A brief history of the inaugural ceremonies – and their traditions

Officials install parking restriction signs in preparation for President Roosevelt’s pared-down inauguration, which took place at the White House instead of the Capitol Building.

Telecommunications advances—from the telegraph to the television—allowed even more Americans to witness the peaceful transfer of power that occurs every four years at the presidential inauguration.

A cameraman in front of the dome of the U.S. Capitol Building during the inauguration of President John F. Kennedy on January 20, 1961, in Washington D.C. Inaugurations have become increasingly public since George Washington first swore the oath of office before a crowd.

First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy looks over her shoulder at an inaugural ball after her husband, President John F. Kennedy, took the presidential oath earlier that day on January 20, 1961.

President Dwight D. Eisenhower and President-elect John F. Kennedy have their first official meeting at the White House on December 1, 1960, almost two months before Kennedy took office. After Kennedy’s assassination in 1963, Eisenhower helped guide Vice President Lyndon Baines Johnson into office.