Photo from Library of Congress

A full century ago, President Woodrow Wilson was sworn in for his first term. But those 1913 festivities were plenty different to what we’re experiencing today, when President Obama will take the oath of office for his second term.

First off, Wilson’s inauguration took place on March 4. Why? Because until the 20th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified in 1933, that’s when inaugural festivities took place. The date helped with the weather: it was a pleasant 55 degrees at noon.

Second, it was smaller—some 250,000 people were estimated to have attended. But if you consider that personal mobility was much more limited back then—the majority were reported to have come in by train—that’s still pretty impressive.

Third, things were a little less strictly controlled and secured. At one point, the Post described Pennsylvania Avenue as being a “riot of noise and enthusiasm” and said that “thousands gayly paraded the electrically emblazoned street” the night before the inauguration. Still, there wasn’t a whole lot of official celebrating: Wilson suspended the official inaugural ball (the first time such a move had been made since 1853), saying that he felt it was inappropriate for the solemn occasion.

Fourth, his speech was relatively short—1,699 words, compared to the 2,406 that Obama spoke during his 2009 inauguration. Nothing compares to William Henry Harrison’s marathon speech in 1841: 8,000 words. Yikes.