It snowed in DC when JFK was inaugurated. I watched the whole

[Raven]

thing live with my family. I'm wondering why I got to watch it. Did Inauguration Day used to be a school holiday or a holiday in general? And why isn't it now? It should be. It is history, good history or bad history, it is history.

[Jennicut]

1. It IS history. I watched Clinton's in 1993. I was home from high school.

I don't remember why I was home either but I distinctly remember watching it. Maybe it was a snow day!

[endarkenment]

2. Remember Robert Frost valiantly trying to read in the gusting wind?

He was so old and frail and so craggy faced new england yankee - it was a wonderful moment.

[Raven]

3. Imprinted on my mind and my soul! Thanks for bring up that memory!

[Waiting For Everyman]

4. I did too, and don't remember why we were off - maybe it was a snow day?

Didn't one the presidents die because the inauguration was so cold? I forget which one though.

[Raven]

5. I think you're right. It was snowing, at least on the East Coast. Pity

that the rest of the country couldn't have witnessed that day!

[onenote]

18. The legend is that William Henry Harrison's death was attributable to inauguration day cold weather

Harrison was inaugurated on an unusually cold and blustery March 4th in 1841 giving a speech that lasted well over an hour and reportedly he refused to wear a coat. He died of pneumonia a month later. Did the inauguration weather cause or contribute to his death? The legend is that it did. But other reports indicate that he didn't show any signs of being ill until two or three weeks after the inauguration.

[calico1]

6. I was only two when JFK was inaugurated but

from the clips I can tell it was freezing.

What an inspiring speech. It must have been great to witness it.

[onenote]

20. it was 22 degrees with a strong wind that made it feel like the temp was in single digits

But,despite what people may honestly remember about that day, it was not snowing during the inauguration. It snowed the day (and night) before, but the snow ended overnight.

[rurallib]

7. I went to a catholic school. You can bet it was like a holiday that day.

[Raven]

9. Me too...a catholic Convent School for that matter! Maybe that was it

but I think it was actually the snow.

[MaineDem]

11. Me three

I don't remember why we were off. It could have been for snow or it could have been to watch the first Catholic President. Neither reason would surprise me.

[Renew Deal]

8. My sister is a teacher and the entire school will be watching

So it's history one way or another.

[Undercurrent]

10. I watched it too,

on our small black and white TV with bad reception. Our house was in a very rural area with high hills between us and Seattle. I knew it was snowing in DC, but couldn't tell by looking at the picture. It was always "snowing" on that TV.

It was a happy time for my family. My dad couldn't stop smiling, my mom cried, and my sister and I were amazed by the pomp and circumstance. My family was dirt poor -- no indoor plumbing, 2 room house, wood stove etc. My sister and I had never even been to a city, so it was all pretty impressive.

[onenote]

21. you are right about the "snow" being on your tv. It actually wasn't snowing in DC

during the inauguration. It snowed the day before and into the night,but the snow stopped overnight and it was cold and windy (with blowing snow) but not actually snowing during the inauguration.

[Undercurrent]

27. Not surprised.

It looked like a blizzard on that TV! I can't say I was all that tuned into the actual weather in DC at the time, except that it was obviously very cold with people wearing heavy overcoats, and that JFK was the only man not wearing a hat. He didn't care for hats, and rarely wore one. A hat was still part of men's formal and semi formal wear in those days.

[ScreamingMeemie]

12. That would give my son a 4 day weekend. And he'd be thrilled to

watch with me. As it is, his school is tuning in for the whole thing, which I think is a very good thing.

[Clio the Leo]

13. And Reagans was shut down to a minimum because of the cold....

.... and I've been praying ever since Nov. 5th for no snow for that very reason.

Unfortunately, I forgot to include "balmy" in my request ... but it should be sunny ... I'll take it!!

Whoohoo! Thanks God! :)

[crazylikafox]

14. I remember that too. I think they gave us a long lunch hour & let us go home.

I lived in Pennsylvania. There were no TV's in the school, just radio's. There was a snowstorm, but we didn't usually get off school unless we had at least 18". I remember walking home in the snow to watch in on TV.

[bridgit]

15. Inauguration Day wasn't, so far as I recall, a school holiday. But as a pop culture/media matter...

Nixon/Kennedy was considered the first 'TV presidential election'; so it's not unreasonable to see where people were caught up in that phenom up to and including allowing their children to stay home from school and witness history. Certainly a form a extracurricular activity no doubt, maybe even for school credit :thumbsup: That was 5 years before I was born, older folks would know more about it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QazmVHAO0os

[xxqqqzme]

16. January 20,1961 was a Friday.

Maybe some parents allowed their kids to stay home. This was before the nixon 4 day holiday weekends & MLK was still alive.

[onenote]

17. You may have had snow on your tv, but it had stopped snowing in DC for the JFK inauguration

I was actually there. It snowed like crazy the afternoon and night before, but the snow stopped by the morning. It was damn cold though.

Here's a detailed description of the weather situation before and during JFK's inauguration.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/capitalweathergang/2009/01/inauguration_weather_the_case.html

[Raven]

23. Memories...when I close my eyes I see snow on that day...must have

been out my own window at home. Wasn't everybody bundled up at the Ceremony though or did I imagine that too? :-)

[onenote]

24. you're absolutely right about how cold it was

it was only around 20 degrees with strong winds that made it feel like it was single digits. The snow you remember may well have been blowing snow (as opposed to falling snow).

A lot of people "mis-remember" the snow, maybe because of the blowing snow. I remember because I was eight, living in the DC burbs and the inauguration was a big deal in our household. Its the first time I remember seeing my mom and dad in formal wear (they went to a ball).

[marlakay]

19. we had a tv in my classroom nt

[ecstatic]

22. So what time should one begin watching coverage?

I think I'm going to watch with my family on their big screen.

[EraOfResponsibility]

26. Many channels are starting coverage early in the morning

like 6am, maybe even earlier. Because of the train ride.

[ddeclue]

25. Nope... it used to be in March until the 20th century when it got pushed forward to January.

Originally the dates were in March because when the Constitution was written the roads were poor and bad weather made them impassable.

Roads got better throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries and rail, air, and ship transportation all likewise improved dramatically so the Constitution was amended to reduce the time between election day and inauguration day to reduce the length of the so-called "lame duck" window.

Neither day however has ever been a holidy.

It would be nice though.

:)