A swearing-in ceremony of one President of the United States, unquestionably turns the eyes and the lights of the whole planet on her. However, how much do you know about the proceedings or the facts behind it? Below you will find three fascinating truths that are worth knowing.
The president with the longest speech had the shortest term
The brevity may prove to be a virtue for US presidents, which was not the case for William Henry Harrison, who took two hours to complete the 8,445-word speech at his inauguration in 1841. A month later, the 68-year-old president died from pneumonia, perhaps due to his prolonged exposure to the cold weather of that day, without proper clothing. Instead, the presidents who gave the shortest speeches were: George Washington (135 words at his second swearing-in), Franklin Roosevelt (559 words at his fourth swearing-in) and Abraham Lincoln (701 words in his second swearing in). All in all, these three speeches were shorter than a single sentence – over 700 words – in John Adams’ opening speech.
Initially, the swearing-in date was March 4
Until 1937, both the president and vice president of the United States were sworn in on March 4, four months after Election Day. With technological advances taking less time to validly count the ballots and transfer them to Washington, the 20th Amendment, ratified in 1933, moved its day swearing in on January 20. In case January 20 falls on a Sunday, the public ceremony takes place on January 21. Franklin N. Roosevelt in 1937 was the first president to be sworn in on January 20.
The swearing-in ceremony for four presidents was like a wedding vow
The Constitution did not specify precise instructions on how judges should administer presidential oaths, so the swearing-in ceremony varies considerably over the centuries. For four of them, however, the way they accepted their duties was more like an exchange of vows. wedding! The chief judges, Edward White and Taft, took the oath themselves, questioning future presidents Woodrow Wilson, Warren Harding, Calvin Coolidge and Herbert Hoover, with the latter saying “with the latter
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