WASHINGTON, D.C., USA — Being sworn in-- it's something our nation's Constitution requires of every president and vice president before officially taking their post.
It all started with President George Washington back in 1789 when he was sworn in as the first president of the United States and John Adams as vice president.
The event took place in New York, a scene different than the one we see today at the U.S. Capitol, where Washington used a Bible from St. John's Masonic Lodge to take his oath of office.
According to the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies (JCCIC), the Bible was opened at random "due to haste" and well, the rest is history.
Since our nation's first swearing-in ceremony, the use of a Bible has become a staple for some of our nation's leaders.
For example, Washington's Bible became a popular choice for his successors with former presidents Warren G. Harding, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Jimmy Carter, and George H.W. Bush using it during their inaugurations, according to the National Park Service.
The Bible President Abraham Lincoln took his oath of office on was brought back into circulation by our 44th and 45th presidents. President Barack Obama used it in both his 2009 and 2013 ceremonies, while President Donald Trump used it as one of the two Bibles involved in his 2017 inauguration.
But not every president has used the religious text while taking the oath of office.
President John Quincy Adams said he used a volume of law to take his oath. While presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Lyndon B. Johnson's ceremonies went without a Bible due to the fast pace nature in which they came to take office.
Now, it's President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris' turn.
Speaking to CBS late-night television host, Stephen Colbert, Joe Biden shared he will keep up the tradition of using his family's Bible from 1893 when he is sworn in on Jan. 20. The religious text has caught the eye of many over the years due to its size.
"Its just been a family heriloom on the Biden side of the family and every important date is in there," he told Colbert.
His wife and future first lady Dr. Jill Biden will hold the Bible during the ceremony.
As for Harris, she plans to use two bibles, one of which belonged to the first Black Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, according to the Associated Press. The outlet also reports the first Black, South Asian and female vice president will take her oath of office from Justice Sonia Sotomayor, the Supreme Court's first Latina justice.
- Watch: Engine problem forces pilot to make beach landing near Bilmar hotel
- Former Florida coronavirus data worker says she plans to turn herself in to police
- WrestleMania 37 heading to Tampa in 2021
- Trump impeachment: Where Florida's 2 senators stand
- Experts say invasive pythons hold a key COVID-19 vaccine ingredient
- Inauguration Day 2021: What we know about the plans so far
►Breaking news and weather alerts: Get the free 10 Tampa Bay app
►Stay In the Know! Sign up now for the Brightside Blend Newsletter