 |
Calvin Coolidge stands next to radio equipment used on automobiles during the presidential campaign in 1924
|
|
|
|
President Harding Installed a Radio in the White House
February 8, 1922
February 8, 1922, was a big day at the White House. On this day President Harding had a radio installed. At the time, radio was the hottest technology there was, and the White House was on the cutting edge. Almost two years later, Calvin Coolidge, who followed Harding, was the first president to broadcast from the White House. Coolidge's address for Washington's Birthday was heard on 42 stations from coast to coast.Before that historic broadcast, radio had played a big role in Coolidge's victory in the 1924 presidential election. The night before the election, Coolidge made history when the largest radio audience ever tuned in to the broadcast of his final campaign speech. Coolidge won the election easily, and in March, Americans listened for the first time to their president take the oath of office on the radio.
page 1 of 3
|
