Alternative White House designs revealed

And other stories from the stranger side of life

Alternative White House design
(Image credit: Housefresh/Maryland Center for History and Culture)

Rejected plans for the design of the White House have been brought to life by the Maryland Center for History and Culture and Housefresh. In 1792, George Washington held a competition to design a house for the US president. James Hoban was the winner after designing the neoclassical mansion that would soon become known as the White House. At least six designs were considered, but the runners-up were immediately forgotten until they were brought to virtual life.

Alternative White House designs

(Image credit: Housefresh)

Charles and Diana wedding cake goes for £1,850

Icing from Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s wedding cake has sold for £1,850. The generous chunk of cake’s icing and marzipan base features a detailed, sugared design of the royal coat of arms in gold, red, blue and silver. Auctioneers say most of the inquiries for it came from the UK, US and the Middle East. However, the cake, which has been kept in cling film for 40 years, might be past its best.

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Twenty students ‘watched woman give birth’

A pregnant woman was surprised when her doctor brought 20 medical students in to watch her give birth. TikTok influencer Jessica Enslow claims that in 1994 she was taken to a military hospital to give birth in front of the audience of students. “Hopefully, military hospital policies and bedside manner have improved since 1994,” she said.

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Chas Newkey-Burden has been part of The Week Digital team for more than a decade and a journalist for 25 years, starting out on the irreverent football weekly 90 Minutes, before moving to lifestyle magazines Loaded and Attitude. He was a columnist for The Big Issue and landed a world exclusive with David Beckham that became the weekly magazine’s bestselling issue. He now writes regularly for The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Independent, Metro, FourFourTwo and the i new site. He is also the author of a number of non-fiction books.