Inauguration trivia: Reagan viewership beat Obama

The Obama inauguration ranks second behind the first Reagan inauguration in 1981, but that’s not exactly how it was reported by the Nielsen Wire which said:

Nearly 37.8 million Americans watching at home viewed President Barack Obama’s oath of office and inaugural speech.

This is the most viewed inauguration since the record of 41.8 million viewers who watched Ronald Reagan’s 1981 inauguration.

In their reluctance to give Reagan credit, it was almost like saying Obama came in second while Reagan came in next to last the way the two were compared.

What makes this comparison quite remarkable is that there were 25% fewer people in the United States in 1981 and yet the Reagan viewership was 10% more.

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