Collection Presidential Inaugurations
In April 1789, George Washington took the oath of office in New York City. Constitutional guidelines for inaugurations are sparse, offering...
Reagan's Second Inauguration
How Long? 1 minute
Because the beginning of President Reagan’s and Vice President George H.W. Bush’s second terms, January 20, 1985, fell on a Sunday, President Reagan and Vice President Bush were sworn in for their new terms at the foot of the Grand Staircase in the Entrance Hall of the White House. The following day, intense cold caused the previously scheduled public inaugural ceremony to be moved from the West Front of the U.S. Capitol indoors to the Capitol Rotunda, while the inaugural parade was canceled. (William Howard Taft’s inaugural 76 years before had also taken place in the Capitol because of harsh weather.)
Enjoy the flickr slideshow "Inauguration, 1985."
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Presidential Inaugurations
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Collection Eleanor Roosevelt's "My Day"
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Presidential Inaugurations: A Court of Honor
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Presidential Inaugurations: Celebrate New Times
Thomas Jefferson’s 1801 inaugural, the first held in the city of Washington, bore little resemblance to modern extravaganzas. Avoiding monarchical to...
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Presidential Inaugurations: Symbolic Gestures
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Presidential Inaugurations: The Inaugural Address
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Presidential Inaugurations: Traditions & Transitions
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Presidential Inaugurations: I Do Solemnly Swear
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Franklin D. Roosevelt's Train Ferdinand Magellan
Before U.S. Air Force One there was U.S. Train Car Number One, designed for the specifications of President...
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Inaugural Balls
Three key features characterize nearly every presidential inauguration: the oath of office taken by the president at the Capitol, the...
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Abraham Lincoln's White House
On a hot summer day in August 1864, Abraham Lincoln strolled from his Second-Floor office to the lawn outside the Executive...
