A brief history of inaugurations

With the 58th presidential inauguration a few days away, here’s a quick look at the history of presidential inaugurations.

The first inauguration took place not in Washington, D.C., but in New York City, the first capital of the United States. George Washington was sworn in on April 20, 1789. For Washington’s second term he was sworn in in Philadelphia.

[Quiz: Test your Inauguration Day knowledge]

The first inauguration in Washington, D.C., was on March 4, 1801, with the swearing in of President Thomas Jefferson.

Have you noticed that none of the inaugurations were in January? That’s because until the 1900s, a president’s term started on March 4. With the ratification of the 20th Amendment of the Constitution in 1933, new presidential terms were pushed up to Jan. 20.

 The first president to be sworn in on Jan. 20 was Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1937.

For the swearing in of Donald Trump as the 45th president of the United States, inaugural events are as follows:

• Morning worship service
• Processional to the Capitol
• Vice president’s swearing-in ceremony
• President’s swearing-in ceremony
• Inaugural address
• Departure of the outgoing president
• Inaugural luncheon
• Inaugural parade
• Evening inaugural balls

The swearing-in ceremonies will be held on the west front of the Capitol and National Mall. The first event will kick off at about 8 a.m., with the inaugural parade scheduled to wrap up around 4 p.m.

News 6 will have full coverage of Trump’s inauguration starting at 7 a.m. with the "CBS Morning News."


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