This Day in History: One Small Step for a President, One Huge Leap for Digital Communications at the White House

Author: 
Coverage Type: 

On December 6, 1923, President Calvin Coolidge took one small step for a president and one huge leap for communications at the White House.

On this day in history, President Coolidge became the first president to address the American people on broadcast radio. President Coolidge delivered a message about national priorities and the state of the nation to a joint session of Congress. Nowadays, that speech is known as the State of the Union address. Over the years, technology has greatly changed the way Presidents deliver the State of the Union address. We've moved from broadcast radio to television, and now the Internet.

Here's a timeline of some of the digital "firsts" when it comes to the State of the Union address:

  • President Calvin Coolidge in 1923: First radio broadcast of the address
  • President Harry Truman in 1947: First televised broadcast of the address
  • President George W. Bush in 2002: First live webcast on the Internet of the address
  • President Barack Obama in 2011: First to live-tweet the address

This Day in History: One Small Step for a President, One Huge Leap for Digital Communications at the White House