Inauguration 2009

On Tuesday, January 20th, we will welcome Mr. Barack Obama as our new president!
Here are some inauguration day fun facts courtesy of WordPlay:

George Washington gave the shortest inaugural address in history. It was a mere 135 words.

Abraham Lincoln was the first president to include African-Americans in his 1865 inaugural parade. It took another 52 years for women to be included, as they finally were when Woodrow Wilson had his second inaugural parade in 1917.

Ronald Reagan's 1981 inauguration fell on the warmest Inaugural Day in history, with temperatures reaching 55 degrees F in Washington D.C. He then broke another record by having his 1985 inauguration on the coldest day in inaugural history; it was 7 degrees.

In 1933 Franklin D. Roosevelt became the last president to be inaugurated in March. Like Reagan, he was a double record-breaker, because he was also the first president to be inaugurated in January.

When January 20 comes on a Sunday, the president-elect usually takes the oath of office privately and then repeats the ceremony in public the following day.That was not the case, however, with incoming president Zachary Taylor. He refused to take the oath on Inauguration Day in 1849 because it fell on a Sunday. He took the oath one day later on March 5.

Solar heat was used to heat the reviewing stand for Jimmy Carter's 1977 inaugural parade.

Bill Clinton was the first president to have his inauguration broadcast over the Internet.