Andrew Jackson’s Cheese Party (1835)
Colonel Thomas Meechum of New York had an unusual gift for President Andrew Jackson in 1935. He arrived at the White House to present Jackson with a 1,400 pound (635 kg) wheel of cheese. Instead of dividing it and distributing it to the public, he let the cheese age for a year at the White House.
After a year, he placed an ad in the newspaper, invited the public to come to the White House and help him eat the cheese. He had not learned from his last attempt to open the White House to the public in 1829. 10,000 guests arrived for their slice of cheese. It took two hours for everyone to get their cheese, which could be smelled half a mile away from the White House, and stunk the place up for weeks.
