Until the ratification of the Twentieth Amendment in 1933, March 4 was the official day for U.S. presidential inaugurations. In celebration of his March 4, 1829, inauguration, President Andrew Jackson invited the American public to the White House. Overwhelming crowds ruined many White House furnishings and forced the new president to make a getaway through a window. Undeterred, Jackson continued to host public parties at the residence.
Today in 1933, Frances Perkins was sworn in as the first female Secretary of Labor. A tireless crusader for progressive worker reform, her life was profoundly influenced when she witnessed the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire.
