VOA新闻杂志2025--The Inauguration of the US President Through Time

On January 20, the United States president is sworn into office in Washington D.C.

The inauguration¹ is an important ceremony that officially marks the start of an administration. As part of the event, the incoming president speaks to the nation and announces U.S. policy goals.

This year, expanded security measures will stretch across much of Washington. The city's mayor, Muriel Bowser, announced major street closures and special transportation measures to increase security during inauguration events.

The Associated Press reports Washington D.C.'s National Guard will deploy² 7,800 soldiers to help with security. The Secret Service is reportedly under additional pressure because of two attempts on the life of incoming President Donald Trump³ last year. In one of those attempts, Trump received minor⁴ injuries.

The Library of Congress has saved many historical documents and objects from past ceremonies. Here are some facts and firsts about U.S. presidential inaugurations⁵:

Inaugural⁶ firsts:

George Washington did not take the oath to become the first U.S. president in January nor was the event held in Washinton, D.C. His first inaugural address was given to a joint⁷ session of Congress gathered in Federal Hall in New York City, on April 30, 1789. New York City was the nation's first capital.

Washington began a tradition that stood for many years of kissing The Bible after taking the oath of office. The Museum of the Bible says on its website that four other presidents - Warren Harding,

Dwight Eisenhower, Jimmy Carter and George H. W. Bush - used Washington's Bible in their ceremonies. Bush had hoped to use Washington's Bible for his first inauguration in 2001, but weather delayed shipping⁸ so he ended up using a family Bible instead.

Washington's second inaugural address set another mark: it was the shortest at 135 words.

For 144 years, the inauguration was not held in the winter, but mostly in March.

John Adams, the nation's second president, was the first to receive the oath from the Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme⁹ Court. His swearing in took place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the nation's second capital.

Thomas Jefferson was the first president to be inaugurated in Washington, D.C. He walked to and from the ceremony instead of riding in a carriage. The U.S. Marine¹⁰ Band played at the event for the first time and has done so in every ceremony since.

In 1825, John Quincy Adams, son of John Adams, broke with tradition. He was the first president to long wear pants instead of traditional shorter pants with stockings. The man who replaced Adams, Andrew Jackson, was the first to receive the oath on the East Portico¹¹ of the Capitol Building. John Quincy Adams refused to attend.

In 1837, Martin Van Buren was the first of a new generation of presidents to not have British ancestry¹². His parents were Dutch and he was born a citizen of the United States.

William Henry Harrison set an unhappy first: On Inauguration Day in 1841, he gave the longest-ever speech without wearing warm clothes. He became sick and died weeks into his term.

Abraham Lincoln gave his first inaugural speech surrounded by heavy security as the nation neared war between the North and South. His second address, in 1865, was shortly after the end of the U.S. Civil War. He urged Americans "With malice¹³ towards none; with charity for all" to "bind¹⁴ up the nation's wounds." In 2009 and 2013, Barrack Obama took his oath on Lincoln's Bible.

In 1909, William Howard Taft's inauguration was notable for taking place inside the Senate Chamber¹⁵ because of a huge snowstorm. It took about 6,000 men to clear snow for the parade.

The inaugural ceremony of Calvin Coolidge in 1925 was the first to be broadcast on radio. And the first president to have a televised inaugural ceremony was Harry¹⁶ Truman in 1949.

Franklin D. Roosevelt's second inauguration was the first to take place on January 20th. The 20th Amendment¹⁷ to the Constitution moved the event's date because of improved transportation methods.

In 1953, Dwight Eisenhower broke the tradition of kissing The Bible and instead gave a prayer.

Robert Frost was the first poet to every speak at an inaugural event. Frost recited his poem The Gift Outright¹⁸ for John Kennedy's 1961 swearing-in. Kennedy was the first Roman Catholic president. Joe Biden was the second.

After Jimmy Carter's inauguration, he and first lady Rosalynn Carter walked down Washington D.C.'s Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House instead of riding inside a car.

Ronald Reagan's inaugurations set two marks that may also never be equaled. At noon on Reagan's first inauguration, the temperature was nearly 13 degrees Celsius¹⁹. That was the warmest Inauguration Day ever. Then, on his second in January 1985, the temperature was nearly minus 14 degrees Celsius - the coldest day ever for the event.

This year, January 20 will mark only the second time a U.S. president has been inaugurated for a second term that did not follow the first. Donald Trump first took the oath of office in 2017. He joins Grover Cleveland, who was inaugurated in 1885 and 1893. Cleveland is known as the 22nd and 24th President. Trump is set to be both the 45th and 47th President of the United States.

I'm Mario Ritter, Jr. And I'm Caty Weaver²⁰.

Mario Ritter, Jr. adapted this story for VOA Learning English from Library of Congress materials.

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Words in This Story

oath -n. a public promise by a government official to fulfill²¹ his or her duty

address -n. a speech before a lot of people for a major event in public life

carriage -n. a vehicle with wheels that is pulled by horses

malice -n. a desire to cause harm to others

charity -n. the willingness to give to others with a good heart

bind up -v. (phrasal) to wrap a wound in cloth or a bandage so it will heal

recite -v. to give a speech or reading of a written work from memory and not to read it

1 inauguration   

n.开幕、就职典礼

参考例句：

• The inauguration of a President of the United States takes place on January 20.美国总统的就职典礼于一月二十日举行。
• Three celebrated tenors sang at the president's inauguration.3位著名的男高音歌手在总统就职仪式上演唱。

2 deploy   

v.（军）散开成战斗队形，布置，展开

参考例句：

• The infantry began to deploy at dawn.步兵黎明时开始进入战斗位置。
• The president said he had no intention of deploying ground troops.总统称并不打算部署地面部队。

3 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

4 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

5 inaugurations   

n.就职( inauguration的名词复数 )；就职典礼；开始；开创

参考例句：

6 inaugural   

adj.就职的；n.就职典礼

参考例句：

• We listened to the President's inaugural speech on the radio yesterday.昨天我们通过无线电听了总统的就职演说。
• Professor Pearson gave the inaugural lecture in the new lecture theatre.皮尔逊教授在新的阶梯讲堂发表了启用演说。

7 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

8 shipping   

n.船运（发货，运输，乘船）

参考例句：

• We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
• There's a shipping charge of ￡5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。

9 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

10 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

11 portico   

n.柱廊，门廊

参考例句：

• A large portico provides a suitably impressive entrance to the chapel.小教堂入口处宽敞的柱廊相当壮观。
• The gateway and its portico had openings all around.门洞两旁与廊子的周围都有窗棂。

12 ancestry   

n.祖先，家世

参考例句：

• Their ancestry settled the land in 1856.他们的祖辈1856年在这块土地上定居下来。
• He is an American of French ancestry.他是法国血统的美国人。

13 malice   

n.恶意，怨恨，蓄意；[律]预谋

参考例句：

• I detected a suggestion of malice in his remarks.我觉察出他说的话略带恶意。
• There was a strong current of malice in many of his portraits.他的许多肖像画中都透着一股强烈的怨恨。

14 bind   

vt.捆，包扎；装订；约束；使凝固；vi.变硬

参考例句：

• I will let the waiter bind up the parcel for you.我让服务生帮你把包裹包起来。
• He wants a shirt that does not bind him.他要一件不使他觉得过紧的衬衫。

15 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

16 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

17 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。

18 outright   

adv.坦率地；彻底地；立即；adj.无疑的；彻底的

参考例句：

• If you have a complaint you should tell me outright.如果你有不满意的事，你应该直率地对我说。
• You should persuade her to marry you outright.你应该彻底劝服她嫁给你。

19 Celsius   

adj.摄氏温度计的，摄氏的

参考例句：

• The temperature tonight will fall to seven degrees Celsius.今晚气温将下降到七摄氏度。
• The maximum temperature in July may be 36 degrees Celsius.七月份最高温度可能达到36摄氏度。

20 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。

21 fulfill   

vt.履行，实现，完成；满足，使满意

参考例句：

• If you make a promise you should fulfill it.如果你许诺了，你就要履行你的诺言。
• This company should be able to fulfill our requirements.这家公司应该能够满足我们的要求。