Happy Joe Biden Day! Today is the first full day as president of the United States of America for Joseph R. Biden Jr., and as vice president for Kamala Harris.

Biden hit the ground running. His signing of more than one executive order on the day of his inauguration was a first; only two or three brand-new presidents had signed even one on Inauguration Day—he signed a stack of 15, most reversing executive orders of his immediate predecessor.

He is the first president to be both the father of a former state attorney general (the late Joseph R. “Beau” Biden III) and the president who as a candidate had chosen a former state attorney general (Harris) as his running mate. Moreover, Harris and the younger Biden were friends.

Biden is the first president having a son (the late Beau Biden) who had served in the Armed Forces in a continuing war begun during the administration of a recent predecessor as president (George W. Bush).

He is the first president in recent history who as a young lawyer considered himself closer to the major political party other than the one he became a member of.

President Biden is the first in recent memory to have run for the office out of a sense of duty, having felt or been persuaded that he would be the only nominee of his party who could defeat an incumbent from the other major party whom he sensed was a threat to the Republic and to the world. At his age he would probably much rather be the father of a could-be future president (Beau Biden) than president himself.

He is one of the individuals most experienced in national politics and government in recent history to assume the presidency, joining Presidents Nixon and George H.W. Bush in that group.

Biden is the first known president who every day has carried Rosary beads in his pocket.

He is the first president in recent years to be known as a past senator who routinely commuted to Washington by train.

Biden is the first Democrat since 2008 for whom this blogger voted for president even though he hardly needed the extra vote in Massachusetts.

— Mark Channing Miller