Inaugural History

There’s nothing like an inauguration to send a tingle up the spines of history lovers and patriots.

Aides to the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, the panel of House and Senate leaders overseeing President Obama’s swearing-in ceremony and the Capitol luncheon that follows, have put together a comprehensive guide to all things inaugural. It includes a wealth of fascinating facts about Monday’s inauguration and the 56 that preceded it.

For those who (unlike this correspondent) are not nerdy enough to read all 110 pages, here is a sampling:

A HALF-FINISHED DOME: The 2013 inauguration takes place as the nation is commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. The year 1863 began with the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation and ended with the placement of the Statue of Freedom atop the Capitol Dome - a dome that almost went unfinished.

By March 4, 1861, when Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated as the nation’s 16th president, a half-finished dome loomed over the city. But the attack on Fort Sumter the following month brought construction to a halt, amid debate over whether a nation at war could afford it. President Lincoln wanted it to continue.

“If people see the Capitol going on,’’ he! said, ‘’it is a sign we intend the Union shall go on.’’

THE LINCOLN BIBLE: In his ceremonial swearing in, Mr. Obama will use two bibles - a “traveling bible’’ that belonged to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and another that belonged to Lincoln. The Lincoln Bible, bound in burgundy velvet with a gold-washed white metal rim around the three edges of both outside covers, is the one Lincoln used during his first inauguration.

The chief justice, Robert Brooke Taney, then 84 years old, administered the oath; as the author of the infamous “Dred Scott’’ decision of 1857, he was no friend to the president who wanted to abolish slavery. In the back of the bible, along with the seal of the Supreme Court, is an annotation from the court clerk attesting that Taney did, in fact, administer the oath.

THE CAPITOL FLAGS: The West Front of the Capitol is festooned with giant flags to provide the backdrop as Mr. Obama takes the oath. Look closely, and you will see that three flags are represented.

The outermost flags, with a ring of stars, are the Betsy Ross flags, which appeared in the early 1790s. Next to those are the flags adopted after Mr. Obama’s home state of Illinois entered the union in 1818; they have 21 stars. The center flag is the current Stars and Stripes.

THE 21-GUN SALUTE: As commander-in-chief, Mr. Obama will be honored by the military with a 21-gun salute. In 1842, the presidential salute was formally established at 21 guns; in 1890, regulations designated the “national salute” as 21 guns, and redesignated th! e traditi! onal Independence Day Salute as equal to the number of states.

Today, the national salute of 21 guns is fired in honor of a national flag, the sovereign or chief of state of a foreign nation, a member of a reigning royal family, and the president, ex-president and president-elect of the United States.

HAIL TO THE CHIEF: This is the song that is played as the president arrives at any formal occasion - thanks to Julia Tyler, the wife of President John Tyler, who served from 1841 to 1845. Andrew Jackson was the first living president to be personally honored by “Hail to the Chief,’’ but it was Mrs. Tyler who first requesed that the song be played specifically to announce the president’s arrival on official occasions.

INAUGURATION DAY: The Constitution, as originally adopted, made no mention of a date to inaugurate the president. March 4 was codified as Inauguration Day in 1792, and was written into the Constitution with adoption of the 12th Amendment in 1804.

But the March inauguration meant an extended lame-duck session for Congress, and in 1933, the 20th Amendment established that the terms of the president and vice president end at noon on Jan. 20. Mr. Obama was officially sworn in Sunday at 11:55 a.m. in the Blue Room of the White House; Monday’s oath-taking is ceremonial.

PAST SUNDAY INAUGURATIONS: Prior to this year, Inauguration Day has fallen on a Sunday six times, most recently in 1985, for Ronald Reagan’s second inauguration. Reagan’s official ceremony, like Mr. Obama’s, was held at the White House; his public inauguration the following day was moved indoors because of freezing weather.

THE INAUGURAL LUNCHEON: George Washington dined alone after his inauguration in 1789. The first president to be honored with a Congressional luncheon was Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1953; some 50 guests gathered in the Old Senate Chamber. In 1981, the tradition began of holding the lunch in Statuary Hll.

INAUGURAL GIFTS: On behalf of Congress and the American People, the Joint Congressional Committee intends to present Mr. Obama and Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. with tall, tapering hand-cut and etched crystal vases created by Lenox.

THE LINCOLN TABLE: This table, made especially for Abraham Lincoln by B.B. French, the commissioner of public buildings, was cast from the same molds used to make the balusters and other decorative elements on the Capitol Dome. At Monday’s luncheon, it will be used to present Mr. Obama and Mr. Biden the flags that were flown above the Capitol during the swearing-in ceremony.

THE PRESIDENT’S ROOM: Just off the Senate chamber, this is one of the most ornate, beautiful - and rarely used - rooms in the Capitol! . In the ! union’s early days, departing presidents often used this room to sign last-minute legislation that had been hurriedly passed by departing Congresses.

On March 3, 1865, the day before Lincoln’s second inauguration, he was working in the President’s Room when General Ulysses S. Grant received a message from General Robert E. Lee proposing a peace conference. And President Lyndon Johnson chose the President’s Room as the site for his signing of the historic a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/subjects/v/voting_rights_act_1965/index.htmlinline=nyt-classifier" class="tickerized" title="More articles about the Voting Rights Act.">Voting Rights Act in 1965.

Presidents almost never use the room these days. But in 1981, President Reagan made an Inaugural Day visit to the room, and the tradition stuck. Succeeding presidents have followed Mr. Reagan’s example, and sometimes signed documents there. Mr. Obama is sure to stop in on Monday, whether or not he has any business to conduct.

INAUGURAL FIRSTS: The guide lists dozens of inaugural precedents. Here are some highlights, from past to present:

In 1793 in Philadelphia, George Washington delivers what remains to this day the shortest inaugural address - 135 words.

In 1801, Thomas Jefferson became the first president inaugurated in Washington D.C.

In 1809, James Madison held the first inaugural ball. Tickets were $4.

In 1825, John Quincy Adams became the first president to wear long pants, instead of knee breeches, for his swearing-in.

In 1837, Martin Van Buren became the first president who was not born a British subject.

In 1845, James Polk’s inauguration was the first covered by telegraph.

In 1865, at Abraham Lincoln’s second inauguration, African-Americans participated in the inaugural parade for the first time.

In 1897, William McKinley’s inauguration was the first recorded by a motion picture camera.

In 1921, Warren G. Harding became the first president to ride to and from his inauguration in an automobile.

In 1929, Herbert C. Hoover’s inauguration was the first recorded by talking newsreel.

In 1937! , Franklin D. Roosevelt became the first president sworn in on Jan. 20.

In 1949, Harry S. Truman’s inauguration was the first to be televised.

In 1961, John F. Kennedy became the first - and so far the only - Roman Catholic sworn in as president.

In 1963, Lyndon Johnson became the first, and only, president to be sworn in on a plane.

In 1974, Gerald R. Ford became the first unelected vice president to be sworn in as president.

In 1997, Bill Clinton’s inauguration was the first to be broadcast live on the Internet.

In 2005, for George W. Bush’s swearing-in, officials designed anti-counterfeiting security into the tickets for the first time.

In 2009, Barack Obama became not only the first African-American to be sworn in as president, but also the first to be born in Hawaii.

Inaugural History

There’s nothing like an inauguration to send a tingle up the spines of history lovers and patriots.

Aides to the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, the panel of House and Senate leaders overseeing President Obama’s swearing-in ceremony and the Capitol luncheon that follows, have put together a comprehensive guide to all things inaugural. It includes a wealth of fascinating facts about Monday’s inauguration and the 56 that preceded it.

For those who (unlike this correspondent) are not nerdy enough to read all 110 pages, here is a sampling:

A HALF-FINISHED DOME: The 2013 inauguration takes place as the nation is commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. The year 1863 began with the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation and ended with the placement of the Statue of Freedom atop the Capitol Dome - a dome that almost went unfinished.

By March 4, 1861, when Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated as the nation’s 16th president, a half-finished dome loomed over the city. But the attack on Fort Sumter the following month brought construction to a halt, amid debate over whether a nation at war could afford it. President Lincoln wanted it to continue.

“If people see the Capitol going on,’’ he! said, ‘’it is a sign we intend the Union shall go on.’’

THE LINCOLN BIBLE: In his ceremonial swearing in, Mr. Obama will use two bibles - a “traveling bible’’ that belonged to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and another that belonged to Lincoln. The Lincoln Bible, bound in burgundy velvet with a gold-washed white metal rim around the three edges of both outside covers, is the one Lincoln used during his first inauguration.

The chief justice, Robert Brooke Taney, then 84 years old, administered the oath; as the author of the infamous “Dred Scott’’ decision of 1857, he was no friend to the president who wanted to abolish slavery. In the back of the bible, along with the seal of the Supreme Court, is an annotation from the court clerk attesting that Taney did, in fact, administer the oath.

THE CAPITOL FLAGS: The West Front of the Capitol is festooned with giant flags to provide the backdrop as Mr. Obama takes the oath. Look closely, and you will see that three flags are represented.

The outermost flags, with a ring of stars, are the Betsy Ross flags, which appeared in the early 1790s. Next to those are the flags adopted after Mr. Obama’s home state of Illinois entered the union in 1818; they have 21 stars. The center flag is the current Stars and Stripes.

THE 21-GUN SALUTE: As commander-in-chief, Mr. Obama will be honored by the military with a 21-gun salute. In 1842, the presidential salute was formally established at 21 guns; in 1890, regulations designated the “national salute” as 21 guns, and redesignated th! e traditi! onal Independence Day Salute as equal to the number of states.

Today, the national salute of 21 guns is fired in honor of a national flag, the sovereign or chief of state of a foreign nation, a member of a reigning royal family, and the president, ex-president and president-elect of the United States.

HAIL TO THE CHIEF: This is the song that is played as the president arrives at any formal occasion - thanks to Julia Tyler, the wife of President John Tyler, who served from 1841 to 1845. Andrew Jackson was the first living president to be personally honored by “Hail to the Chief,’’ but it was Mrs. Tyler who first requesed that the song be played specifically to announce the president’s arrival on official occasions.

INAUGURATION DAY: The Constitution, as originally adopted, made no mention of a date to inaugurate the president. March 4 was codified as Inauguration Day in 1792, and was written into the Constitution with adoption of the 12th Amendment in 1804.

But the March inauguration meant an extended lame-duck session for Congress, and in 1933, the 20th Amendment established that the terms of the president and vice president end at noon on Jan. 20. Mr. Obama was officially sworn in Sunday at 11:55 a.m. in the Blue Room of the White House; Monday’s oath-taking is ceremonial.

PAST SUNDAY INAUGURATIONS: Prior to this year, Inauguration Day has fallen on a Sunday six times, most recently in 1985, for Ronald Reagan’s second inauguration. Reagan’s official ceremony, like Mr. Obama’s, was held at the White House; his public inauguration the following day was moved indoors because of freezing weather.

THE INAUGURAL LUNCHEON: George Washington dined alone after his inauguration in 1789. The first president to be honored with a Congressional luncheon was Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1953; some 50 guests gathered in the Old Senate Chamber. In 1981, the tradition began of holding the lunch in Statuary Hll.

INAUGURAL GIFTS: On behalf of Congress and the American People, the Joint Congressional Committee intends to present Mr. Obama and Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. with tall, tapering hand-cut and etched crystal vases created by Lenox.

THE LINCOLN TABLE: This table, made especially for Abraham Lincoln by B.B. French, the commissioner of public buildings, was cast from the same molds used to make the balusters and other decorative elements on the Capitol Dome. At Monday’s luncheon, it will be used to present Mr. Obama and Mr. Biden the flags that were flown above the Capitol during the swearing-in ceremony.

THE PRESIDENT’S ROOM: Just off the Senate chamber, this is one of the most ornate, beautiful - and rarely used - rooms in the Capitol! . In the ! union’s early days, departing presidents often used this room to sign last-minute legislation that had been hurriedly passed by departing Congresses.

On March 3, 1865, the day before Lincoln’s second inauguration, he was working in the President’s Room when General Ulysses S. Grant received a message from General Robert E. Lee proposing a peace conference. And President Lyndon Johnson chose the President’s Room as the site for his signing of the historic a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/subjects/v/voting_rights_act_1965/index.htmlinline=nyt-classifier" class="tickerized" title="More articles about the Voting Rights Act.">Voting Rights Act in 1965.

Presidents almost never use the room these days. But in 1981, President Reagan made an Inaugural Day visit to the room, and the tradition stuck. Succeeding presidents have followed Mr. Reagan’s example, and sometimes signed documents there. Mr. Obama is sure to stop in on Monday, whether or not he has any business to conduct.

INAUGURAL FIRSTS: The guide lists dozens of inaugural precedents. Here are some highlights, from past to present:

In 1793 in Philadelphia, George Washington delivers what remains to this day the shortest inaugural address - 135 words.

In 1801, Thomas Jefferson became the first president inaugurated in Washington D.C.

In 1809, James Madison held the first inaugural ball. Tickets were $4.

In 1825, John Quincy Adams became the first president to wear long pants, instead of knee breeches, for his swearing-in.

In 1837, Martin Van Buren became the first president who was not born a British subject.

In 1845, James Polk’s inauguration was the first covered by telegraph.

In 1865, at Abraham Lincoln’s second inauguration, African-Americans participated in the inaugural parade for the first time.

In 1897, William McKinley’s inauguration was the first recorded by a motion picture camera.

In 1921, Warren G. Harding became the first president to ride to and from his inauguration in an automobile.

In 1929, Herbert C. Hoover’s inauguration was the first recorded by talking newsreel.

In 1937! , Franklin D. Roosevelt became the first president sworn in on Jan. 20.

In 1949, Harry S. Truman’s inauguration was the first to be televised.

In 1961, John F. Kennedy became the first - and so far the only - Roman Catholic sworn in as president.

In 1963, Lyndon Johnson became the first, and only, president to be sworn in on a plane.

In 1974, Gerald R. Ford became the first unelected vice president to be sworn in as president.

In 1997, Bill Clinton’s inauguration was the first to be broadcast live on the Internet.

In 2005, for George W. Bush’s swearing-in, officials designed anti-counterfeiting security into the tickets for the first time.

In 2009, Barack Obama became not only the first African-American to be sworn in as president, but also the first to be born in Hawaii.