The State of the Union
- The U.S. Constitution requires that "the President shall from time to time give to Congress information of the State of the Union..."
- George Washington delivered the first annual message to Congress on January 8, 1790.
- Thomas Jefferson decided to issue the message in writing instead of delivering a speech.
- The written tradition continued until Woodrow Wilson in 1913.
- Calvin Coolidge's 1923 address was the first one broadcast on radio.
- Franklin D. Roosevelt first called the speech a "State of the Union" address in 1934.
- Harry S. Truman delivered the first televised address in 1947.