The First Pumpkin at the White House: How Mamie Eisenhower Lit America’s Halloween

Explore how Mamie Eisenhower’s 1958 pumpkin‑laden State Dining Room lunch marked the first official Halloween décor at the White House, blending politics, consumer culture, and media imagery. The episode traces its ripple through subsequent administrations, the rise of commercial Halloween, and the holiday’s evolving national symbol.

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