The exact origins of the 18 00:01:22,240 --> 00:01:26,880 Speaker 1: tradition are a little hazy. Some historians believe First Lady 19 00:01:27,000 --> 00:01:30,120 Speaker 1: Dolly Madison was the first to suggest a public egg 20 00:01:30,200 --> 00:01:33,440 Speaker 1: roll at the White House, but there's no solid evidence 21 00:01:33,480 --> 00:01:36,880 Speaker 1: that anyone ever took her up on the idea. There 22 00:01:36,920 --> 00:01:40,520 Speaker 1: are also stories of informal egg rolling parties that the 23 00:01:40,560 --> 00:01:43,800 Speaker 1: White House, going as far back as the Lincoln administration. 24 00:01:44,840 --> 00:01:47,880 Speaker 1: What we know for certain is that by the nineteenth century, 25 00:01:48,080 --> 00:01:51,280 Speaker 1: egg rolling was a key part of the Easter celebration 26 00:01:51,600 --> 00:01:55,120 Speaker 1: for many families in the nation's capital. If you've never 27 00:01:55,200 --> 00:02:00,400 Speaker 1: seen the practice yourself, it's fairly straightforward. Each player, usually 28 00:02:00,400 --> 00:02:03,840 Speaker 1: a child, selects a hard boiled egg that's been dyed 29 00:02:03,920 --> 00:02:06,840 Speaker 1: and decorated for Easter, and then rolls it down a 30 00:02:06,920 --> 00:02:10,080 Speaker 1: hill alongside the others in the hope that their egg 31 00:02:10,240 --> 00:02:12,760 Speaker 1: will be the first to reach the bottom without cracking. 32 00:02:13,960 --> 00:02:17,680 Speaker 1: By the eighteen seventies, the most popular spot for egg 33 00:02:17,800 --> 00:02:21,400 Speaker 1: rolling in Washington was the west lawn of the US Capitol, 34 00:02:21,720 --> 00:02:26,000 Speaker 1: not the White House. Each Easter Monday, thousands of children 35 00:02:26,040 --> 00:02:28,360 Speaker 1: who had the day off school would gather on the 36 00:02:28,400 --> 00:02:32,360 Speaker 1: Capitol grounds and roll dyed eggs down the terraced slopes 37 00:02:32,400 --> 00:02:38,079 Speaker 1: of Capitol Hill. However, not everyone approved of the activity. 38 00:02:38,840 --> 00:02:42,840 Speaker 1: Some of the more curmudgeonly politicians began to complain about 39 00:02:42,840 --> 00:02:46,480 Speaker 1: the abandoned eggs and broken bits of eggshell that were 40 00:02:46,480 --> 00:02:50,600 Speaker 1: inevitably left behind each year, as well as potential damage 41 00:02:50,639 --> 00:02:54,359 Speaker 1: to the grass from all that running and rolling. As 42 00:02:54,360 --> 00:02:58,160 Speaker 1: a result, Congress passed a piece of legislation in eighteen 43 00:02:58,280 --> 00:03:01,520 Speaker 1: seventy six known as the U. S. Turf Protection Law. 44 00:03:02,480 --> 00:03:06,600 Speaker 1: Signed by President Ulysses S. Grant, the edict restricted the 45 00:03:06,600 --> 00:03:10,480 Speaker 1: public use of the Capitol grounds, preventing any portion from 46 00:03:10,520 --> 00:03:15,720 Speaker 1: being used as quote playgrounds or otherwise. The law went 47 00:03:15,800 --> 00:03:19,680 Speaker 1: into effect in eighteen seventy seven, but because it rained 48 00:03:19,800 --> 00:03:22,960 Speaker 1: that Easter Monday, no one wanted to roll eggs anyway. 49 00:03:23,880 --> 00:03:27,440 Speaker 1: Then the following year, a notice was printed in local 50 00:03:27,520 --> 00:03:31,959 Speaker 1: newspapers reminding families that egg rolling was no longer permitted 51 00:03:32,000 --> 00:03:36,080 Speaker 1: on Capitol grounds. But at least one group of children 52 00:03:36,240 --> 00:03:39,960 Speaker 1: refused to let the tradition die, and so on April 53 00:03:40,000 --> 00:03:43,400 Speaker 1: twenty second, eighteen seventy eight, they turned up at the 54 00:03:43,400 --> 00:03:46,080 Speaker 1: White House gates and asked if they could roll their 55 00:03:46,120 --> 00:03:50,520 Speaker 1: eggs there instead. The guards took the request to President 56 00:03:50,600 --> 00:03:53,960 Speaker 1: Rutherford B. Hayes, and much to the kid's delight, he 57 00:03:54,080 --> 00:03:56,640 Speaker 1: agreed to let them roll eggs on the South Lawn. 58 00:03:57,600 --> 00:04:00,720 Speaker 1: The area had previously been set aside for the First 59 00:04:00,760 --> 00:04:05,560 Speaker 1: family's private Easter activities, but with President Hayes' act of kindness, 60 00:04:05,760 --> 00:04:10,760 Speaker 1: a new public tradition was born. Since its inception, the 61 00:04:10,920 --> 00:04:15,360 Speaker 1: now annual event has grown increasingly elaborate, taking on new 62 00:04:15,400 --> 00:04:20,160 Speaker 1: elements and customs over time. In eighteen eighty five, for instance, 63 00:04:20,279 --> 00:04:22,839 Speaker 1: the egg rollers made their way from the South lawn 64 00:04:22,920 --> 00:04:25,400 Speaker 1: into the East room of the White House, hoping to 65 00:04:25,480 --> 00:04:29,280 Speaker 1: catch a glimpse of President Grover Cleveland. He came down 66 00:04:29,320 --> 00:04:32,200 Speaker 1: from his office to greet his young visitors, and from 67 00:04:32,200 --> 00:04:35,599 Speaker 1: then on, egg roll receptions featuring an appearance by the 68 00:04:35,640 --> 00:04:41,760 Speaker 1: President became customary. Four years later, President Benjamin Harrison added 69 00:04:41,880 --> 00:04:45,039 Speaker 1: music to the mix by having the United States Marine 70 00:04:45,120 --> 00:04:49,120 Speaker 1: Band known as the President's Own, perform live while the 71 00:04:49,240 --> 00:04:53,159 Speaker 1: children rolled eggs. The event was such a big deal 72 00:04:53,240 --> 00:04:57,320 Speaker 1: by that point that famed conductor John Philips Suza even 73 00:04:57,360 --> 00:05:00,920 Speaker 1: showed up to direct the band himself. He would also 74 00:05:01,120 --> 00:05:04,000 Speaker 1: later write a special song in honor of the occasion, 75 00:05:04,360 --> 00:05:07,960 Speaker 1: a jaunty little number called Easter Monday on the White 76 00:05:07,960 --> 00:05:28,720 Speaker 1: House Lawn. Take a listen. As time went on, other 77 00:05:28,920 --> 00:05:32,039 Speaker 1: egg based games and activities were added to the White 78 00:05:32,040 --> 00:05:36,919 Speaker 1: House schedule, including egg picking, egg ball, and egg croquet, 79 00:05:37,080 --> 00:05:39,400 Speaker 1: though most of those fell out of fashion in the 80 00:05:39,440 --> 00:05:44,839 Speaker 1: early twentieth century. Surprisingly, one of the most famous aspects 81 00:05:44,880 --> 00:05:47,880 Speaker 1: of the event, the use of spoons in the egg race, 82 00:05:48,320 --> 00:05:52,720 Speaker 1: wasn't introduced until nineteen seventy four during the Nixon administration. 83 00:05:53,560 --> 00:05:56,800 Speaker 1: To make the egg rolling easier for younger children, Nixon 84 00:05:56,839 --> 00:05:59,600 Speaker 1: allowed them to borrow spoons from the White House kitchen 85 00:05:59,720 --> 00:06:04,680 Speaker 1: tokes their eggs along. Another beloved tradition that started during 86 00:06:04,680 --> 00:06:07,560 Speaker 1: the Nixon era was the appearance of the Easter Bunny. 87 00:06:08,279 --> 00:06:11,520 Speaker 1: The idea came from First Lady pat Nixon when on 88 00:06:11,600 --> 00:06:14,760 Speaker 1: Easter Monday nineteen sixty nine, she had one of the 89 00:06:14,800 --> 00:06:18,440 Speaker 1: White House staffers don a white jumpsuit and Peter Rabbit 90 00:06:18,560 --> 00:06:22,920 Speaker 1: mask to shake children's hands as they arrived. Since then, 91 00:06:23,200 --> 00:06:25,800 Speaker 1: the role of the Easter Bunny has continued to be 92 00:06:25,880 --> 00:06:29,039 Speaker 1: filled by White House staff members, though there is at 93 00:06:29,160 --> 00:06:34,000 Speaker 1: least one notable exception. During the Reagan administration, the part 94 00:06:34,160 --> 00:06:38,200 Speaker 1: was played by Ursula MEAs, the wife of Reagan's Attorney 95 00:06:38,279 --> 00:06:42,520 Speaker 1: General Edwin MEAs the third She enjoyed the job so 96 00:06:42,760 --> 00:06:46,280 Speaker 1: much that she kept it up for six years, earning 97 00:06:46,320 --> 00:06:51,440 Speaker 1: herself the nickname the Measter Bunny. The White House Easter 98 00:06:51,520 --> 00:06:55,719 Speaker 1: egg roll has been observed by nearly every presidential administration 99 00:06:56,040 --> 00:06:59,560 Speaker 1: since eighteen seventy eight, but there have been some years 100 00:06:59,600 --> 00:07:02,279 Speaker 1: when the event was canceled for one reason or another. 101 00:07:03,160 --> 00:07:06,600 Speaker 1: In nineteen eighteen, for instance, the egg roll was called 102 00:07:06,600 --> 00:07:10,720 Speaker 1: off due to wartime food conservation efforts. The same was 103 00:07:10,720 --> 00:07:13,960 Speaker 1: true for several years during World War II, and from 104 00:07:14,080 --> 00:07:17,600 Speaker 1: nineteen forty nine to nineteen fifty two. The Easter egg 105 00:07:17,680 --> 00:07:21,480 Speaker 1: Roll was suspended again during Truman's renovation of the White House. 106 00:07:22,480 --> 00:07:25,760 Speaker 1: Since then, the event has been held almost every year, 107 00:07:26,000 --> 00:07:29,040 Speaker 1: with the only exceptions being for bad weather and in 108 00:07:29,120 --> 00:07:32,080 Speaker 1: twenty twenty and twenty twenty one during the height of 109 00:07:32,080 --> 00:07:36,800 Speaker 1: the COVID nineteen pandemic. Thankfully, the egg rolling fund has 110 00:07:36,840 --> 00:07:40,680 Speaker 1: since resumed in recent years, including in twenty twenty four 111 00:07:40,960 --> 00:07:44,800 Speaker 1: when the American Egg Board continued its long standing sponsorship 112 00:07:45,000 --> 00:07:48,760 Speaker 1: by donating thirty thousand hand dyed eggs for the occasion. 113 00:07:49,920 --> 00:07:53,320 Speaker 1: It seems, then, no matter what obstacles stand in its way, 114 00:07:53,680 --> 00:07:57,400 Speaker 1: from health scares and world wars to inclement weather in 115 00:07:57,600 --> 00:08:04,400 Speaker 1: legislative killjoys, this bizarre our White House tradition rolls on. 116 00:08:06,600 --> 00:08:10,040 Speaker 1: I'm gabelues gay and hopefully you now know a little 117 00:08:10,040 --> 00:08:13,880 Speaker 1: more about history today than you did yesterday. If you'd 118 00:08:13,920 --> 00:08:15,800 Speaker 1: like to keep up with the show, you can follow 119 00:08:15,880 --> 00:08:20,679 Speaker 1: us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at TDI HC Show, 120 00:08:21,080 --> 00:08:23,880 Speaker 1: and if you have any comments or suggestions, feel free 121 00:08:23,920 --> 00:08:26,320 Speaker 1: to send them my way by writing to This Day 122 00:08:26,640 --> 00:08:31,320 Speaker 1: at iHeartMedia dot com. Thanks to Kasby Bias for producing 123 00:08:31,400 --> 00:08:34,040 Speaker 1: the show, and thanks to you for listening. I'll see 124 00:08:34,080 --> 00:08:50,480 Speaker 1: you back here again tomorrow for another day in History class.