{"id":9872,"date":"2013-01-21T07:59:04","date_gmt":"2013-01-21T15:59:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/?p=9872"},"modified":"2013-01-21T07:59:04","modified_gmt":"2013-01-21T15:59:04","slug":"inaugurations-fun-facts-firsts-some-trivia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/2013\/01\/21\/inaugurations-fun-facts-firsts-some-trivia\/","title":{"rendered":"Inaugurations: Fun Facts, Firsts & Some Trivia"},"content":{"rendered":"

A rose by any other name would still smell as sweet, but an article by any other Nameless would not be as good.  Please join me in thanking Nameless for an excellent effort.<\/font><\/p>\n

Beginning with the first Inauguration of George Washington on April 30, 1789, Inaugurals have been marked by many firsts and more than a few fun records.  So let\u2019s recount some of the Inaugural highlights beginning with its first photograph.<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/font><\/p>\n

\"21Nameless\"<\/em><\/strong><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

This is a photo of Buchanan’s Inauguration in 1857, the first such photo on record.<\/em><\/strong><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

Note that the Capitol was still under construction.  Not only were the steps not finished, but the stones to be used for them were covered with boards to serve as a platform for the viewers.<\/em><\/strong><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

Shortest Inaugural Speech<\/strong><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

March 4, 1793<\/em><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

At just 135 words, George Washington’s second inaugural address was the shortest in history.<\/font><\/p>\n

Franklin Delano Roosevelt delivered the second shortest speech at 557 words during the 1945 ceremony.<\/font><\/p>\n

First Inauguration Held in Washington, D.C.<\/strong><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

March 4, 1801<\/em><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

Thomas Jefferson was the first president to be inaugurated in Washington, D.C.<\/font><\/p>\n

The Marine Band first performed at an inauguration when they played at Thomas Jefferson’s inaugural ceremony, as they have at every inauguration since<\/font><\/p>\n

First Inaugural Ball<\/strong><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

March 5, 1809<\/em><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

The first Inaugural Ball was held the evening after the swearing-in ceremony (March 4, 1809).  It took place at Long’s Hotel and tickets cost $4 each, which would be about $65 today<\/a><\/font>.<\/font><\/p>\n

First Inauguration Held Outdoors \u2026 Because Congress Argued About What Chairs to Use<\/strong><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

March 4, 1817<\/em><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

James Monroe was the first to deliver his inaugural address outdoors in 1817, but only thanks to a feud between the Senate and House of Representatives.  Politicians were fighting over which chairs would be used for the ceremony, so Monroe moved it outdoors \u2013 and they all stood.<\/font><\/p>\n

First President to Wear Pants to His Inauguration<\/strong><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

March 4, 1825<\/em><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

John Quincy Adams in 1825 was the first U.S. president to wear pants to an inauguration.  Before that, they all wore \u201cknee breeches.\u201d<\/font><\/p>\n

First to Be Sworn In on the East Portico Steps of the Capitol<\/strong><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

March 4, 1829<\/em><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

Andrew Jackson was the first president to be sworn in on the east front portico of the U.S. Capitol.<\/font><\/p>\n

\u2026 AND<\/font><\/p>\n

First to Be Sworn In on the West Portico Steps of the Capitol<\/strong><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

Jan. 20, 1981<\/em><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

The inauguration ceremonies were moved to a platform on the west portico \u2013 the \u201cback door\u201d of the Capitol \u2013 for the first time with President Ronald W. Reagan.  But the west steps adjoin the Mall, with the Lincoln Memorial anchoring the far left end, so it provided space for crowds.<\/font><\/p>\n

First President NOT Born a British Subject … AND First Time a President & President-Elect Rode to Capitol Together<\/strong><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

March 4, 1837<\/em><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

Martin Van Buren was the first president who was not born a British subject. His inauguration was also the first time the president and the president-elect rode together to the Capitol for the ceremony.<\/font><\/p>\n

First to Become President on Death of Predecessor<\/strong><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

April 6, 1841<\/em><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

John Tyler was the first vice president to ascend to the presidency upon the death of his predecessor, William H. Harrison.<\/font><\/p>\n

First Inaugurations Covered by Telegraph<\/strong><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

March 4, 1845<\/em><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

James K. Polk’s inauguration was the first covered by telegraph.<\/font><\/p>\n

First and Only President to Recite His Inaugural Address Entirely from Memory<\/strong><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

March 4, 1853<\/em><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

Franklin Pierce was the first President to recite his Inaugural speech entirely from memory.  He also affirmed the oath of office rather than swear it.  Herbert Hoover was the only other President who also chose to \u201caffirm\u201d rather than swear the Oath of Office.<\/font><\/p>\n

First Inauguration That Was Photographed<\/strong><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

March 4, 1857<\/em><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

James Buchanan’s inauguration is the first ever to be photographed. The ceremony took place at the Capitol, which was still under construction in 1857.<\/font><\/p>\n

First Time African-Americans Were Allowed to Participate in the Inauguration<\/strong><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

March 4, 1865<\/em><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

African-Americans participated in the inaugural parade for the first time during Abraham Lincoln’s second Inauguration.<\/font><\/p>\n

Coldest Inauguration in <\/font><\/span>March<\/u><\/span><\/font> \u2013 Marred by Dead Canaries, No Less<\/font><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

March 4, 1873<\/em><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

Ulysses S. Grant’s second inauguration was the coldest of those held in March. The temperature at noon was 16 degrees. About 100 canaries that were brought in to enliven the festivities with song instead froze to death.<\/font><\/p>\n

First to Be Filmed<\/strong><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

March 4, 1897<\/em><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

William McKinley’s inauguration was the first to be recorded by a motion picture camera.<\/font><\/p>\n

First Time Women Were Allowed to Participate in the Parade<\/strong><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

March 5, 1917<\/em><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

Woodrow Wilson was the first to permit women to participate in the Inaugural parade.  And he was also the first president to take the Oath of Office on a Sunday \u2013 the day before (March 4, 1917).<\/font><\/p>\n

First President to Ride in a Car to His Inauguration \u2026 AND Be Sworn in by a Former President<\/strong><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

March 4, 1921<\/em><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

Warren G. Harding became the first president to ride to and from the inauguration ceremony in an automobile.<\/font><\/p>\n

\u2026 AND it was the first and only time a former President, William H. Taft, administered the oath of office.  Taft had been appointed the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.<\/font><\/p>\n

First to Be Broadcast on Radio<\/strong><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

March 4, 1925<\/em><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

President Calvin Coolidge’s inauguration was the first to be nationally broadcast on radio.<\/font><\/p>\n

First to Be Filmed as a \u201cTalkie\u201d<\/strong><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

March 4, 1929  <\/em><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

Herbert C. Hoover was the first Inaugural ceremony recorded by talking newsreel.<\/font><\/p>\n

The Oldest Bible Used Is the Only Bible That\u2019s Written in a Foreign Language (Dutch)<\/strong><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

March 4, 1933<\/em><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

FDR used the same Bible for all four of his Presidential Inaugurations.  It is the oldest Inaugural Bible ever used, printed in 1686; and it\u2019s the only one in a foreign language \u2013 it\u2019s in Dutch.<\/font><\/p>\n

First to Take the Oath on January 20th<\/strong><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

January 20, 1937<\/em><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

Franklin D. Roosevelt became the first to take the oath of office on Jan. 20.  The date had been moved from March by the Constitution\u2019s Twentieth Amendment to shorten the lame duck period between the election and the inauguration.<\/font><\/p>\n

First to Be Televised<\/strong><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

January 20, 1949<\/em><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

President Harry S. Truman’s 1949 inauguration was the first to be televised.<\/font><\/p>\n

Longest Inaugural Parade<\/strong><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

January 20, 1953<\/em><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

President Dwight Eisenhower presided over the longest inaugural parade on record at his first inauguration in 1953. The procession lasted a bruising four hours and 39 minutes.<\/font><\/p>\n

First to Have a Poet<\/strong><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

January 20, 1961<\/em><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

Robert Frost became the first inaugural poet when he recited at President John F. Kennedy’s inauguration in 1961.<\/font><\/p>\n

First to Have Oath Administered by a Woman \u2013 As Well As First and Only Time to Take Place on a Plane<\/strong><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

Nov. 22, 1963<\/em><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

Lyndon Baines Johnson’s hasty swearing-in was the first (and only) time the ceremony has occurred on an airplane. Johnson’s swearing-in also marked the first time a woman administered the oath of office. Johnson took the oath of office on Nov. 22, 1963, hours after President John F. Kennedy’s assassination in Dallas. U.S. District Court Judge Sarah T. Hughes administered the oath to Johnson on Air Force One.<\/font><\/p>\n

First to Ride in Bulletproof Limousine<\/strong><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

January 20, 1965<\/em><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

Lyndon Baines Johnson became the first president to ride in a bulletproof limousine.<\/font><\/p>\n

\u2026 AND<\/font><\/p>\n

First to Have the First Lady Participate in the Ceremony<\/strong><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

Lady Bird Johnson became the first presidential wife to participate in inaugural ceremonies when she held a family Bible for her husband, LBJ<\/font><\/p>\n

First to Serve as Both Vice-President and President Without Being Elected to Either Office<\/strong><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

August 9, 1974<\/em><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

Gerald R. Ford became the first unelected vice president to become the first unelected president when he succeeded Richard M. Nixon.  <\/font><\/p>\n

By the terms of the 25th Amendment, Ford was appointed as the Vice-President when Spiro Agnew resigned in disgrace.  And Ford became President when Nixon resigned in disgrace \u2013 Nixon was the first president in U.S. history to resign.<\/font><\/p>\n

First to Walk the Parade Route Rather than Ride<\/strong><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

January 20, 1977<\/em><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

President Jimmy Carter became the first president to walk the parade route from the Capitol to the White House.<\/font><\/p>\n

Ronald Reagan Had Both the Warmest AND Coldest Inaugurations<\/strong><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

January 20, 1981 and January 21, 1985<\/em><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

In 1981, Ronald Reagan enjoyed the warmest presidential Inauguration day on record with a toasty 55 degrees. Mother Nature got back at him for his second go-around when he was sworn in during 1985.  That was the coldest day on record for an Inauguration, with a high temperature of 7 degrees.  In fact, it caused the ceremony to be moved inside to the Capitol\u2019s Rotunda.<\/font><\/p>\n

First to Be Streamed on the Internet<\/strong><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

January 20, 1997  <\/em><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

William J. Clinton\u2019s Inaugural ceremony was the first to be broadcast live on the Internet.<\/font><\/p>\n

Probably More Records and \u201cFirsts\u201d Than Any Other President<\/strong><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

January 20, 2009 and January 20-21, 2013<\/em><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

First African-American to be elected to the office of President of the United States<\/font><\/p>\n

Largest attendance of any Presidential Inauguration in U.S. history<\/font><\/p>\n

Largest attendance of any event in the history of Washington, DC \u2013 and possibly America<\/font><\/p>\n

First woman, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, to emcee the ceremony<\/font><\/p>\n

First inaugural webcast to include Closed Captioning for the hearing impaired<\/font><\/p>\n

Only the second \u2013 and probably last \u2013 President to have taken the Oath of Office four times<\/font><\/p>\n

With today\u2019s ceremony, Pres. Obama will share a unique bond with Franklin Delano Roosevelt \u2013 they will be the only two Presidents who have taken the official Oath of Office four times.<\/font><\/p>\n

As you recall, because Chief Justice flubbed the Oath\u2019s administration four years ago it was repeated the following day.  And this year because the 20th fell on a Sunday \u2013 and because the 20th Amendment requires the Oath be given on January 20 \u2013 Obama will have taken the Oath both the mandatory day and today, the 21st.<\/font><\/p>\n

To be sure, there are even more interesting Trivia Tidbits you can find in the many References for the above.<\/font><\/p>\n

RESOURCES<\/font><\/u><\/span>:<\/font><\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

If you want to see how well you remember, this one is formatted as a Quiz:<\/em><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.cfnews13.com\/…<\/a><\/font><\/p>\n

This one is probably the best:<\/em><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.inaugural.senate.gov\/…<\/a><\/font><\/p>\n

This one is formatted as a Slideshow:<\/em><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/…<\/a><\/font><\/font>  <\/font><\/p>\n

http:\/\/memory.loc.gov\/…<\/a><\/font><\/p>\n

This one is formatted in PDF – so you can save a copy:<\/em><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/…<\/a><\/font><\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/…<\/a><\/font><\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.infoplease.com\/…<\/a><\/font><\/p>\n

This one is also a Slideshow:<\/em><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/…<\/a><\/font><\/p>\n

<\/font><\/p>\n

Originally posted at Daily Kos<\/a>.<\/font><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A rose by any other name would still smell as sweet, but an article by any other Nameless would not be as good.  Please join me in thanking Nameless for an excellent effort. Beginning with the first Inauguration of George Washington on April 30, 1789, Inaugurals have been marked by many firsts and more than […]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[141,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9872","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-plus","category-politics","category-141-id","category-5-id","post-seq-1","post-parity-odd","meta-position-corners","fix"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9872","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9872"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9872\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9872"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9872"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9872"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}