Inaugural poop and other morsels

From George Washington to just before high noon on Tuesday, the transition from one president to the next has always been smooth because it is the will of the American people. No guns, no troops, no power struggle has ever played into our minds. It is a proud moment and a wonderful day to be an American. Even for those who didn’t vote for him, everyone in America must say that, when Barack Obama takes the oath of office, he becomes the leader of all of us and we must do whatever we can to protect and honor him. Personal feelings and prejudices aside, we must embrace the new president and rejoice in the knowledge that our country has come a long way since the days of Martin Luther King, Jr. Let the world know that this is a brand new time in America.

In light of this unique day in American history, I bring you a few things from inaugurations past…

George Washington had to borrow money to travel to his own inauguration. Who he borrowed it from, I do not know, but since he was known to not tell a lie, I’ll bet he paid it back.

Something I am keenly aware of after my Christmas spent in the hospital with severe pneumonia is the story of the shortest presidency. William Henry Harrison gave the longest inaugural address and served the shortest term. After being sworn in on March 4, 1841, he died 30 days, 12 hours and 32 minutes later after catching a cold and succumbing to pneumonia of the lower lobe of the right lung, pleurisy, jaundice and blood poisoning due to infection.

When James Buchanan succeeded Franklin Pierce in 1857, the inaugural swearing in ceremony had to be delayed for 20 minute because officials forgot to pick Pierce up at his hotel and had to go get him.

The temperature for Ulysses S. Grant’s second inauguration was 16 degrees F. A temporary wooden structure was built for the inaugural ball, but it turned into an ice cold refrigerator. The food froze and strings broke on the musicians’ violins. That’s not all. Canaries brought in for peaceful and comforting sounds froze to death in their cages.

An obscure 24 year old reporter covered Dwight D. Eisenhower’s inaugural parade for the Washington Times-Herald newspaper. Known as the “Inquiring Camera Girl,” her name was Jacqueline Bouvier and soon after, she became Mrs. John F. Kennedy.

Lyndon Johnson was the only president to take the oath of office from a woman, Federal District Court Judge Sarah Hughes, after the assasination of JFK. He took the oath aboard Air Force One on November 22, 1963.

Back to birds. For Richard Nixon’s second inaugural parade, a chemical bird repellent was applied to tree branches along the route. Called Roost No More, it was designed to keep pigeons from perching and dropping poop bombs by making their feet itch. Instead, the birds ate the chemical and dropped dead. Pennsylvania Avenue became littered with dying and dead pigeons. Nixon resigned the presidency the following year from his own presidential poisoning.

One more interesting piece of trivia. For those who still believe in the idiotic notion that Barack Obama is a Muslim and will take the oath of office on a Quran, please note that two of our presidents, Franklin Pierce and Herbert Hoover would not swear the oath of office because of religious reasons. Instead, they affirmed the oath.

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• Inaugural Address
• Trivial Pursuits
• The Oath of Office