Presidential inaugurations mark some of the most important moments in US history, allowing presidents to establish tradition and reinvigorate the American people.
Some inaugurations go down in history, while others are remembered for comical mistakes and even fights.
Ago President-elect Donald Trump was sworn into office for the second time on Monday, here are some of the most significant Inauguration Day moments in US history.
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George Washington’s first inaugural address
No tradition is complete without its origins. President George Washington delivered the first inaugural address on April 30, 1789, just two weeks after Congress had unanimously elected him to serve as the nation’s leader.
George Washington was inaugurated as the first president of the United States on April 30, 1789, in the old City Hall in New York. (Heritage Art/Heritage Images via Getty Images)
His 10 minute speech he emphasized the “divine blessing” of the nation’s founding, expressing gratitude to the “benevolent parent of the human race” for the considerations that led to the founding and unity of the American people.
The mob in Andrew Jackson’s White House
President Andrew Jackson invited about 20,000 of his supporters to a celebration around the White House after his first inauguration in 1829.
However, the mob quickly became restless, fights broke out and furniture was destroyed. Jackson eventually escaped through a window to the safety of a nearby hotel, according to the National Archives.
Crowds at the White House after the presidential inauguration of President Andrew Jackson in 1829. (Bettmann / Contributor / Getty Images)
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White House staff then resorted to filling a bathtub with whiskey and orange juice outside the White House to get the crowd to leave the building.
William Henry Harrison’s only inauguration
President William Henry Harrison delivered his inaugural address on an extremely cold day in March 1841. He refused to wear a coat and traveled to and from the inauguration on an open horse. His address is also the longest in US history, with Harrison speaking for more than two hours.
Presidential inauguration of President William Henry Harrison on March 4, 1841. (Library of Congress)
A few weeks after Inauguration Day, Harrison caught a cold, which then developed into pneumonia, and died on April 4, barely a month after taking office.
Franklin D. Roosevelt’s first inauguration
President Franklin D. Roosevelt was first sworn in in 1933 in the midst of the Great Depression.
During his first inaugural address, he uttered a line that is now familiar to almost all Americans, telling the people, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”
President Franklin D. Roosevelt, center, watches his inaugural parade in Washington, DC on March 4, 1933. (AP Photo, File)
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Roosevelt’s steadfast leadership saw Americans through the Great Depression and World War II.
John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address
President John F. Kennedy took office on January 20, 1961 and also delivered a line that would enter the American pantheon.
“Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country,” he urged.
President John F. Kennedy delivers his inaugural address from the East Portico of the US Capitol in Washington, DC (Bettmann / Contributor / Getty Images)
Kennedy’s words took the country to the moon and back, and polls still rank him as the most popular recent president.
Barack Obama’s first inaugural speech
President Barack Obama The first inauguration is notable not only for being the first black American to become president, but also for the historical oddity of having to be sworn in twice.
Obama and Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts spoke briefly as Roberts was sworn in. As a result, Roberts misrepresented himself and declared, “That I will faithfully serve as President of the United States.”
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Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. administers the oath of office to President Barack Obama for the second time, right, in the Map Room of the White House on January 21, 2009 in Washington, DC (Pete Souza/White House via Getty Images)
Obama then repeated that phrase, which is incorrect. The correct wording of the oath in the Constitution is: “That I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States.”
While the ceremony went forward regardless, Obama and Roberts met again the next day at the White House to properly take the oath of office.
