We're officially a week away from Donald Trump's inauguration for his second term as president. For most of us, it couldn't come sooner, and we can't wait to cover the big event for you and all the hoopla surrounding it here at PJ Media. Over the weekend, I was doing a little research in preparation for that, and I realized that there have been some pretty wild and just plain bizarre stories to come out of some of the past presidential inaugurations, so I thought I'd round some of the craziest up and share them with you.
1. Theodore Roosevelt's Morbid Jewelry
Teddy Roosevelt was a huge fan of Abraham Lincoln. At the age of six, Roosevelt watched from a window as Lincoln's body rode through New York City on a train, and he often referred to the 16th president during his own time in office. But here's something most people probably didn't know when Roosevelt was sworn in on March 4, 1905: He was wearing a ring that contained Lincoln's hair.
The story goes that John Hay, former secretary of State and Lincoln's private secretary, paid $100 to have hair removed from the late president's head during his autopsy. He englassed the hair and mounted the small glass oval in a ring. The night before Roosevelt's inauguration, Hay gave him the ring and said, "Please wear it tomorrow; you are one of the men who most thoroughly understand and appreciate Lincoln." And he did.
2. Andrew Jackson's Raucous Affair
Many presidents host balls or parties after their inaugurations, but as you might imagine Andrew Jackson took his to the next level. Whenever he hosted a party at the White House for any occasion, he invited everyone to come, no matter who they were, and things often got a little wild.
After his inauguration, a rough crowd came to the White House to celebrate, and they ripped down the curtains, broke the china, and destroyed some of the furniture. Things reportedly got so bad that Jackson had to sneak out of a window for his own safety, and White House staff lured the people out onto the front lawn with a big tub of whiskey.
3. Andrew Johnson's Drunken Ramble
Speaking of whiskey, when Abraham Lincoln was sworn in for his second term, things were going pretty well, aside from the fact that the weather outside was bad and Vice President-Elect Andrew Johnson wasn't feeling well. The White House staff managed to fix the first problem by moving the events inside, but no one had a cure for the fact that Johnson was curing what ailed him with whiskey.
The VP reportedly rambled on for seventeen minutes, slurring his words and bragging about his triumph over the Confederate rebels. Lincoln watched in horror until Hannibal Hamlin yanked on Johnson's jacket to shut him up. Johnson was so drunk that he went on to kiss the Bible when he was sworn in and had to have the Senate clerk swear in all the new senators.
4. James Buchanan's Bathroom Issue
There are few things worse than having diarrhea right before a big event, and unfortunately, that's what happened to James Buchanan just before he was sworn in in 1857. Buchanan reportedly had National Hotel Disease, a mysterious illness that struck people who stayed in the National Hotel in Washington, DC that year. Symptoms were described as "bloody dysentery coupled with a typhoid-like fever." Buchanan was allegedly so sick that a doctor had to attend the ceremony with him and stay close by his side, and he remained ill for several days after the inauguration.
5. Barack Obama's Do-Over
When Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts swore Barack Obama in for his first term, the president-elect didn't exactly get the words right. White House officials were so afraid that someone would use the blunder as some kind of loophole in his presidency that they brought Roberts and a group of reporters to the White House the next day for a do-over.
"We believe that the oath of office was administered effectively and that the president was sworn in appropriately yesterday," Press Secretary Robert Gibbs read from a statement, adding, "But the oath appears in the Constitution itself and, out of an abundance of caution, because there was one word out of sequence, Chief Justice John Roberts will administer the oath a second time."
6. Ulysses S. Grant's Dead Birds
Ulysses S. Grant wanted to make the swearing in for his second term a grand affair, but he had just one problem: that cold day in March 1873 remains one of the coldest days recorded in Washington, DC history. Wind chills were as low as negative 30, and it was so cold that musicians couldn't even play their instruments. Even so, the show went on.
As did the afterparty, in which guests danced while wearing their overcoats and champagne and coffee turned to ice. But the most horrible moment of the evening came when hundreds of dead canaries fell on the heads of attendees. As it turns out, Grant had ordered the birds to be strung above the space in cages with plans to release them to create a fun and festive atmosphere, but the cold weather killed them all.
7. Richard Nixon's Dead Birds
Grant wasn't the only president with a dead bird problem. Richard Nixon was so worried about pigeons plaguing his parade that he had some sort of bird repellent sprayed along Pennsylvania Avenue. He was assured the chemicals were safe and would only detract the birds, but safe for whom may have been the better question. When it was time for the parade, guests were greeted with an array of dead pigeons in the street.
8. Herbert Hoover's Debate with a Child
Like Obama, Herbert Hoover said the wrong words when he was sworn in in on March 4, 1929. While the oath states that the president will "preserve, protect, and defend," Hoover said "preserve, maintain, and defend." But it wasn't his fault; he was merely repeating what Chief Justice William Howard Taft said.
No one seemed to notice or care, except for an eighth grader from Walden, New York named Helen Terwilliger. She sent Taft a letter, and Taft responded by telling her she was wrong. Eventually, someone who caught the event on camera replayed the footage and proved that Terwilliger was right, forcing Taft to admit his error.
9. William Henry Harrison's Death Speech
William Henry Harrison's inauguration speech reportedly killed him and not because it was said to be long and dull at over two hours long. The weather was cold and rainy, but Harrison, who was an outdoorsman in his younger days, refused to dress for it, forgoing even a hat and coat. Within a few days, he'd caught a cold, which eventually turned into pneumonia. While it's hard to say for sure that standing out in the bad weather was the onset of his illnesses, many people believe it to be true.
Harrison, of course, died with in a month, despite doctors trying every trick in the book to save him. They even resorted to Native American remedies and using live snakes.
10. George Washington's Brevity
Harrison's speech may have been long and dull, but George Washington's speech at his second inauguration was anything but. It was exactly 135 words long. Unless Trump tops it, which, let's face it, is highly unlikely, it's officially the shortest inauguration speech in history. Here it is in its entirety:
Fellow Citizens:
I am again called upon by the voice of my country to execute the functions of its Chief Magistrate. When the occasion proper for it shall arrive, I shall endeavor to express the high sense I entertain of this distinguished honor, and of the confidence which has been reposed in me by the people of united America.
Previous to the execution of any official act of the President the Constitution requires an oath of office. This oath I am now about to take, and in your presence: That if it shall be found during my administration of the Government I have in any instance violated willingly or knowingly the injunctions thereof, I may (besides incurring constitutional punishment) be subject to the upbraidings of all who are now witnesses of the present solemn ceremony.
