From Washington to Biden, Inauguration History

George Washington's handwritten inaugural speech, currently on display at the National Archives.

HISTORY

The Speech and Bible From George Washington's First Inauguration Made History Many Times Over

Donna Hayashi Smith, a curator, has been in charge of everything from borrowing famous paintings to handling a 19th-century menorah. Here, she holds a French porcelain vase from 1820.

HISTORY

Behind the Scenes With the White House Residence's Long-Serving Staff

The song made its debut 205 years ago—in a boat.

HISTORY

Why Do We Play 'Hail to the Chief' for the President?

Wordle is an application that takes text from any source and enlarges words that appear more frequently. Conversely, words that are smaller appear less frequently. Small words, like the or of, are not included in the Wordles above.

HISTORY

Behind Inaugural Speeches, Meaningful Words

The election of 1800 didn't invent the idea of a peaceful transition of power from one set of ideals to another, but it did engrave the United States into history as a democracy.

HISTORY

How John Adams Managed a Peaceful Transition of Presidential Power

Illustration from <i>Illustrated London News</i>, April 8, 1865.

HISTORY

Document Deep Dive: The Menu From President Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Ball

AT THE SMITHSONIAN

If Only Hollywood Would Show Us Lincoln’s Second Inaugural

Inauguration of President Kennedy on the East Portico of the U.S. Capitol.

HISTORY

Inaugural Firsts

Suffragettes march, complete with cloth banners, across the intersection of Pennsylvania Ave. and 11th St. in Washington, D.C. Photo: <a href=Library of Congress" />

SMART NEWS

More Than One Hundred Years Ago, 5,000 Suffragettes Paraded Down Pennsylvania Avenue

Lincoln sat at the back of the train in disguise to escape his assassins.

HISTORY

The Unsuccessful Plot to Kill Abraham Lincoln

U.S. Marine Band on the steps of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.

ARTS & CULTURE

After an Inauguration, the Stars Come out to Play