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77-636: Immediately outside the Oval Office , Oval Office Operations staff manage the President's personal schedule, private engagements and immediate access to meet with the President of the United States . Though it varies from administration to administration—and within each term—Oval Office Operations typically consists of a Director of Oval Office Operations, a Personal Secretary to
154-685: A Christian context is traced back to the Biblical Magi who gave gifts to the Christ Child . In Tudor England , 1 January (as the Feast of the Circumcision, not New Year's Day), along with Christmas Day and Twelfth Night , was celebrated as one of three main festivities among the twelve days of Christmastide . Most nations of Europe and their colonies officially adopted 1 January as New Year's Day somewhat before they adopted
231-546: A Dream" speech . President Donald Trump hung mostly portraits on the office walls: Rembrandt Peale's George Washington , George H. Story's Abraham Lincoln , Asher B. Durand's Andrew Jackson , George P. A. Healy's Thomas Jefferson , John Trumbull's Alexander Hamilton , Joseph-Siffred Duplessis's Benjamin Franklin . He later substituted in other portraits: Rembrandt Peale's Thomas Jefferson and Ralph E. W. Earl's Andrew Jackson . President Joe Biden's Oval Office features
308-436: A cluster of five portraits at its north end, with Frank O. Salisbury's Franklin D. Roosevelt given pride of place over the mantel. A tradition evolved in the latter part of the twentieth century of each new administration redecorating the office to the president's liking. A new administration usually selects an oval carpet , new drapery , the paintings on the walls, and some furniture. Most incoming presidents continue using
385-677: A complete refit, repaint, and restock paid for by the United States Government. It was returned to England in 1856 and decommissioned in 1879. The same year the British Admiralty launched a competition to design a piece of furniture made from the timbers of the Resolute which Queen Victoria could gift to the American president. Following a design competition, Queen Victoria ordered that three desks be made from
462-469: A convention established by NASA , the Martian year begins on its Northward equinox , the spring equinox of its northern hemisphere. Its most recent New Year's Day (of MY 37) coincided with 26 December 2022 on Earth's Gregorian calendar. New Year's Day of MY 38 will coincide with 12 November 2024. The first of January represents the fresh start of a new year after a period of remembrance of
539-512: A front room and passing through an unfolding door, made their salutations to the President, and turning off, stood on one side. President John Adams occupied the Philadelphia mansion from March 1797, and used the bow window in the same manner as had his predecessor. Curved foundations of Washington's bow window were uncovered during archaeological excavation of the site of the President's House in 2007. They are exhibited under glass at
616-541: A partial basement for staff offices. He restored the Oval Office, upgrading the quality of trim and installing air conditioning. He also replaced the furniture, which had undergone no major changes in twenty years. Dissatisfied with the size and layout of the West Wing, President Franklin D. Roosevelt engaged New York architect Eric Gugler to redesign it in 1933. To create additional staff space without increasing
693-555: A permanent building, doubling its size by expanding it southward, and building the first Oval Office. Designed by Nathan C. Wyeth and completed in 1909, the office was centered on the building's south facade, much as the oval rooms in the White House are. Taft wanted to be more involved with the day-to-day operation of his presidency, and intended the office to be the hub of his administration. The Taft Oval Office had ample natural light from its three windows and skylight. It featured
770-459: A series of electrified wall sconces have come and gone. Though some presidents have chosen to do day-to-day work in a smaller study just west of the Oval Office, most use the actual Oval Office for work and meetings. Traffic from the large numbers of staff, visitors, and pets over time takes its toll. There have been four sets of flooring in the Oval Office. The original floor was made of cork installed over softwood; however, President Eisenhower
847-449: A temporary structure, for use until a permanent building was erected there or elsewhere. Sitting the building west of the White House allowed the removal of a vast, dilapidated set of pre– Civil War greenhouses, which had been erected by President James Buchanan . Roosevelt moved the offices of the executive branch into the newly constructed wing in 1902. His workspace was a two-room suite of Executive Office and Cabinet Room, occupying
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#1732794174973924-425: A white marble mantel, simple Georgian Revival woodwork, and twin glass-doored bookcases. It also was likely the most colorful presidential office in history; its walls were covered with vibrant seagrass green burlap. On December 24, 1929, during the first year of President Herbert Hoover 's administration, a fire severely damaged the West Wing. Hoover used this as an opportunity to create additional space, excavating
1001-596: The 1976 Bicentennial . Most of these works remained in place through the administrations of Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan. President George H. W. Bush hung landscape paintings on the walls, along with three portraits: Rembrandt Peale's George Washington , Charles Willson Peale's Benjamin Henry Latrobe , and Thomas Sully's Andrew Jackson . President Bill Clinton chose the Childe Hassam and Norman Rockwell paintings mentioned above, along with Waiting for
1078-836: The Baby New Year (or the "New Year"), an infant wearing a sash with the new year printed on it. Babies born on New Year's Day are commonly called New Year babies . Hospitals, such as the Dyersburg Regional Medical Center in the US, give out prizes to the first baby born in that hospital in the new year. These prizes are often donated by local businesses. Prizes may include various baby-related items such as baby formula , baby blankets , diapers , and gift certificates to stores which specialise in baby-related merchandise. On New Year's Day in Antarctica ,
1155-654: The Byzantine year, which used the Julian calendar, to begin on 1 September; this date is still used in the Eastern Orthodox Church for the beginning of the liturgical year. At various times and in various places throughout mediaeval Christian Europe , the new year was celebrated on 25 December in honour of the birth of Jesus ; 1 March in the old Roman style ; 25 March in honour of Lady Day (the Feast of
1232-495: The Curator of the White House . Six desks have been used in the Oval Office by U.S. presidents since its construction in 1909. The desk usually sits in front of the south wall of the Oval Office, which is composed of three large windows. Some presidents only use the desk in this room for ceremonial purposes, such as photo opportunities and press announcements, while others use it as their main workspace. The first desk used in
1309-659: The Kingdom of Great Britain and the British Empire at the time had retained 25 March as the official start of the year, although informal use of 1 January had become common. With the Calendar (New Style) Act 1750 , Britain and the Empire formally adopted 1 January as New Year's Day in 1752 and, with the same Act, also discarded the Julian calendar at the end of Wednesday, 2 September of that same year (though
1386-473: The Presidential Seal . Rather than a chandelier or ceiling fixture, the room is illuminated by light bulbs hidden within the cornice that wash the ceiling in light. In small ways, hints of Art Moderne can be seen, in the sconces flanking the windows and the representation of the eagle in the ceiling medallion. Roosevelt and Gugler worked closely together, often over breakfast, with Gugler sketching
1463-666: The Smithsonian Institution beginning in 1966. Jimmy Carter returned the Resolute desk to the Oval Office in 1977. Artworks are selected from the White House collection or may be borrowed from museums or individuals for the length of an administration. Most presidents have hung a portrait of George Washington – usually the Rembrandt Peale Porthole portrait or the Charles Willson Peale three-quarter-length portrait – over
1540-581: The kalends of January and the pontiffs employed intercalation to avoid its occurrence. The Julian calendar, proposed by Julius Caesar in 46 BC, was a reform of the Roman calendar . It took effect on 1 January 45 BC , by edict. The calendar became the predominant calendar in the Roman Empire and subsequently, most of the Western world for more than 1,600 years. The Roman calendar began
1617-597: The mantel goes back to the administration of John F. Kennedy , and the current plants were rooted from the original plant. A Federal longcase clock, made in Boston by John and Thomas Seymour c. 1795–1805 – commonly known as the Oval Office grandfather clock – was purchased by the White House Historical Association in 1972, and has stood next to the Oval Office's northeast door since 1975. President Harry S. Truman replaced
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#17327941749731694-465: The 19th century. In November 1800, John Adams became the first president to occupy the White House. He and his successor, President Thomas Jefferson , used Hoban's oval rooms as Washington had used his bow window salon, standing before the three windows at the south end to receive guests. In the 19th century, some presidents used the White House's second-floor Yellow Oval Room as their private offices and libraries. This cultural association, between
1771-796: The Annunciation , the date of the conception of Jesus); and on the movable feast of Easter . As a date in the Christian calendar, New Year's Day liturgically marked the Feast of the Naming and Circumcision of Jesus , which is still observed as such in the Anglican Church , the Lutheran Church , the Eastern Orthodox Church (Julian calendar, see below ) and in Traditional Catholicism by those who retain
1848-536: The Gregorian and Julian) begin the year regularly at or near the northern winter solstice , while cultures and religions that observe a lunisolar or lunar calendar celebrate their Lunar New Year at less fixed points relative to the solar year . In pre-Christian Rome under the Julian calendar , the day was dedicated to Janus , god of gateways and beginnings, for whom January is also named. From Roman times until
1925-556: The Gregorian calendar . France changed to 1 January from 1564, most of Germany did so from 1544, the Netherlands from 1556 or 1573 according to sect, Italy ( pre-unification ) did so on a variety of dates, Spain and Portugal from 1556, Sweden, Norway and Denmark from 1599, Scotland from 1600, and Russia from 1700 or 1725. England, Wales, Ireland, and Britain's American colonies adopted 1 January as New Year's Day from 1752. Until Tuesday, 31 December 1751 (except Scotland),
2002-600: The Hour by William T. Carlton, a genre scene depicting African-Americans gathered in anticipation of the Emancipation Proclamation going into effect on January 1, 1863. President George W. Bush mixed traditional works with paintings by Texas artists and Western sculptures. Following the September 11, 2001 attacks, British Prime Minister Tony Blair lent him a bust of Winston Churchill , who had guided
2079-550: The Julian Calendar for ecclesiastical purposes. As 1 January (Julian) equates to 14 January (Gregorian), a religious celebration of the New Year on this date may seem strange to Western eyes. In cultures and religions that traditionally or currently use calendars other than the Gregorian, New Year's Day is often also an important celebration. Some countries concurrently use Gregorian and another calendar. New Year's Day in
2156-456: The March new year continued for some time and there is no consensus on the question of the timing for 1 January's new status. Once it became the new year, however, it became a time for family gatherings and celebrations. A series of disasters, notably including the failed rebellion of M. Aemilius Lepidus in 78 BC, established a superstition against allowing Rome's market days to fall on
2233-676: The Navy Yard by George Cooke , Eastport and Passamaquoddy Bay by Victor de Grailly, and The President's House , a copy after William Henry Bartlett – have adorned the walls in multiple administrations. Passing the Outpost (1881) by Alfred Wordsworth Thompson , a Revolutionary War genre scene of a carriage stopped at a British checkpoint , hung in Gerald Ford's office, and in Jimmy Carter's and Ronald Reagan's. The Avenue in
2310-646: The Old Woman], little deer or iotticos or set tables [for the house-elf, compare Puck ] at night or exchange New Year gifts or supply superfluous drinks [another Yule custom]." However, on the date that European Christians celebrated the Feast of the Circumcision, they exchanged Christmas presents because the feast fell within the 12 days of the Christmas season in the Western Christian liturgical calendar ; The custom of exchanging Christmas gifts in
2387-596: The Oval Office began on November 21, 1963, while she and President Kennedy were away on a trip to Texas. The following day, November 22, a red carpet was installed, just as the Kennedys were making their way through Dallas, where the president was assassinated. Johnson had the red carpet removed and the Truman carpet reinstalled, and used the latter for his administration. Since Johnson, most administrations have created their own oval carpet, working with an interior designer and
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2464-602: The Oval Office was the Theodore Roosevelt desk , and the desk currently in use by Joe Biden is the Resolute desk . Of the six desks used in the Oval Office, the Resolute desk has spent the longest time there, having been used by eight presidents in the room. The Resolute has been used by all U.S. presidents since 1977 with the exception of George H. W. Bush , who used the C&;O desk for his one term, making it
2541-475: The Oval Office's 23-year-old dark green carpet in 1947. He had revised the seal of the president of the United States after World War II, and his blue-gray carpet incorporated the 1945 revised Seal , represented monochromatically through varying depths of its cut pile. The Truman carpet remained in the office through the Dwight D. Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy administrations. Jacqueline Kennedy's redecoration of
2618-740: The President , and a Personal Aide to the President (body man) . This United States government–related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Oval Office The Oval Office is the formal working space of the president of the United States . Part of the Executive Office of the President of the United States , it is in the West Wing of the White House , in Washington, D.C. The oval room has three large South Lawn -facing windows, in front of which
2695-555: The President's House Commemoration, next to the Liberty Bell Center . Architect James Hoban visited President Washington in Philadelphia in June 1792, and probably saw the bow window. The next month, Hoban won the design competition for the White House. The elliptic salon at the center of the White House was the outstanding feature of Hoban's original plan. Oval rooms became common in neoclassical architecture early in
2772-1396: The Rain by Childe Hassam and Working on the Statue of Liberty by Norman Rockwell flanked the Resolute desk in Bill Clinton's office and did the same in Barack Obama's. Avenue in the Rain currently hangs beside the Resolute desk in Joe Biden's office. Statuettes, busts, heads, and figurines are frequently displayed in the Oval Office. Abraham Lincoln has been the most common subject, in works by sculptors Augustus Saint-Gaudens , Gutzon Borglum , Adolph Alexander Weinman , Leo Cherne and others. Over time, traditional busts of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, or Benjamin Franklin have given way to heads of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman or Dwight Eisenhower. Western bronzes by Frederic Remington have been frequent choices: Lyndon Johnson displayed The Bronco Buster , as did Gerald Ford , Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump. Presidents Reagan and George H.W. Bush added its companion piece, The Rattlesnake . According to The New York Times , an estimated 43 paintings and one photograph have decorated
2849-671: The United Kingdom through World War II. President Barack Obama honored Abraham Lincoln with the portrait by Story, a bust by Augustus Saint-Gaudens, and a copy of the Emancipation Proclamation. Below the proclamation was a bust of Martin Luther King Jr. by Charles Alston , and in the nearby bookcase was displayed a program from the August 28, 1963, March on Washington , at which King gave his "I Have
2926-469: The White House. He spent most of his presidency in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania , which served as the temporary national capital for 10 years, from 1790 to 1800, while Washington, D.C. , a new city, was under construction. In 1790, Washington built a large, two-story, semi-circular addition to the rear of the President's House in Philadelphia , creating a ceremonial space in which the public would meet
3003-422: The actions are otherwise unrelated). The Act came into effect "following the last said day of December 1751". By 1750, adjustments needed to be made for an eleven-day difference between the older Julian calendar and the newer (and more accurate) Gregorian calendar. There was some religious dissent regarding feast days being moved, especially Christmas Day (see Old Christmas ), and isolated communities continued
3080-532: The alternative calendar attracts alternative celebrations of that new year: The major religions of the Middle East are Islam and Judaism : their adherents worldwide celebrate the first day of their respective new religious calendar years. The two primary sects of Islam are Sunni Islam and Shia Islam . They have different calendars though for both the epoch of the calendar is the Hijrah . According to
3157-454: The apparent size of the building, Gugler excavated a full basement, added a set of subterranean offices under the adjacent lawn, and built an unobtrusive penthouse storey. The directive to wring the most office space out of the existing building was responsible for its narrow corridors and cramped staff offices. Gugler's most visible addition was the expansion of the building eastward for a new Cabinet Room and Oval Office. The modern Oval Office
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3234-411: The bow oval rooms in the main residence of the White House. The west wing oval office was created when the wing was expanded in the early 1900s, a few years after the wing was built. Presidents generally decorate the office to suit their own personal tastes, choosing furniture and drapery and often commissioning oval carpets. Artwork is selected from the White House collection, or borrowed from museums for
3311-490: The coming year. This day is traditionally a religious feast , but since the 1900s has also become an occasion to celebrate the night of 31 December—New Year's Eve—with parties, public celebrations (often involving fireworks shows) and other traditions focused on the impending arrival of midnight and the new year. Watchnight services are also still observed by many. The celebrations and activities held worldwide on 1 January as part of New Year's Day commonly include
3388-467: The eastern third of the building. Its furniture, including the president's desk , was designed by architect Charles Follen McKim , and executed by A. H. Davenport and Company , both of Boston. Now much altered, the 1902 Executive Office survives as the Roosevelt Room, a windowless interior meeting room situated diagonally from the Oval Office. President William Howard Taft made the West Wing
3465-455: The eighth day of his life (1 January). The Roman Catholic Church celebrates on this day the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God , which is also a Holy Day of Obligation . Johann Sebastian Bach composed several church cantatas for the double occasion: (federal) = federal holidays, (abbreviation) = state/territorial holidays, (religious) = religious holidays, (cultural) = holiday related to
3542-421: The following: Music associated with New Year's Day comes in both classical and popular genres, and there is also Christmas song focus on the arrival of a new year during the Christmas and holiday season . A common image used, often as an editorial cartoon, is that of an incarnation of Father Time (or the "Old Year") wearing a sash across his chest with the previous year printed on it passing on his duties to
3619-502: The mantel and later beside his desk. He also displayed the painting Fired On by Western artist Frederic Remington. President Dwight D. Eisenhower filled the office walls with landscape paintings, as well as a portrait of Robert E. Lee . President John F. Kennedy surrounded himself with paintings of naval battles from the War of 1812 , photographs of sailboats, and ship models. President Lyndon Johnson installed sconces on either side of
3696-455: The mantel at the north end of the room. A portrait of Andrew Jackson by Thomas Sully hung in the offices of Lyndon B. Johnson, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton. A portrait of Abraham Lincoln by George Henry Story hung in George W. Bush's office, continued in Barack Obama's and currently hangs in Joe Biden's. Three landscapes and cityscapes – City of Washington from Beyond
3773-585: The mantel, and added the office's first painting by a woman artist, Franklin D. Roosevelt by Elizabeth Shoumatoff . President Richard Nixon tried three different portraits of George Washington over the mantel, and hung a copy of Earthrise – a photograph of the Earth taken from the Moon's orbit during the Apollo 8 mission – beside his desk. President Gerald Ford hung historic paintings, possibly in anticipation of
3850-424: The mantel, including Rembrandt Peale's George Washington , Charles H. Woodbury 's Woodrow Wilson , Luis Cadena 's George Washington (the gift of Ecuador ), and a copy of Tito Salas 's Equestrian Portrait of Simon Bolivar (the gift of Venezuela). A large photograph of the White House portrait of Franklin D. Roosevelt, under whom Truman had served as vice president and who died in office in 1945, hung beside
3927-421: The middle of the 18th century, the new year was celebrated at various stages and in various parts of Christian Europe on 25 December, on 1 March, on 25 March and on the movable feast of Easter . In the present day, with most countries now using the Gregorian calendar as their civil calendar , 1 January according to Gregorian calendar is among the most celebrated of public holidays in
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#17327941749734004-519: The modern Oval Office was completed in 1934. The basic Oval Office furnishings have been a desk in front of the three windows at the south end, a pair of chairs in front of the fireplace at the north end, a pair of sofas, and assorted tables and chairs. The Neoclassical mantel was made for the Taft Oval Office in 1909 and salvaged after the 1929 West Wing fire. A tradition of displaying potted Swedish ivy ( Plectranthus verticillatus ) atop
4081-536: The month of Nisan , around the time of the March equinox . The early Roman calendar designated 1 March as the first day of the year. The calendar had just 10 months, beginning with March. That the new year once began with the month of March is still reflected in some of the names of the months. September through to December, the ninth through to the twelfth months of the Gregorian calendar , were originally positioned as
4158-626: The nation from the Oval Office on occasion. Examples include Kennedy presenting news of the Cuban Missile Crisis (1962), Nixon announcing his resignation from office (1974), Ronald Reagan following the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster (1986), and George W. Bush in the wake of the September 11 attacks (2001). The White House was not ready for occupancy until 1800. George Washington never occupied
4235-477: The old reckoning to a greater or lesser extent. The years 1800 and 1900 were leap years in the Julian calendar but not in the Gregorian, so the difference increased to twelve days, then thirteen. The year 2000 was a leap year in both calendars. At various stages during the first half of the twentieth century, all countries in Eastern Christendom adopted the Gregorian calendar as their civil calendar but continued, and have continued into modern times, to use
4312-424: The passing year, including on radio, television, and in newspapers, which starts in early December in countries around the world. Publications have year-end articles that review the changes during the previous year. In some cases, publications may set their entire year's work alight in the hope that the smoke emitted from the flame brings new life to the company. There are also articles on planned or expected changes in
4389-404: The president and an oval room, was more fully expressed in the Taft Oval Office (1909) in the West Wing. The West Wing was the idea of President Theodore Roosevelt , brought about by his wife's opinion that the second floor of the White House, then shared between bedrooms and offices, should be solely a domestic space. Completed in 1902, the one-story Executive Office Building was intended to be
4466-428: The president's desk traditionally stands, and a fireplace at the north end. Two built-in bookcases are recessed in the western wall. There are four doors: the east door opens to the Rose Garden ; the west door leads to a private study and dining room; the northwest door opens onto the main corridor of the West Wing; and the northeast door opens to the office of the president's secretary. The room takes inspiration from
4543-435: The president's ideas. One notion resulting from these sketches that has become fixed in the layout of the room's furniture is that of two high back chairs in front of the fireplace. The public sees this most often with the president seated on the left and a visiting head of state on the right. This allowed Roosevelt to be seated, with his guests at the same level, de-emphasizing his inability to stand without help. Construction of
4620-488: The president's term. The Oval Office has become associated in Americans' minds with the presidency itself through memorable images, such as a young John F. Kennedy, Jr. peering through the front panel of his father's desk, President Richard Nixon speaking by telephone with the Apollo 11 astronauts during their moonwalk, and Amy Carter bringing her Siamese cat Misty Malarky Ying Yang to brighten her father President Jimmy Carter 's day. Several presidents have addressed
4697-399: The president. Standing before the three windows of this bow window , he formally received guests for his Tuesday afternoon audiences , delegations from Congress and foreign dignitaries, and the general public at open houses on New Year's Day , the Fourth of July , and his birthday. Washington received his guests, standing between the windows in his back drawing-room. The company, entering
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#17327941749734774-514: The room has remained mostly unchanged architecturally. More than any president, Roosevelt left an impression on the room and its use. Doors and window frames have been modified slightly. A screen door on the east wall was removed after the installation of air conditioning. President Lyndon B. Johnson's row of wire service Teletype machines on the southeast wall required cutting plaster and flooring to accommodate wiring. The Georgian style plaster ornament has been cleaned to remove accumulated paint, and
4851-414: The rug of their predecessor until their new one is installed. The retired carpet very often is then moved to storage. The redecoration of the Oval Office is usually coordinated by the first lady's office in the East Wing , working with an interior designer and the White House curator . Since the present Oval Office's construction in 1934 during the administration of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt
4928-400: The same pattern as the Reagan floor. In the late 1980s, a comprehensive assessment of the entire house, including the Oval Office, was made as part of the National Park Service 's Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) . Detailed photographs and measured drawings were made documenting the interior and exterior and showing even slight imperfections. A checklist of materials and methods
5005-446: The seventh through to the tenth months. ( Septem is Latin for "seven"; octo , "eight"; novem , "nine"; and decem , "ten") Roman mythology usually credits their second king Numa with the establishment of the two new months of Ianuarius and Februarius . These were first placed at the end of the year, but at some point came to be considered the first two months instead. The January kalend (Latin: Kalendae Ianuariae ),
5082-416: The shortest-serving desk to date. Other past presidents have used the Hoover desk , the Johnson desk , and the Wilson desk . The Resolute desk, the current desk in use, is built from oak timbers that were once part of the ship HMS Resolute . The British Resolute was trapped in Arctic ice in 1854 and abandoned. The ship was discovered in 1855 by an American whaling ship and later underwent
5159-487: The stake marking the geographic south pole is moved approximately 10 meters to compensate for the movement of the ice. A new marker stake is designed and made each year by staff at the site nearby. The Eastern Orthodox Church , the Anglican Church and the Lutheran Church celebrate the Feast of the Circumcision of Christ on 1 January, based on the belief that if Jesus was born on 25 December, then according to Hebrew tradition, his circumcision would have taken place on
5236-454: The start of the month of January, came to be celebrated as the new year at some point after it became the day for the inaugurating new consuls in 153 BC as a result of the rebellion in Hispania which began the second Celtiberian War . Romans had long dated their years by these consulships , rather than sequentially, and making the kalends of January start the new year aligned this dating. Still, private and religious celebrations around
5313-432: The timbers of Resolute . The one that is now known as the Resolute desk was designed by Morant, Boyd, & Blanford, built by William Evenden at Chatham Dockyard , and announced as "recently manufactured" on November 18, 1880. The desk was delivered as a gift to President Rutherford B. Hayes in 1880. President Franklin D. Roosevelt requested that a panel be installed in the kneehole during his presidency. The desk
5390-423: The usage of the General Roman Calendar of 1960 . The mainstream Roman Catholic Church celebrates on this day the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God . Among the 7th-century pagans of Flanders and the Netherlands , it was the custom to exchange gifts at the winter solstice . This custom was deplored by Saint Eligius (died 659 or 660), who warned the Flemish and Dutch: "(Do not) make visuals, [little figures of
5467-448: The walls of the Oval Office since 1961. Franklin D. Roosevelt was the first president to occupy the Modern Oval Office, and placed Rembrandt Peale's George Washington over the mantel. Assorted prints of the Hudson Valley hung on the walls. President Harry S. Truman displayed works related to his home state of Missouri , prints of biplanes and sailing ships, and models of jet airplanes. A series of paintings held pride of place over
5544-404: The world, often observed with fireworks at the stroke of midnight following New Year's Eve as the new year starts in each time zone. Other global New Year's Day traditions include making New Year's resolutions and calling one's friends and family. The ancient Babylonian calendar was lunisolar, and around the year 2000 BC began observing a spring festival and the new year during
5621-561: The year on 1 January, and this remained the start of the year after the Julian reform. However, even after local calendars were aligned to the Julian calendar, they started the new year on different dates. The Alexandrian calendar in Egypt started on 29 August (30 August after an Alexandrian leap year). Several local provincial calendars were aligned to start on the birthday of the Emperor Augustus , 23 September. The indiction caused
5698-430: Was an avid golfer and damaged the floor with his golf spikes. Johnson had the floor replaced in the mid-1960s with wood-grain linoleum . In 1982, President Ronald Reagan had the floor replaced with quarter sawn oak and walnut, in a cross parquet pattern similar in design to a 1933 Eric Gugler sketch, which had never been executed. In August 2005, the floor was replaced again under President George W. Bush , in exactly
5775-465: Was built at the West Wing's southeast corner, offering Roosevelt, who was physically disabled and used a wheelchair , more privacy and easier access to the Residence. He and Gugler devised a room architecturally grander than the previous two offices, with more robust Georgian details: doors topped with substantial pediments, bookcases set into niches, a deep bracketed cornice, and a ceiling medallion of
5852-406: Was generated for future conservation and restoration. The ratio of the major axis to the minor axis is approximately 21:17 or 1.24. Cowboy's Meditation by Harry Jackson Buffalo Skull by James L. Clark Numerous family photographs New Year%27s Day In the Gregorian calendar , New Year's Day is the first day of the calendar year , 1 January. Most solar calendars (like
5929-536: Was used in various areas of the White House until Jacqueline Kennedy had it moved to the Oval Office in 1961. Following the 1963 assassination of President Kennedy , the Resolute desk was transferred, on loan, to the Smithsonian Institution and went on tour around the country to help raise funds for the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum . After this tour, the desk was put on view at
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