Jacqueline Kennedy’s televised tour of the White House, February 14th, 1962
Forty-six million Americans tune into NBC and CBS to watch. This is Jackie’s moment to show off her ongoing effort to restore the White House. She has scoured storage rooms and the National Gallery, turning up paintings by Cézanne, Teddy Roosevelt’s drinking mugs, and James Monroe’s gold French flatware. Even the president’s desk is one of her finds, a gift from Queen Victoria to Rutherford B. Hayes. She has removed oddities like the water fountains that made the White House look like an office building. The program is one of the most watched shows in television history, earning Jackie a special Emmy.