I do not believe this is correct. These ceremonies have been quite public indeed ever since the first one (George Washington). I can only think of one case where it was done in private (World War 1, Woodrow Wilson’s second term). Can you think of another?
indeed, these events quickly adopted every new technological means to make them even more public...
March 1921 Harding ... loudspeakers
March 1925 Coolidge... national radio broadcast
March 1929 Hoover .... national talking newsreels
January 1949 Truman ... television
Best regards,
fhc
Inauguration day has fallen on a Sunday six times in the past:
1821, 1847, 1877, 1917, 1957, 1985.
You’re wrong. President Ronald Reagan’s second inauguration was done in a private White House ceremony that was broadcast on TV (with one pool camera). The public ceremony was to be on Monday, Jan 21st, but it was cancelled due to the extreme cold and snow — fearing severe health problems if folks were to gather and wait 3 hours or more for the event. And I remember it — I went to the Capital to practice for the event late Sunday afternoon and just standing out on the platform for 20 minutes I almost lost feeling in my finger tips (in military gloves). They made the right decision to cancel it.
IIRC, Lyndon Johnson was sworn in on an airplane.