Two sleeps or 72 hours until Monday, January 20, 2025, and the second inauguration of President Donald J. Trump. Trump is the only president who has run two unprecedented campaigns, and there will no doubt be even more unprecedented moments during this inauguration. Trump is only the second president to serve for non-consecutive terms, the first being Grover Cleveland in 1892, 132 years ago. Trump is only the second Republican president in 20 years to win the electoral college vote and the national popular vote, the first being George W. Bush in 2004.
Inauguration day used to be held on March 4, which allowed time for vote counting and for travel to Washington, D.C. As the nation moved from horses, to horse-and-buggy, to railroad, to automobile and air travel, voting kept up with the speed of the times. In 1933, the 20th Amendment was ratified, changing the date of the presidential inauguration to January 20, and so it remains 92 years later. Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the first president to be inaugurated on January 20, 1937, for his second term in office.
Compliments of the United States National Archives and other historical sources, here are other fun facts from 249 years of inaugural history.
Inclement Weather
The ceremony happens on the East Coast in winter, so most of the inaugurations have seen their share of inclement weather. Much hay is being made of Trump moving his swearing–in and other ceremonial acts indoors to the Capitol Rotunda, due to forecasted subzero temperatures.
🎥Behind The Scenes—Rotunda Inauguration Preparations are Underway!
It was last done here in the Rotunda back in 1985 for President Reagan—and now his statue will be overlooking President Trump’s Inauguration.
Thank you for sending me here to witness history! pic.twitter.com/KL287e5zoY
— Rep. Mark Alford (@RepMarkAlford) January 18, 2025
As Rep. Mark Alford (R-MO) said in his post, for President Ronald Reagan’s second term, he used the Capitol Rotunda for the January 20, 1985, swearing-in.
President James Monroe was the first president to hold his March 5, 1817, inauguration ceremony outside. This was his first inauguration, and he set the precedent.
President James Monroe’s March 4, 1821, inauguration fell on a Sunday, so he consulted with the Supreme Court, and they agreed to allow him to move the ceremony to the next day, on March 5, 1821. It must be something about second terms and terrible weather, because Monroe’s second swearing-in was greeted by snowstorms. The ceremony was moved to the House chamber of the U.S. Capitol for that reason.
The March 4, 1841, inauguration of William Henry Harrison was overcast, with rain and blustery wind, but was still held outside. This may have been a fatal mistake. More on that below.
Peaceful Transfer of Power
At our country’s founding, the U.S. national capital had a number of locations before the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., was completed. March 4,1801 was the first inauguration to be held in Washington, D.C. This date also marked the first “peaceful transfer of power,” transitioning from a president of one political party to another. Though not official factions at that time, John Adams fell under the “Federalist” banner, and Thomas Jefferson fell under the “Democrat-Republican” banner. Reportedly, Adams left the White House under cover of night, and did not attend the inauguration ceremony for Jefferson. Then 152 years later, President Donald Trump flew away the morning of January 20, 2021, on his own private plane and did not attend the inauguration of Joe Biden.
The Inauguration of… Inaugurations!
Supreme Court justices didn’t become a thing until the Constitution was ratified in 1789, as well as the passage of the Judiciary Act that same year. So, President George Washington was sworn in by New York Chancellor Robert R. Livingston on April 30, 1789, in New York. By Washington’s second inauguration on March 4, 1793, the Supreme Court justices were assembled and in place, so Washington was sworn in by Supreme Court Justice William Cushing in the Senate chambers in Philadelphia, PA (the current U.S. capital at that time).
That Bible, Though
Washington set the precedent of taking the oath of office on a Bible. Article II, Section 1 of the Constitution only dictates that the oath be taken—it does not dictate in what manner it should be done. According to the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, Washington took his first oath of office with his hand on “The Holy Bible from St. John’s Masonic Lodge, No. 1.” There was some reason for hurry, so the Bible was opened to a random passage: Genesis 49:13, which was the blessing that Jacob gave to his son Zebulun.
The majority of presidents have chosen to take their oath in the same manner as Washington. Some on a closed Bible, some with the Bible opened to a significant passage. The particular Bible is also noteworthy. Warren G. Harding, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Jimmy Carter, and George HW Bush used Washington’s Bible. George W. Bush wanted to use it for his swearing-in, but due to the fragility of the Bible and the fact that it was scheduled to rain, he used a family Bible instead. In addition to the Washington Bible, Eisenhower used his personal “West Point” Bible.
Both Barack Obama and Donald Trump used Abraham Lincoln’s Bible for their 2009, 2013, and 2017 swearing-in ceremonies. In 2013, Obama also used a Bible owned by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Trump also used a Bible given to him by his mother in 1955, days before his ninth birthday. Trump plans to use the Lincoln Bible and the gifted Bible from his mother on Monday.
John F. Kennedy used the Fitzgerald Family Bible for his swearing-in on January 20, 1961. Franklin D. Roosevelt used the Roosevelt Family Bible, not only for his four presidential inaugurations, but also for his swearing-in ceremonies for his two terms as New York governor. Each time, it was opened to a different passage.
On March 4, 1825, John Quincy Adams chose to place his hand on a book of law while taking the oath of office. Bibles were not used in the November 14, 1901, swearing-in of Theodore Roosevelt, or the November 22, 1961, swearing-in of Lyndon B. Johnson for obvious reasons.
The most unusual inauguration in US history took place exactly 128 minutes after JFK took his last breath.
Aboard Air Force One, with Jackie Kennedy by his side, her Chanel suit flecked with spots of her husband’s blood, Lyndon Johnson guaranteed succession and became president pic.twitter.com/p7VW8EmYjv
— Simon Tierney (@tierneysimon) January 17, 2025
The Shortest Inaugural Address
Among his other stellar leadership traits, Washington understood that brevity is the soul of wit. On March 4, 1793, Washington’s first inaugural address was only 135 words. That would never happen today.
The Longest Inaugural Address
On March 4, 1841, in the freezing rain and blustery wind, and without a coat or hat, William Henry Harrison gave the longest inaugural address in history at 8,445 words.
There is no bad inauguration attire, just bad inauguration weather.
– William Henry Harrison pic.twitter.com/oqB9PwZfEz
— History-Actual (@T00ManyCommies) January 17, 2025
Sadly, it was the first and last inauguration speech William Henry Harrison would make.
Presidential Inauguration History!
1841 William Henry Harrison delivered the longest inauguration speech in history at two hours long. Although the weather was cold and wet, he refused to wear a coat or hat.
He died from pneumonia 32 days later. He had the shortest term in U.S.… pic.twitter.com/kcVjaYa78m
— Pittsburgh Girl (@AdvocatewriterP) January 17, 2025
The Inaugural Parade
The first inaugural parade in 1789 was probably the longest, and was incidental. It was simply George Washington on horseback, making his way from Mount Vernon, Virginia, to the then-capital of New York City, as people greeted and lauded him along the way.
Throngs of enthusiastic crowds cheered Washington along the many miles of his journey and treated him like royalty, crowning him with laurel wreaths, hosting banquets in his honor, and saluting him with cannon fire. Loyal members of local militias joined Washington’s procession to New York in increasing numbers as if they were following an irresistible piper. Members of the Continental Army, legislators, political leaders, and ordinary American citizens who were gathered in New York for the inauguration on April 30, 1789, also joined Washington’s “parade” as he left in a carriage from the home of Governor George Clinton, where he had stayed, to the steps of Federal Hall for the ceremony. The admiring crowds swarmed Washington a third time after he finished his inaugural address and accompanied him as he walked to a prayer service at St. Paul’s Chapel. In subsequent years impromptu parades of supporters also escorted John Adams and Thomas Jefferson to their inaugurations.
Jefferson’s parades were also informal, and he preferred them to be less lengthy and more subdued.
The Inaugural Parade is a tradition dating back to the earliest presidents, with arguably the first occurring in 1801 when a company of Virginia militia escorted President-elect Thomas Jefferson to the Capitol Building to take the Oath of Office. But one of the longest parades… pic.twitter.com/cGpSXUNagK
— White House History (@WhiteHouseHstry) January 14, 2025
Although Thomas Jefferson was the first president to be inaugurated in the new capital of Washington, D.C., he preferred a more subdued atmosphere for his ceremony than the pageantry and splendor of Washington’s inauguration. He therefore chose to walk with a few friends from his hotel to the Capitol. After swearing the oath and delivering his inaugural address, Jefferson walked back to his hotel and ate dinner. Following his second inaugural ceremony in 1805, Jefferson rode from the Capitol to the White House on horseback and was accompanied by several hundred well wishers that included mechanics from the nearby navy yard, Congressmen, and diplomats. The Marine Band also joined the parade and played patriotic music as they marched.
The first formally organized inaugural parade began in 1809, at the inauguration of James Madison.
An official parade that included a cavalry unit from Georgetown was organized to escort Madison to the Capitol. The officially planned inaugural parades continued to precede the inaugural ceremony until 1873. In the waning years of the nineteenth century, however, the inaugural parade had transformed into a much grander and more time-consuming event involving thousands of participants. So it was decided that the parade would no longer precede the inaugural ceremony, but follow it as a grand-scale public celebration.
Due to the weather, Trump’s inaugural parade on Monday will be held inside, at the Capital One Arena.
Recording the Moment
Photography and the advent of television has allowed us to capture these moments in time of our nation, for generations to come. According to Architect of the Capitol, the inauguration of James Buchanan on March 4, 1857, was the first inaugural to be photographed.
The first Inauguration to be photographed is believed to be that of President James Buchanan, which was held March 4, 1857. Buchanan was the 15th president, holding the office from 1857-1861. pic.twitter.com/P60I1yyk0K
— Blue State Refugee (@BSRefugee) January 18, 2025
On January 20, 1949, Harry S Truman was sworn in for his second term as president, and it was the first to be televised to the known world.
In 1949, Harry S. Truman’s second inauguration was the first-ever televised inaugural ceremony, bringing the event into living rooms across America. 📺 pic.twitter.com/vvkPQhyI3n
— The Partnership (@publicservice) January 15, 2025
Presidential Transportation
Definitely, (but not finally), some noteworthy ways that presidents made their way to take the oath. Abraham Lincoln was the first to take the railroad from Springfield, Illinois, to Washington, D.C., for his swearing in on March 4, 1861. Warren G. Harding was the first president to roll up to his March 4, 1921 inauguration behind the wheel of an automobile.
Look for Part 2 of this series on Sunday, readers. Until then…
