Did You Know?
George Washington’s second inaugural address in 1793 is the shortest on record, a mere 135 words.
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With more than one million in attendance, Barack Obama’s first inaugural in 2009 drew the largest gathering of people to any event in the history of Washington.
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Ronald Reagan’s inaugural events recorded both the warmest (55 degrees in 1981) and coldest (7 degrees in 1985) temperatures for a swearing in ceremony.
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William McKinley’s 1897 inauguration was the first filmed inaugural event in Presidential history.
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Harry Truman’s 1949 inaugural address was the first to be shown on television, reaching an audience of millions.
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William Jefferson Clinton was the first president to broadcast an inaugural address online, in 1997.
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Barack Obama’s 2009 inauguration was the most widely streamed internet event in Presidential history.
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Franklin Delano Roosevelt used the same bible for each of his four inaugural ceremonies.
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Barack Obama is using two bibles for his 2013 swearing in ceremony, the one used by President Abraham Lincoln at his inauguration, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “traveling” bible.
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The first inaugural ball was held in 1809, in honor of James Madison (tickets cost $4 each). Presidents Wilson, Pierce, and Harding skipped that tradition entirely, while Presidents Coolidge, Hoover and Franklin D. Roosevelt celebrated with charity balls.
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William Jefferson Clinton set a record in 1997, attending 14 inaugural balls on the night of his swearing in.
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William Henry Harrison died of pneumonia in 1841, one month after giving the longest inaugural address – lasting two hours – without coat, scarf, or gloves.