For the 59th time since 1789, the United States is marking the inauguration of a new president.

The tradition dates back to George Washington, with rituals that developed and evolved over time. Like everything else in history, there have been highs and lows along the way.

For the highwater mark, many people consider it a tie between Lincoln’s 2nd inauguration in 1865 and John F. Kennedy’s nearly a century later. Both inaugural addresses are among the most eloquent ever delivered. With the Civil War’s end in sight, Lincoln’s rhetoric reached soaring heights: “With malice toward none; with charity for all …” Likewise, Kennedy hit a home run with his speech: “Ask not what your country can do for you…”

The low point came in 1873, when Ulysses S. Grant took the presidential oath for the 2nd time. That was because his March 4 inauguration (Inauguration Day was held on that date until 1937, when it was moved to January 20) was the second coldest on record. A late winter blast plunged the mercury to 16 degrees Fahrenheit at noon—and things only got worst from there. But it wasn’t enough to make the Victor of Appomattox reschedule the festivities.

Grant stubbornly plowed ahead as planned, taking oath on the Capitol’s east front on the coldest March day ever recorded in Washington. A windchill of -16 degrees tormented the hardy souls who shivered through a totally forgettable inaugural address.

President Grant and the first lady made the ceremonial ride back to the White House in the inaugural parade. However, the West Point cadets and US Naval Academy midshipmen who followed them hadn’t been provided thick overcoats; the ordeal made several youths collapse from hypothermia. But Grant did contribute one bit of presidential trivia: He became the first president to review his inaugural parade from in front of the White House. However, the inauguration’s biggest debacle was yet to come.

Ever since James Madison took the oath in 1809, Inauguration Day has always concluded with a gala ball, the social high point of the new president’s first day in office. The event became so popular, Andrew Jackson needed 2 balls to accommodate everyone in 1833. It grew to 3 for William Henry Harrison’s 1841 inaugural. Grant’s first inaugural ball was held in the massive Treasury Department building in 1869, and even it couldn’t hold everyone. So, event organizers thought bigger in 1873. Much bigger.

They built a temporary wooden structure in Judiciary Square. That way all the merrymakers could be accommodated. But there just one problem, and it was a big one. The building had no heating system. Perhaps planners thought thousands of people crammed together under one roof would provide enough body heat to keep everyone warm. And on a normal March 4 that might have worked. But not on the night of March 4, 1873, when the temperature plummeted to a dangerous 4 degrees.

Washington’s social elites bundled up as best they could. But no amount of fur coats was enough. There wasn’t much dancing; the weather was so cold, most of the band’s musical instruments froze and couldn’t be played. Refreshment were sparse, too, since champagne froze inside bottles and food was turned into blocks of ice.

The worst part, however, was the dead birds. Some organizer had the bright idea that hundreds of canaries chirping away in cages suspended overhead would make the night seem magical. Instead, the bitterly cold temperatures froze many birds to death. More than 100 canary corpses fell onto horrified ballgoers.

By midnight, everyone had had enough. Back then, inaugural balls often lasted into the wee hours. But not that night. It was all just too much. Revelers gave up, bid their adieus and hurried home to thaw out.

And so ended the most disastrous inauguration in presidential history. Sadly, it turned out to be fitting start for Grant’s 2nd term, which is also considered one of the most disastrous of all time. From rampant corruption in high places (though Grant himself was personally honest) to an ugly end to Reconstruction, it was one crisis after another.

What bits of Inauguration Day trivia will be made in the future? No one knows for sure. But this much is certain: When the pomp of the presidency is celebrated on Inauguration Day, something interesting will also happen. Count on it.

Have comments, questions or suggestions you’d like to share with Mark? Message him at jmp.press@gmail.com.