Subjects – State of the Union/Annual Message
President George Washington delivered his first regular Annual Message to a Joint Session of Congress
January 08, 1790
On this date, George Washington delivered his first regular Annual Message to a Joint Session of Congress.
President John Adams’s Annual Message of 1800
November 22, 1800
On this date, President John Adams delivered his fourth annual message to a Joint Session of the 4th Congress (1799–1801) in the new Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.
President Woodrow Wilson’s 1919 Annual Message
May 20, 1919
On this date, a White House emissary read President Woodrow Wilson’s Annual Message (later known as the State of the Union) to the House.
The first evening Annual Message
January 03, 1936
On this date, during the second session of the 74th Congress (1935–1937), President Franklin D. Roosevelt held the first nighttime Annual Message. “
The first time Congress met for two Joint Sessions in one day
January 06, 1937
On this date, for the first time in congressional history, Congress met for two Joint Sessions in one day.
The first live televised House proceedings
January 03, 1947
The first live television broadcast from the House Chamber occurred during the opening session of the 80th Congress (1947–1949).
President John F. Kennedy’s first State of the Union Address
January 30, 1961
On this date during the 87th Congress (1961–1963), President John F. Kennedy delivered his first State of the Union Address before a Joint Session of Congress.
The first televised evening State of the Union Address
January 04, 1965
On this date, President Lyndon B. Johnson delivered the first televised, evening State of the Union Address.
The beginning of televised House Floor debate
March 19, 1979
The U.S. House of Representatives inaugurated live televised debate on the House Floor.
The memorial of the Challenger
January 28, 1986
On this date, the House of Representatives memorialized the seven astronauts aboard the space shuttle Challenger who perished when the craft exploded shortly after launch that morning.