Did You Know: Inaugural Transportation
The outgoing president plays host to the incoming president on Inauguration Day - a custom that dates to the late 19th century. The two then ride to the Capitol together, but it's not always a friendly trip. Herbert Hoover and Franklin Delano Roosevelt didn't speak.
How they got there
George Washington rode to his inauguration in a carriage pulled by four horses. Thomas Jefferson was the only president ever to walk to and from his inaugural. Warren G. Harding, the first president to know how to drive, was also the first to ride to his inaugural in a car -- a Packard Twin Six. William Howard Taft was the first president to be accompanied by his wife in the procession from the Capitol to the White House.
Walking to work
Jimmy Carter was the only president to walk the entire parade route. The first President Bush and President Clinton walked part of theirs.
A new ride for a new president
When the inaugural parade makes its way down Pennsylvania Avenue, the newly sworn-in President Obama will be riding in a new and improved presidential limousine.
The specially designed vehicle, manufactured by General Motors, features bulletproof glass, armor several inches thick and a sealed-off interior to protect the president against a chemical attack.