When US election was decided two days before inauguration

Here's a history lesson that might interest all those who are complaining about how long it's taking to declare a winner in the United States elections.

During the election of 1876, lawmakers had an election mess on their hands, with a contest between Democrat Samuel Tilden and Republican Rutherford Hayes.

Tilden was one vote short of a win in the electoral college. Four states had electoral disputes - and if Hayes won those, he'd win it all.

Lawmakers appointed a bipartisan commission to decide the winner.

And so came the Compromise of 1877: Hayes won by a margin of one electoral vote after he negotiated with southern Democrats. He promised to have a Democrat in his cabinet and not to intervene in the South.

In return, Democrats would give him the election and give civil rights to their black citizens. (Only one of those two things happened, and hint: it wasn't the latter.)

And so, the election was resolved just two days before Inauguration Day.