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This Week in House History
The historical highlights featured in This Week in House History are written by the historians, archivists, and curators who preserve the history of the U.S House of Representatives. New highlights are added weekly. The collection, searchable by date or subject, includes more than 400 historical House events.
First Live Radio Broadcast of House Debate
December 19, 1922
On this date, the first live radio broadcast of a House debate transpired. In 1922, two years after the earliest commercial radio broadcast in the United States, Representative Vincent Brennan sponsored path-breaking legislation to promote the use of radio in Congress.
General George Washington Resigns Military Commission
December 12, 1908
On this date, in one of the nation’s great acts of statesmanship, General George Washington voluntarily resigned his military commission to the Continental Congress at the State House in Annapolis, Maryland, returning to private life at his Mount Vernon plantation.
First Capitol Christmas Tree
December 24, 1913
On this date, thousands of people flocked to the U.S. Capitol to celebrate Washington’s first “community Christmas.” The centerpiece of the festivities, a 40-foot Norway spruce Christmas tree located on the East Front plaza of the Capitol, was adorned with red, white, and blue electric bulbs.
Congress Holds Rare Christmas Eve Session
December 17, 1805
On this date, the House of Representatives capped off one of the longest continuous sessions in congressional history on the eve of a national holiday. The pre-dawn, Christmas Eve proceedings, which included the swearing in of newly elected Congressman J.J. (Jake) Pickle, focused on a foreign aid bill with an amendment to authorize wheat sales to the Soviet Union.