Inaugural tradition

It used to be that every president to be sworn in arrived at the ceremony wearing a top hat, which was considered a necessary part of very formal attire at least into the 1950's. I remember thinking Eisenhower looked funny in one. John Kennedy had one, and looked okay in it, but he didn't wear it for long. He mostly waved it to the crowd on the way to the ceremony with Eisenhower. The reporters spent a good deal of time discussing how Kennedy being bare-headed was a symbol of change. Thankfully Lyndon Johnson did not reestablish the tradition. The top hat was out of fashion thanks to Kennedy and no one was in a hurry to see it make a comeback. So it was interesting to see the variety of head gear among the officials yesterday. But as has been the tradition since Kennedy, the new President arrived bare-headed despite the cold.