A look back at inaugural balls past

By Kate Murphy

President-elect Donald Trump is gearing people up to party on Inauguration Day:

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The Presidential Inaugural Committee expects more than 30,000 people to attend the three official inaugural balls. The traditional inauguration day event has been filled with celebrity serenading, dancing and first lady fashion.

But how did the tradition start in the first place?

The first inaugural ball in Washington was thrown in 1809 in honor of James and Dolley Madison at Long’s Hotel.

In the years that followed, it quickly became a highly anticipated event in Washington society.

In 1849, a separate temporary building was constructed in Judiciary Square to accommodate the large guest list for one of Zachary Taylor’s inaugural balls.

For James Buchanan’s inauguration in 1857, multiple inaugural balls were condensed into one grand ball to accommodate thousands of guests, and yet another temporary ballroom was built in Judiciary Square. The fancy occasion included 400 gallons of oysters, 1,200 quarts of ice cream and 60 saddles of mutton… That’s a lot of grub!

In 1913, Woodrow Wilson decided the inaugural ball was inappropriate for the solemn occasion and requested that it be canceled.

In 1921, charity balls became the fashion after Warren G. Harding thought the official ball was too elaborate.

But by 1949, the official ball made a comeback for Harry Truman’s inauguration.

The number of inaugural balls hit an all-time high of 14 for President Bill Clinton’s inauguration in 1997.

President-elect Donald Trump will reportedly attend three official inaugural balls to cap off the big day… a stark contrast to President Obama’s first inauguration in 2009 when he attended 10 inaugural balls.

Watch full live coverage of the inauguration of Donald Trump on Jan. 20, led by Yahoo Global News Anchor Katie Couric on Yahoo.com.