Climate and Inauguration Day

Donald Trump has finalized plans to move his second inauguration indoors tomorrow, with temperatures in the DC area expected to reach a high of 23°F.

That’s not exactly unusual. In the 236 year-history of US Presidents being sworn in, and the 88 years since Inauguration Day was moved to January 20, several Presidents have moved the swearing in ceremony indoors, following a rather grim series of events in US history.

The first outdoor inauguration was that of James Monroe in 1817, but those early events were typically held on March 4 or 5. Despite the nearly-springtime schedule, however, the outdoor events led to many deaths - including a US President.

William Henry Harrison caught pneumonia on his March 4, 1841 inauguration day and died a month later. Franklin Pierce braved a massive snowstorm in DC during his inauguration on March 4, 1953, and his predecessor’s wife died a few weeks later from sitting in the cold, wet, exposed cold for hours.

FDR’s second inauguration was the first in US history to be held on January 20, breaking a 148-year tradition of springtime ceremonies, following the passage of the 20th Amendment to the US Constitution. The move to January was done to shorten the transition period between elections and inauguration.