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After repeating the 35-word oath prescribed in the constitution George Washington added the words: "I swear, so help me God", which has become an inaugural tradition.
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The first inaugural ball was held in 1809 following the inauguration of James Madison.
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James Buchanan was the only bachelor President and he attended the Grand National Inauguration Ball with his 26-year-old niece Harriet Lane, who acted as First Lady of the White House during his administration.
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The first President inaugurated on January 20 was Franklin Roosevelt in 1937. The 20th amendment to the Constitution, ratified in January 1933, changed the inaugural date.
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In 1949, the inauguration of President Harry S Truman and Vice President Alben Barkley was the first to be televised. The audience on TV was estimated to be around 10 million - nowadays it is around 10 times that figure. It was also the first fully racially integrated inauguration with minorities welcome to attend all events and stay at Washington hotels.
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Theodore Roosevelt was the youngest President aged 42 when he took office in 1901 after the assassination of William McKinley. John Kennedy is the youngest elected President, aged 43, followed by Bill Clinton, 47.
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Warren Harding was the first President to ride a car to his inaugural ceremony in 1921. In 1977, Jimmy Carter surprised everyone by walking back after the ceremony.
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George Washington's second inaugural address in March 1793 was the shortest ever given - only 135 words. The longest was by William Harrison at nearly 8,500 words.
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The most tragic inauguration was that of William Henry Harrison, who died from complications of exposure at his own 1841 inauguration.
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Five Presidents were never inaugurated - John Tyler, Millard Fillmore, Andrew Johnson, Chester A. Arthur and Gerald R. Ford. All took office by succeeding Presidents without winning an election.
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A Guide to the Presidential Inauguration
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