US President Barack Obama is putting a symbolic twist on a time-honoured tradition, taking the oath of office for his second term with his hand placed not on a single Bible, but two — one owned by Martin Luther King Jr and one by Abraham Lincoln.

The inclusion of King’s Bible is particularly significant since the inauguration comes on January 21, the federal holiday in honour of the civil rights leader, who delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech 50 years ago at the Lincoln Memorial.