American presidents were inaugurated, or put into office, on March 4th in
Washington, D.C. Despite
Washington's relatively warm
climate, inauguration days were often bitterly cold; speeches were held
outside, as they still are. This practice began in
1817.
Of course, this is the eighteenth and nineteenth century. Modern medicine as we know it does not exist; as such, too much time spent under cold conditions could be extremely dangerous. Combine this with long inauguration speeches, and you've got a sure recipe for disaster. Examples, you demand?
In 1933, the
Twentieth Amendment was passed, moving Inauguration Day to
January 20, even deeper into
winter. This was due to the fact that presidents who were being removed from office got to stay there right through March, as "
lame ducks". Of course,
Virginia weather isn't balmy in March, and it certainly isn't that great in
January, either. As such, most
Americans would be well advised to stay home with the heat turned all the way up, eating fatty foods, until the ceremonies have terminated on
TV.