Extensive measures are used to protect the White House as the official residence (Executive Residence) and office space (West Wing) of the president of the United States, and grounds. Security is primarily provided by the United States Secret Service. Despite security measures (such as a fence), there have been some people who have still managed to gain unauthorized access to the White House.
Many of the intruders were "pranksters or harmless people with mental illnesses"; however, some have entered with the intention of harming people. [1]
Until the late 19th century, the White House maintained an open door policy with the public having access to the corridors and lobbies of the building. Lobbyists for example could wait in the hallways of the building to petition the president. This became a significant problem by the time of the Lincoln administration, which saw the building regularly filled with people "on all conceivable errands, for all imaginable purposes." Some would gain access by climbing through windows. While Lincoln was, to begin with, adamant about the importance of speaking to regular people, it grew excessive and the White House began to restrict visiting hours for the public to a twice weekly slot. Lincoln had the layout of the building adjusted so he could go for meals without navigating the public hallways. [2] The general open-door policy remained until around the time of the Cleveland presidency in the 1880s, and the grounds themselves were open until the Coolidge presidency in the 1920s. [3] After the Second World War, public access to the White House grounds became increasingly restricted, with the visitor office providing scheduled tours to a limited area of the building. [4] [5]
Various barriers to prevent unwanted access to the White House have existed since the time of Thomas Jefferson, who had a wooden barrier constructed in the early 19th century. An iron fence was constructed in 1819, and portions of this early barrier still exist. During the mid-1990s, the fence was expanded by one block to move traffic farther from the White House to prevent damage from any car bomb. [6] Since the September 11 attacks, the restricted airspace above the White House has been expanded and better enforced. [7] Temporary barriers are also regularly installed during inaugurations. During the George Floyd protests and 2020 elections, a new temporary fence was installed, with concrete barriers to prevent vehicles from ramming through. The fence was 13 feet (4.0 m) tall, twice the height of the previous. [8] [3] [9]
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Note that the White House maintained a broadly open door policy until the 1880s.
Note that the grounds were usually open to the public until the 1920s.
Bungee jumping, also spelled bungy jumping, is an activity that involves a person jumping from a great height while connected to a large elastic cord. The launching pad is usually erected on a tall structure such as a building or crane, a bridge across a deep ravine, or on a natural geographic feature such as a cliff. It is also possible to jump from a type of aircraft that has the ability to hover above the ground, such as a hot-air-balloon or helicopter. The thrill comes from the free-falling and the rebound. When the person jumps, the cord stretches and the jumper flies upwards again as the cord recoils, and continues to oscillate up and down until all the kinetic energy is dissipated.
The United States Secret Service is a federal law enforcement agency under the Department of Homeland Security tasked with conducting criminal investigations and providing protection to U.S. political leaders, their families, and visiting heads of state or government. The Secret Service was, until 2003, part of the Department of the Treasury, due to their initial mandate of combating counterfeiting of U.S. currency. The agency has protected U.S. presidents and presidential candidates since 1901.
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Gerald Bryan Gainous Jr. was a resident of Washington D.C. who climbed the fence surrounding the White House four times in 1975 and 1976 during the Ford administration.
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The 1985 White House intrusion occurred on 20 January 1985 when Robert Allen Latta, a 45-year-old water meter reader, successfully entered the White House uninvited.
Chester Plummer was a taxi driver in the Washington, D.C. area of the United States who attempted to invade the White House.
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Israel Mobolaji Temitayo Odunayo Oluwafemi Owolabi Adesanya is a Nigerian-New Zealand professional mixed martial artist, former kickboxer and boxer. As a mixed martial artist, he currently competes in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a former two-time UFC Middleweight Champion. In kickboxing, he is a former Glory Middleweight Championship title challenger. As of 23 January 2024, he is #2 in the UFC middleweight rankings.
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