What is the reason we are not having the inauguration day events today?

[NYC Liberal]

96. Interesting story: Hayes was actually sworn in a day early.

This was after the highly controversial election in 1876 against Tilden when a Congressional commission resolved the dispute over a number of electoral votes and gave Hayes all of them, allowing him to win by one vote.

Monroe and Taylor were actually sworn in for the first time a day late when their inaugurations fell on a Sunday. They didn't even take the oath privately; they simply waited. This was the tradition.

So for Hayes, the plan was to do the same thing. However, there were rumors going around that Tilden was planning to take the oath, sworn in by a judge on that Sunday and declare himself president before Hayes could take the oath.

This was not long after the Civil War, so Grant (who was leaving office) and others were quite afraid of what might happen if this occurred. So Hayes was invited to the White House a day early, on Saturday March 3, and took the oath then -- in secret. He took it again in the public ceremony on the following Monday.