Inauguration Day technology

Inauguration 1/20/21

I love Inauguration Day. I love the colors, the pageantry, the traditions. Depending on whether my candidate of choice is the one giving the address, I love the speeches. It always feels like a holiday to me, and I normally spend a good half of the day glued to the TV. As I watched Joe Biden and Kamala Harris be sworn in, I thought about how, despite the heightened security and social distancing, technology still allowed this to feel somewhat like a typical Inauguration. Indeed, when closely-cropped camera angles were used, you didn’t get the sense that this Inauguration was any different until the camera panned out.

This got me thinking of an article that I read a few years ago regarding technology on Inauguration Day. It describes the evolution of the technology used on this momentous day. For example, it wasn’t until Thomas Jefferson’s inauguration that the inaugural address was even known by the public. He sent his address in advance to The National Intelligencer, so that it could be published after the ceremony. And, in 1857, at James Buchanan’s inauguration, the general public finally got to see the Inauguration. A photo was taken of his swearing in. In 1925, Calvin Coolidge’s address was broadcasted over the radio, and in 1949 Truman’s inauguration was broadcasted on TV with audio.

Thinking about myself watching the Inauguration this year; as I switched from my computer, to my phone, to my laptop; it is hard not to be humbled and thankful for the technology we have, which allows us to feel closer to the action (especially at a time when very, very few of us are actually close to the action).