Today, the presidential inauguration is held on Jan. 20, but the transfer of power wasn’t always on that day.

Until 1933, the presidential inauguration was set on March 4. The last chief executive to be sworn on that date was Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who was entering the first of his four terms in office.

The decision to move up the inauguration may be summarized in one word: technology. The world was a much larger place in colonial times, and everything moved more slowly.

In a time of limited travel, simply getting the president and public officials to the nation’s capital was a challenge. So was counting up all the votes, before modern voting equipment and reporting methods.

The final Congress under the Articles of Confederation voted on Sept. 12, 1788, to set the inauguration “on the first Wednesday in March.” In 1789, that fell on March 4, the scheduled date for the swearing-in of the first president, George Washington.

A March inauguration fell roughly four months after the November elections, which seemed like enough time. But in 1789, it wasn’t. That year, the country was hammered by a long, tough winter, preventing many congressmen from getting to New York City, then the capital.

As a result, the House and Senate did not have a quorum when they met to count the electoral votes. Washington was ultimately sworn in on April 30.

In 1792, Congress passed legislation to set the date on “the fourth day of March.” The day was also solidified by the wording of the 12th Amendment in 1804, which permitted the election of a president and vice president as a ticket.

That became the date of inauguration for chief executives for 140 years, and produced some of the seminal moments in presidential history. A prime example is the Second Inaugural Address of Abraham Lincoln on March 4, 1865, which has been lauded for both its moral tone and blueprint of the reconciliation of the nation at the end of the Civil War.

The remarkable oration, which is remembered for the phrase “with malice toward none, with charity for all,” lasted only 703 words.

On the other end, William Henry Harrison fell ill on his inauguration day on March 4, 1841, but delivered a one-hour, 40-minute speech – the longest inaugural address in American history – without a hat, gloves or overcoat. He was soaked in a downpour later that day and never recovered, dying exactly one month into his term.

If March 4 fell on a Sunday, then inaugurations were held the next day, on Monday. That happened four times, in 1821, 1849, 1877 and 1917.

But by the early 20th century, the world was changing fast with bursts of technology. As a result, the time between the elections and the inauguration seemed more than necessary.

That caused another problem with the outgoing Congress, as the “lame duck” sessions became uncomfortably long. As early as 1922, Nebraska Sen. George Norris proposed moving the inauguration to an earlier date.

Norris’ efforts failed repeatedly before a sixth attempt evolved into the 20th Amendment, which was ratified on Jan. 23, 1933, and set the presidential inauguration on Jan. 20. The move has been dubbed the “lame duck” amendment, a reference to the departing Congress.

Since then, Jan. 20 has fallen on a Sunday three times: in 1957, 1985 and 2013. In each case, an incumbent president (Eisenhower, Reagan and Obama, respectively) won reelection, and took the Oath of Office in private at the White House on Jan. 20, with a public ceremony the next day.

• Tom Emery is a freelance writer and historical researcher from Carlinville, Illinois. He may be reached at 217-710-8392 or ilcivilwar@yahoo.com.