Pat Shingleton: "Deadly Inaugural Weather"
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Rough weather has often accompanied the inaugural celebrations but not the case today. Pockets of rain are expected with cloudy skies and temperatures in the 50s. In 1841, President Harrison gave a lengthy speech, rode a horse from the Capitol with no hat or overcoat. The newly elected president caught a cold that advanced into pneumonia. In those days antibiotics were not invented and ailments from this condition caused serious complications. President Harrison died a month later. In 1853, President Pierce was sworn in during a blizzard. 0utgoing President Fillmore’s wife was in attendance, caught a cold that developed into pneumonia and also died days later. President Taft's ceremony went inside due to ten inches of snow in 1909. Trees toppled, and streets were clogged as six-thousand workers cleared 58,000 tons of snow. In 1937, F.D.R., rode to the White House in an open car with an inch of water on the floor of the vehicle after a record 1.77" of rain.