White House Correspondents' Dinner

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The White House Correspondents' Dinner is an annual dinner organized by the White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA). It began in 1921, and is traditionally attended by the president and vice president. Every president has attended at least one WHCA dinner, beginning with Calvin Coolidge in 1924. The dinner is traditionally held on the evening of the last Saturday in April at the Washington Hilton. Prior to World War II, the annual dinner featured singing between courses, a homemade movie, and an hour-long, post-dinner show with big-name performers. Since 1983, the featured speaker has usually been a comedian, with the dinner taking on the form of a comedy roast of the president and his administration. The dinner also funds scholarships for gifted students in college journalism programs. Many annual dinners have been canceled or downsized due to deaths or political crises. The dinner was canceled in 1930 due to the death of former president William Howard Taft; in 1942, following...

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