Presidential inaugurations are a time when all Americans can celebrate. There is much to celebrate for because a new president is taking over the presidency with fresh ideas and insights that will help all Americans.

In 18th-century America it seemed reasonable to set

aside four months between the election and the inauguration. This would provide enough time to tally the votes, to have the electoral college members send their ballots to Washington, and for the president-elect to organize the new government.

But in the modern world of communications and politics, four months was an eternity in which crises could arise or the outgoing administration could do untold amounts of mischief. In 1933 the Twentieth Amendment to the Constitution changed the date of presidential inaugurations from March 4 to January 20.

The manner in which a new president arrives at the Capitol to take the oath of office and then returns to the White House is decided with great care. Every gesture and decision will be analyzed by the public and the press.

Should the party follow traditions or set a new precedent? Should the carriage be fancy or plain? Should the dress be conservative or fashionable? Should the president ride back to the White House in regal splendor or walk as a man of the people? The impression made sets the tone for the next four years in office.

James Buchanan's inauguration

procession.

Ulysses S. Grant purchased this carriage from Meeks Carriage and Wagon Repository during his first term in the White House and rode in it to his second inauguration in 1873. Meeks bought back the carriage after Grant left office, and it was used in several parades and historic celebrations before being donated to the Smithsonian in 1968.

Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter walking down Pennsylvania Avenue during the inaugural parade, January 20, 1977

This is the military parade that led George and Laura Bush for the 2005 inauguration.

The Oath of Office: 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.

Article 2, Section 1 of the Constitution requires that before presidents can assume their duties they must take the oath of office. The completion of this thirty-five-word oath ends one president's term and begins the next.

George Washington is sworn in as the first president.

President Lincoln Taking the Oath at His Second Inauguration, March 4, 1865.

President Reagan took the oath of office on January 21, 1985 because January 20th fell on a Sunday.

George Bush took is second oath of office on January 20, 2005.

Following the swearing in ceremony, an inaugural ball is held. The kind of ball depends on what the president wants. President Jimmy Carter said the words “ Inaugural Ball” was to formal so he called it an “Inaugural Party”. Bill Clinton held 14 Inaugural Balls in 1993.

In the past citizens could pay to get into the Inaugural Ball. In 1845, President James Polk sold tickets for $2.00 a person to get in the ball. Now, only invited guest are allowed to attend the ball.

Scrambling for supper at James Polk’s Inaugural Ball in 1845 (remember it cost $2.00 a person to get in which was a lot of money back than).

Mamie Eisenhower's inaugural gownMamie Eisenhower dressed in her favorite color for her husband's first inaugural ball in 1953. Designed by Nettie Rosenstein, the gown embroidered with more than 2,000 rhinestones.

Bill Clinton playing the saxophone at his ball in 1993.

President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush wave while daughters Barbara and Jenna look on as they attend the Inauguration Ball at the Washington Hilton.

George Washington’s inauguration was held in New York City on April 30, 1789.

Inauguration Day was changed to January 20, from March 4, in 1933 by the passage of the Twentieth Amendment to the US Constitution.

Bill Clinton’s, January 20, 1997, inauguration was the first inauguration to be broadcast live over Internet.

George Washington gave the shortest inaugural address in history. (135 words)

In 1865, Abraham Lincoln was the first president to include African-Americans in his inaugural parade.

In 1917, Woodrow Wilson was the first president to include women in his inaugural parade.

When January 20 is on a Sunday, the president-elect usually takes the oath of office privately and then repeats the ceremony in public on Monday.

The president is very busy and is highly guarded by The Secret Service.

The president conducts business inside the white house in the Oval Office.

The president and his family lives in the White House in Washington, DC

Air Force One Marine One

.

Ulysses Simpson Grant once got a $20.00 fine for speeding on his horse. (1869)

When William McKinley's wife Ida McKinley became first lady of the White House, she hated the color yellow so much that she made it a White House yellow-free zone. She even ordered the gardeners to yank every yellow flower out of the garden grounds. (1897)

Herbert Hoover was the first president to have a telephone on his desk. (1929)

Theodore Roosevelt was the first president to fly in an airplane. (1901)

The first president to fly across the Atlantic Ocean while in office was Woodrow Wilson. (1917)

Warren Harding was the first president to speak in the radio, and to have one in the White House. (1921)

Franklin Delano Roosevelt was also the first president to appear on T.V. (1933)

James K. Polk's inauguration was the first to be reported by telegraph. (1845)

President William McKinley had a pet parrot that he named “Washington Post.” (1897)

President William Taft kept a cow on the White House lawn to supply him with fresh milk. He was the last president to do so. (1909)

Bill Clinton was the first left-handed U.S. president to serve two terms. (1993)

Franklin Pierce was the first United States’ president to decorate an official White House Christmas tree. (1853)

George Washington was the first U.S. president to appear on a postage stamp.

Harry Truman was the first U.S. president to travel underwater in a modern submarine. (1945)

Woodrow Wilson is the only president buried at Washington D.C.

Dwight David Eisenhower was the first American president to hold an airplane pilot's license.

Dwight Eisenhower was responsible for creating NASA.