• The State Of The Union is an annual speech given by the President of the United States. The speech, given to a joint session of Congress, assesses the current situation of the country and outlines the President's legislative proposals for the next year.

• 1. First State of the Union: January 8, 1790 by George Washington
  2. Usually in January, with a few exceptions
  3. Generally not given in an Inauguration year

• Timeline

  1. 1790: Washington delivers first "President's Annual Message"
  2. 1801: Thomas Jefferson delivers his message in a written format, ending spoken format
  3. 1913: Woodrow Wilson becomes first President in over a century to present his message as a speech
  4. 1923: Calvin Coolidge gives first message broadcast over radio
  5. 1935: Franklin D. Roosevelt coins the term "State of the Union"
  6. 1947: Harry Truman gives first televised State of the Union address

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