1 / 11Donald Trump will begin his second term in the White House after taking the oath of office on January 20. Here’re some interesting facts about presidential inaugurations. (Image: Reuters)
2 / 11The First Inaugural Address | George Washington presented the first Presidential inauguration address on April 30, 1780. This was the start of the inaugural address tradition. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)
3 / 11The Presidential Oath | There are 35 words in the presidential oath: I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of president of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. (Image: Reuters)
4 / 11The Vice President’s Oath | The vice president takes his oath before the president. The oath reads: I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God. (Image: Reuters)
5 / 11The Shift in Inauguration Dates | Presidential inaugurations were traditionally held on March 4 until the 20th Amendment moved the date to January 20. Franklin D Roosevelt was the first to be inaugurated on the new date in 1937. George Washington remains the only elected president inaugurated outside these months, with his first ceremony held on April 30, 1789. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)
6 / 11The First Inauguration | Originally scheduled for March, George Washington’s inauguration was postponed to April 30, 1789, because Congress had not completed counting the electoral ballots. The delay allowed Congress to finalise the count and gave Washington time to travel from his Virginia home to New York City, the US capital at the time. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)
7 / 11What Presidents Choose for Their Oaths | Though not mandated by the Constitution, many presidents opt to take their oath of office on a Bible during Inauguration Day. John Quincy Adams, the sixth US president, chose a law book containing the Constitution instead of a Bible for his oath of office. In contrast, Donald Trump, during his 2017 inauguration, use two Bibles – his personal Bible and the one used by Abraham Lincoln in 1861. He plans to use the same two Bibles for his 2025 swearing-in. (Image: Reuters)
8 / 11Inaugural Address | George Washington had the shortest inaugural address, saying just 135 words at his second inauguration in 1793. The longest inaugural address was in 1841 by William Henry Harrison, the ninth US president, who delivered 8,445 words in one hour and 45 minutes. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)
9 / 11The Last Inaugural Top Hat | Top hats were part of formal wear for US presidential inaugurations for many years. Dwight Eisenhower broke the trend with the less formal homburg hat. John F Kennedy briefly revived the tradition by wearing a top hat to his inauguration. He removed it during his oath and address. JFK was the last president to don a top hat on Inauguration Day. (Image: Shutterstock)
10 / 11Who Holds the Bible | Lyndon B Johnson was the first US president to ask his wife, Lady Bird Johnson, to hold the Bible during his oath of office. Before his presidency, this role was typically carried out by the executive secretary of the Joint Congressional Inaugural Committee. Johnson set a new precedent, one that every president has followed ever since. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)
11 / 11The Tradition of Inauguration Parades | Jimmy Carter, the 39th president of the United States, became the first president to walk from the Capitol to the White House in the post-ceremony parade, beginning a tradition of inaugural parades. (Image: Jimmy Carter Presidential Library/X)
