Presidential Inauguration Videos.

January 18, 2009 1:16 PM

Looking forward to Tuesday, here's a blast from the past. Videos of previous Presidential Inaugurations. The first recorded on video was McKinley's Second (March 4, 1901).

Theodore Roosevelt (March 4, 1905)
Woodrow Wilson's Second (March 4, 1917)
Warren G. Harding (March 4, 1921)
Calvin Coolidge (March 4, 1925)
Franklin D. Roosevelt's First (March 4, 1933)
Frank lin D. Roosevelt's Fourth (January 20, 1945)
Harry S. Truman (January 20, 1949)
Dwight D. Eisenhower's First (January 20, 1953)
Dwight D. Eisenhower's Second (January 20, 1957)
John F. Kennedy - (part 2) (January 20, 1961)
Lyndon B. Johnson (January 20, 1965)
Richard M. Nixon's First (January 20, 1969)
Richard M. Nixon's Second (January 20, 1973)
Jimmy Carter (January 20, 1977)
Ronald Reagan's First (January 20, 1981)
Ronald Reagan's Second (January 20, 1985)
George H. W. Bush (January 20, 1989)
Bill Clinton's First (January 20, 1993)
Bill Clinton's Second (January 20, 1997)
George W. Bush's First (January 20, 2001)
George W. Bush's Second (January 20, 2005)

posted by grapefruitmoon (26 comments total)

They had video in 1901?
posted by Senor Cardgage at 1:23 PM on January 18

Perhaps you mean on film.
posted by ColdChef at 1:29 PM on January 18

well, it's video now, Literalistas.

Also, good post my citrussatellite friend.
posted by jonmc at 1:31 PM on January 18 [2 favorites]

Also collected and made super searchable and embeddable here.
posted by sadiehawkinstein at 1:44 PM on January 18

Where's Hoover? Great post, none the less.
posted by Jumpin Jack Flash at 2:15 PM on January 18

Am I right in thinking the actual inauguration and speech ceremony will start at 7.00 A.M. Pacific Time? Sheesh.
posted by Rumple at 2:17 PM on January 18

Where's Hoover?

We could use a man like him again.

*piano*
posted by jonmc at 2:27 PM on January 18 [2 favorites]

Hoover's not in there because I couldn't find the footage. Similarly, FDR's second and third inaugurations aren't there and several presidents who were sworn in, say, on a plane are missing as well.

Try sadiehawkinstein's link. (And thanks for that!)
posted by grapefruitmoon at 2:33 PM on January 18

Perhaps you mean on film.

Sheesh. I put together a pretty comprehensive list of footage of all the previous inaugurations for which there is footage and THIS is the pedantry I get?
posted by grapefruitmoon at 2:34 PM on January 18 [1 favorite]

They had video in 1901?

Yes, they did. But of course, they didn't have the internet. If you wanted to watch video (or as it was called in those days "photoactivation diaramas", phodies for short), you had to wait for a carnival to come to town. Every carnival worth its salt had a phody tent. You paid a nickel when most amusements cost a penny, but it was worth it to affluent 20th century Americans to be able to peer into the pair of tiny holes in a wooden box and marvel at a horse jumping over fences, a ballerina pirouetting, or McKinley being inaugurated. Phodies were also pretty common on the Atlantic City boardwalk before the casinos got big. As popular as they were, each phody box required a steam engine the size of a locomotion to power, and a 10-second clip required 50 pounds of coal. So although the picture quality was much better than silent motion film, it was ultimately impractical, and would have to wait until technology caught up with the concept decades later.
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 2:44 PM on January 18 [2 favorites]

Too many AmericaOnLy videos. Can't see shit.
posted by gman at 3:11 PM on January 18

That would be Hulu's doing. None of my American proxies work on Hulu, either.
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 3:15 PM on January 18

all hulu links deserve to be banned from mefi for blocking all international users.
posted by krautland at 3:22 PM on January 18 [2 favorites]

None of my American proxies work on Hulu, either.

I noticed that, too.

hotspot shield sometimes works but it's too slow, they have a bandwidth cap and hulu doesn't buffer. I have the same problem with the BBC iplayer and my lack of a working UK proxy.

anyone want massive brownie points? give me a fast proxy.
posted by krautland at 3:23 PM on January 18

I think there's some shit on those videos they don't want foreigners to see.
posted by gman at 3:40 PM on January 18 [1 favorite]

all hulu links deserve to be banned from mefi for blocking all international users.

I apologize. I had no idea that this was the case and I would have searched harder for alternate links had I know. That said, for Americans who are interested in seeing the clips, the hulu database (reposted on various sites) had the largest collection. YouTube didn't even come close.

If anyone can provide alternate links, that would be great.
posted by grapefruitmoon at 3:52 PM on January 18

McKinley
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 4:47 PM on January 18

Gosh, I fear that Bush will be drunk.
posted by R. Mutt at 5:21 PM on January 18

Great post—thanks!
posted by languagehat at 5:23 PM on January 18

We could use a man like him again.

Didn't need no welfare state.
posted by evilcolonel at 5:34 PM on January 18

Didn't need no welfare state.

Everybody pulled his weight.
posted by rglasmann at 6:14 PM on January 18

Have we gone over the Head'o'State commemorative Obama dildo, yet? "You love your candidate - let him love you back"
posted by Rumple at 6:23 PM on January 18

The audacity of poke.

I am so, so sorry.
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 6:34 PM on January 18

Where's Hoover?

Hoover sucked
posted by kcds at 7:12 PM on January 18 [1 favorite]

Everybody pulled his weight.

Gee, our old LaSalle ran great.
posted by evilcolonel at 7:25 PM on January 18

Thanks for posting this.
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 7:25 PM on January 18