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Inauguration 2013
3:15 pm
Sun January 20, 2013

An Inaugural Memory: President Lincoln's Food Fight

Credit Smithsonian Institution
Menu for Lincoln's 2nd inaugural ball, March 6, 1865
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By editor

Originally published on Tue January 22, 2013 12:27 pm

A recently-published menu for Abraham Lincoln's lavish second inaugural ball in 1865 provides an interesting look at how different the nation celebrated its new president just seven score and eight years ago.

Smoked tongue en geleé and blancmange (a firm custard) shared room on the buffet table with roast turkey and burnt almond ice cream.

As Yale food historian Paul Freedman told Smithsonian Magazine writer Megan Gambino, the cuisine could best be described as "French via England, with some American ingredients."

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The Two-Way
1:06 pm
Sun January 20, 2013

More Bodies Found At Algerian Plant After Standoff Ends

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By Dana Farrington

Originally published on Sun January 20, 2013 1:15 pm

More bodies have been reported found at the gas plant in Algeria where a four-day standoff with Islamist militants came to a bloody end on Saturday. An Algerian security official tells the AP that the state of the bodies makes it difficult to tell whether the dead are hostages or attackers.

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The Two-Way
12:50 pm
Sun January 20, 2013

Obama Takes Oath Of Office In White House Ceremony

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Credit Larry Downing / AP
President Obama is officially sworn in Sunday by Chief Justice John Roberts in the Blue Room of the White House. Next to Obama are first lady Michelle Obama, holding the Robinson Family Bible, and their daughters, Malia and Sasha.
Credit Larry Downing / AP
President Obama is officially sworn-in Sunday by Chief Justice John Roberts, as first lady Michelle Obama holds the Robinson family Bible.
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By Krishnadev Calamur

Originally published on Sun January 20, 2013 1:04 pm

President Obama's second term officially begins Sunday: He took the oath of office in an intimate ceremony at the White House, fulfilling the constitutional requirement to take the oath before noon on Jan. 20.

NPR's Ari Shaprio reported on the swearing-in for our Newscast unit. Here's what he said:

"Family and a few close friends gathered in the Blue Room of the White House. The president placed his hand on a family Bible and recited the oath with Chief Justice John Roberts.

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It's All Politics
6:03 am
Sun January 20, 2013

5 Questions About The Inauguration

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Credit Jewel Samad / AFP/Getty Images
Workers seen through a fence adjust American flags on the Capitol during preparations Thursday for the inauguration.
Credit Jewel Samad / AFP/Getty Images
Portable toilets are installed around the U.S. Capitol in preparation for Monday's inauguration. A new app this year will help the crowd follow the event — and even find the closest port-a-potty.
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By editor

Originally published on Tue January 22, 2013 12:28 pm

1) Why Monday?

Inaugural events are sprinkled over three days, with the most important one actually taking place out of the public eye on Sunday. That's when the official oath of office will be administered at the White House, on the date and time (noon on Jan. 20) specified by the Constitution. But because the 20th falls on a Sunday this year, the public festivities, including another oath taking, all happen Monday.

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It's All Politics
6:03 am
Sun January 20, 2013

Presidential Double Take: The Difference Four Years Makes

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Credit Getty Images/AFP / NPR
President Obama seems to have picked up a few gray hairs in the four years since he was sworn in on Jan. 20, 2009 (left). On the right, he's shown in December 2012.
Credit AP / NPR
Here's President Dwight Eisenhower and first lady Mamie on Inauguration Day in 1953 (left) and 1957 (right).
Credit Getty Images/AFP / NPR
President Obama seems to have picked up a few gray hairs in the four years since he was sworn in on Jan. 20, 2009 (left). On the right, he's shown in December 2012.
Credit AP / NPR

President Ronald Reagan posed for an official White House photo during his first year in office (1981, left). On right, he spoke to the nation early in his second term, in February 1986.

Credit AP / NPR

President Bill Clinton's January 1993 official White House photo (left) is stacked up against an image of him being sworn in for a second time on Jan. 20, 1997.

Credit AFP/Getty Images / NPR
President George W. Bush greeted supporters at an inaugural ball in 2001 (left). Four years later, he was sworn in again on Jan. 20, 2005.
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By editor

Originally published on Mon January 21, 2013 3:56 pm

Every president gets sworn in once, but it's a smaller club of presidents who manage to get there twice. Here's a look at some recent presidents who served two terms. See who changed the most (or the least) in four years.

Copyright 2013 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.

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