National Affairs: Icebox, No Ice

As every one knows, the White House, erected in 1799, had a primitive icebox of shaggy lumber. The ice was cut from the Potomac River and stored in a deep cellar adjoining the Presidential abode. Ceremonious John Adams always needed a big supply; frugal Thomas Jefferson used little.

Meanwhile, Science spawned new wonders; Industry zoomed ahead. Along came Abraham Lincoln and an improved icebox. Then followed Grover Cleveland and Calvin Coolidge (in 1924) with "bigger and better" refrigerators in the White House. But, it is Mr. Coolidge who brings the dawn of the...

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