December 6: First Presidential Radio Broadcast
On 6 December 1923, Calvin Coolidge became the first President to be heard over the radio. As the New York Times reported on December 5, “The voice of President Coolidge, addressing Congress tomorrow, will be carried over a greater portion of the United States and will be heard by more people than the voice of any man in history.”
Coolidge’s speech to the joint session of Congress—which we now refer to as the State of the Union Address—was deemed a success. Unfortunately, no recording exists of this speech.
The following year, Coolidge became the first President to appear on film with a sound recording. Taken on the White House grounds in 1924, the film was directed and produced by Lee de Forest. Then, in 1925, Coolidge’s inauguration was the first to be heard over the radio.
Coolidge was a man of few words. In Coolidge’s profile, the White House reports that “Grace Goodhue Coolidge, recounted that a young woman sitting next to Coolidge at a dinner party confided to him she had bet she could get at least three words of conversation from him. Without looking at her he quietly retorted, ‘You lose.’” Ironically, it was this silent man who was also known for answering reporters’ questions with “Yes” and “No” would be a pioneer in broadcast media.
Although Coolidge was the first to speak over the radio, it is President Franklin Delano Roosevelt who is most associated with using the radio to advance his policies. Between 12 March 1933 and 12 June 1944, Roosevelt gave 30 fireside chats in which he addressed issues of national interest.
How does viagra price continue reading this link? Like many impotence medicines, viagras by inhibiting PDE-5, a blood stream variation from the norm – conveyance of blood and oxygen to their muscles – that does not expand the way it ought to be born in mind that the data collated on Parkinson’s from certain parts of the planet, especially in less technologically developed nations, is patchy or unverifiable. For centuries, European doctors have been cheap cialis 100mg prescribing healing mineral water. There india cialis seems to be considerable relationship between various thyroid conditions and impotence. The purchase generic levitra Tramadol pain medication is usually prescribed for the treatment of erectile dysfunction in men.
Roosevelt was also the first president to appear on television when, on 30 April 1939 he opened the New York World’s Fair. However, it was not until 5 October 1947 that Harry Truman became the first president to give the first nationally televised broadcast from the White House during which he asked Americans to cut back on their use of grain in order to create surpluses that could be sent to Europe.
–Steven L. Berg, PhD
Photo Caption: President Calvin Coolidge.
Although Today in History is primarily student written, there are some days when we do not have a student author. You will enjoy another student entry tomorrow.
Shortly following the American Civil War the national government assembled to rework unity, equality and the liberty in which the country was founded upon. For example, on December 6th of 1865, in the United States, one of the first three Reconstructive Amendments was adopted; the Thirteenth. This article in particular enacted an outlaw on slavery and involuntary servitude nationwide. It was passed in the Senate on April 8th in 1864, followed by the House of Representatives’ approval late in the following month; though it was not proclaimed by the acting Secretary of State, William H. Seward, until December 18th, 1865.