White House Correspondents' Dinner Countdown

Washington's biggest night out

Hosted by the White House Correspondents' Association since 1921, the dinner raises money for journalism scholarships and honors reporting on the presidency. Its guest list famously mixes anchors, A-listers and administration officials.

The roast tradition

A headline comedian traditionally roasts the sitting president, and presidents often give a comedy set of their own. Some years skip the comedian, which only makes the booking bigger news.

The night Helen Thomas opened the door

For its first four decades the dinner was men-only, even though women belonged to the correspondents' association — the very first dinner, in 1921, seated just 50 men at Washington's Arlington Hotel. UPI reporter Helen Thomas changed that in 1962 by taking her case straight to President Kennedy, who told the association he would not attend unless women could. The ban fell that year, and Thomas went on to become the WHCA's first female president in 1975.

Watching nerd prom from your couch

You can't buy your way in — tables go to WHCA member news organizations, which invite their own guests — but the whole evening airs free on C-SPAN and streams at c-span.org. Coverage typically starts with red-carpet arrivals in the early evening, with the dinner program, awards and any comedy set following around 8 p.m. Eastern from the Washington Hilton ballroom. The best jokes circulate online within minutes, but the full unedited program is C-SPAN's alone.

Quick facts

• Held the last Saturday of April in Washington, D.C.
• Hosted by the White House Correspondents' Association since 1921
• Raises money for journalism scholarships
• Nicknamed 'nerd prom'
• The first dinner in 1921 drew just 50 guests to Washington's Arlington Hotel
• Calvin Coolidge became the first president to attend, in 1924