Chief Justice Warren E. Burger administered the presidential oath of office to Reagan, who placed his hand upon a family Bible given to him by his mother, open to 2 Chronicles 7:14.

[2][6][7] The Reverend Donn Moomaw, pastor of the Bel Air Presbyterian Church in Los Angeles, where Reagan and his wife, Nancy, worshipped, gave the invocation and benediction at the ceremony, and said: "We thank you, O God, for the release of our hostages.

[2] President Reagan was about to have lunch with congressional leaders in Statuary Hall in the Capitol after the inauguration ceremony when he was informed that the plane carrying the hostages had left Iranian airspace.

[8] People wrapped the country in yellow ribbons, plastered freedom messages on billboards, and started preparations for welcoming the freed hostages home.

[11] The Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor was bathed in light,[8] the Empire State Building lit in red, white, and blue, and the Boston Fire Department sounded gongs to hail deliverance of the hostages.

The ceremony was hosted by Johnny Carson and included performances from Bob Hope, Jimmy Stewart, Ben Vereen, Ethel Merman, Charlton Heston, Rich Little, and Frank Sinatra.