Facts and Trivia – U.S. Presidential Annual Messages

Tradition and history continue to abound and prevail in the politics of United States of America. Here a few facts and trivia as presented by cnn.com

• The idea of a State of Union address originated from a British monarchy ritual.
• Harry Truman delivered the longest State of the Union in 1946 at 25,000 words; George Washington in 1790 delivered the shortest at 833 words.
• On January 8, 1790 George Washington delivered the first “annual message” at Federal Hall in New York.
• Inviting surprise guests to sit in the House Gallery began in 1982. Ronald Reagan recognized Lenny Skutnick, who pulled a survivor out of the frozen Potomac River in Washington, D.C., after an Air Florida plane crashed. The guests sit in the first lady’s box. See who is expected to sit in First Lady Michelle Obama’s box for the first Presidential Address of President Barak Obama to the joint session of Congress.

Check out some interesting facts and trivia about similar historical addresses to Congress…click here

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