Inauguration Day Facts 

Inauguration Day Facts 

Bottom Line: Today, as Donald Trump is sworn in as president of the United States for a second time in completing the greatest political comeback in American history, here are some fun Inauguration Day facts.  

• Most US presidents have been inaugurated on March 4th, only 14 presidents have been sworn in on January 20th. The 20th Amendment signed in 1933 changed the date.  
• Today is only the second time in American history that MLK Day (established by Ronald Reagan in 1983), has coincided with Inauguration Day. The previous time was in 1997 when Bill Clinton was sworn in for a second time.  
• The oath of office is only 35 words. 
• While presidents are made to place their hand on a book to swear in, the book is of their choosing 
• Only one U.S. president hasn’t chosen a Bible for swearing in (John Quincy Adams used his law book)  
• The coldest Inauguration Day in history was Ronald Reagan’s in 1985 – 7 degrees (held inside due to conditions) 
• Today’s Inauguration Day will likely be the third coldest in American history (behind Ulysses S. Grant's as well – 16 degrees) and is only the second to take place indoors  
• The shortest Inaugural Address on record was George Washington’s second in 1793 – only 135 words. 
• The longest Inaugural Address on record was William Henry Harrison’s in 1841 – at 8,460 words. Donald Trump’s first Inaugural address, 1,433 words, was the 16th shortest on record (by comparison Joe Biden’s was almost twice as long). 
• When Donald Trump is sworn in today, he’ll become only the second president in American history to have won two nonconsecutive terms in office.