Did You Know?
The Coldest Inaugural Day (March 4th)
The Coldest Inaugural Day (January 20th) | The coldest Inauguration Day (March 4th)was Grant's (1873), when the temperature was 4 degrees with a windchill of between -15 to -30 below. The coldest January 20th Inauguration was Ronald Reagan (1985) when the temperature plunged to 7 degrees and the ceremony was held indoors. |
The Longest Inaugural Speech ?
The Shortest Inauguration Speech? | William Henry Harrison's fatal speech lasted 1 hour and 40 minutes Shortest Inaugural Speech-George Washington
Mardh 4, 1793,135 words |
The Cheapest Inauguration?
The Most Expensive? | The cheapest Inauguration-probably the first in 1789 (George Washington) The most expensive Inauguration was George W Bush's (2005) at a price of $40 million. |
The Oldest First Lady?
The Youngest First Lady? | The Longest-Lived First Lady-Bess Truman
Lived 97 years, 247 days
The Oldest Living First Lady
Betty Ford (90)
The Youngest First Lady
Frances Folsom Cleveland (21)
Married June 2, 1886 |
The Snowiest Inaugural Day? (March 4th)
The Snowiest Inaugural Day? (January 20th) | The Snowiest March 4th Inaugural Day was Taft's (1909, with 10 Inches of snow The Snowiest January 20th was 1961, 8 inches (JFK) |
The Rainiest Inaugural Day? (March 4th)
The Rainiest Inaugural Day? (January 20th)? | The rainiest March 4th inaugural was apparently Benjamin Harrison (1889), when 0.86 inches of rain fell. The rainiest January 20 (1.77 inches) was 1937 (FDR) |
| The Story of the Twentieth Amendment What happened to change Inaugural Day to January 20th? | The Twentieth Amendment Ended the long Presidential and Congressional "Lame Duck" Time when defeated candidates could make legislation without fearing the wrath of the voters. |
Youngest President at Inauguration?
Oldest President at Inauguration? | The Youngest President at Inauguration was JFK (age 43)(1961) The Oldest President at Inauguration was Ronald Reagan (age 69)(1981) |
Warmest Inauguration Day (March 4th)
Warmest Inauguration Day (January 20th) | The Warmest March 4th Inauguration was Woodrow Wilson (1913) 55 degrees The Warmest January 20th Inaugural was Ronald Reagan (1981), with the temperature 55 degrees |
Smallest Inauguration Day Crowd
Largest Inauguration Day Crowd | The smallest Inauguration Day sounds like it was Wilson's 1917 Inauguration, which spirits were dampened by anticipation of war. LBJ's Inauguration had a record crowd of 1.2 million |
Presidents Sworn In On March 5th
Presidents Sworn in on January 21st | March 5th Presidents:Zachary Taylor (1849), Rutherford B Hayes (1877), Woodrow Wilson (1917) January 21st (1957) If Inaugural Day falls on a Sunday, there is a private swearing in on the day itself, with the public ceremony falling on that Monday. |
| First To Receive Oath From the Chief Justice | John Adams (1797) |
| Inauguration Fun Fact | On January 20, 1997, Clinton's Inauguration and Martin Luther King Day coincided. |
| The First Inaugural Parade | While from the beginning, the President was accompanied in a procession by troops, the first organized parade was in 1809 |
The First Televised Inauguration
The First Inauguration Transmitted Over the Internet | Harry Truman (1949) Bill Clinton, (1996) |
| The First Inaugural Ball | James Madison in 1809 had the first Inaugural Ball at Long's Hotel |
