Ronald Reagan

Did you know Ulysses S. Grant’s inauguration was so cold that the champagne froze? Or that Richard Nixon accidentally poisoned all the pigeons along his parade route? These are just a few of the weirdest moments in inauguration history. And because ice cream is a favorite treat of President-elect Joe Biden, we’re telling these stories through sundaes.

As much of the country prepares for the unexpected on Inauguration Day, here are a few of the umm… weirder and lesser known facts about that special day that may have escaped your attention.

Dick Thornburgh served as Governor of Pennsylvania from 1979-1987 and later served as U.S. Attorney General in Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush’s administrations.

John Hinckley is seeking an “unconditional release” from court supervision just months before the 40th anniversary of his attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan. In a court hearing Wednesday, an attorney for Hinckley asked a D.C. federal judge to promptly schedule a hearing on whether to remove restrictions on Hinckley.

President Donald Trump awarded Edwin Meese III with the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his leadership within the conservative movement. In his acceptance speech, Meese showed his support for the current Attorney General William Barr saying, “I understand what you’re going through now.”

A Florida middle school teacher has been reassigned after a quiz given to students referred to President Donald Trump as an “idiot.”

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. is seeking to raise $1 million in 24 hours to make an impact on the nation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities on Monday. The Chicago-based sorority is celebrating its second AKA Impact Day on Sept. 16 by raising the money for the AKA-HBCU Endowment Fund. The fundraising drive comes as some HBCUs are reportedly facing...

The man who tried to assassinate President Ronald Reagan is interested in getting a job in the music industry, possibly in California.

Lizbeth De La Cruz Santana returned Friday to the Mexican beach where her father entered the U.S. illegally before she was born, this time to put final touches on a mural of adults who came to the U.S. illegally as young children and were deported. Visitors who hold up their phones to the painted faces are taken to a website...

The disappearance of 12-year-old Jonelle Matthews shortly after singing “Jingle Bells” with classmates at a 1984 Christmas concert stunned this rural town in northern Colorado. Her case attracted the attention of the White House, and came at a time when the faces of missing children across the nation were being placed on milk cartons. On Thursday, police announced that human...

A college student pleaded guilty Tuesday to sneaking into Mar-a-Lago during President Donald Trump’s Thanksgiving visit in a manner similar to how a Chinese national gained admission four months later. University of Wisconsin student Mark Lindblom apologized Tuesday and received a year’s probation after federal prosecutors agreed he meant no harm when he sneaked into the Palm Beach...

A new exhibition in Washington, D.C. created by the Tiffany & Co. Archives features jewelry worn by presidents and their wives.

To celebrate the opening of the first Tiffany & Co. store in Washington, D.C., the company has pulled out a collection of gems, jewels and gifts owned by former presidents and first ladies. News4’s Pat Lawson Muse took an inside look at the jewelry.

The daughter of a librarian and our resident bookworm, Jenna’s a wealth of knowledge when it comes to the best new reads. Now, she wants to share her passion with TODAY fans.

The man who tried to assassinate President Ronald Reagan told mental health professionals last year that he’s “happy as a clam” living with his mother and older brother in Virginia.

The U.S. military said Tuesday that five missing crew members have been declared dead after their refueling plane collided with a fighter jet last week off Japan’s southern coast, and that search and recovery operations have been halted. The five were on a KC-130 Hercules refueling aircraft that collided last Thursday with an F/A-18 Hornet during regular training. The warplanes...

The U.S. Marine Corps said in a statement released Friday that Capt. Jahmar F. Resilard of Miramar died in the Thursday crash.

News4’s Barbara Harrison met George H.W. Bush well before he was elected President and tells of her time getting to know the Bushes over the years.

A man who passengers said made anti-Semitic statements aboard a Delta Air Lines flight was arrested.

A D.C. man who passengers said made anti-Semitic statements aboard a flight to Atlanta was arrested Wednesday.