Beginning in 1844, electronic technology fashioned an information transformation
in Congress. Five technologies revolutionized the way information was disseminated
from the halls of the House of Representatives to constituents in their districts:
telegraph, telephone, radio, television, and computer. Samuel Morse sent the first
telegraph message from the Capitol to Baltimore, MD.
Later some of the Nation's first telephone lines were
placed in Washington, D.C. The House was more cautious about embracing
radio and television on the House Floor. Although
special events were occasionally televised, the first broadcast of legislative proceedings
did not take place until 1977. The computer revolution spread around the world in
the 1990s and the House of Representatives was quick to join in 1993 with the first
Internet, e-mail constituent service. In the more than
150 years since Congress embraced electronic technology to communicate with the
country each development has made the legislative process more accessible to Americans.
To learn more about
the history of technology in the U.S. House of Representatives from those who were
instrumental in its implementation, visit Oral History
of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Winston Churchill earned the distinction of being the only foreign leader to address
Congress three times. In this 1943 Joint Meeting, network microphones surround the
podium. Image courtesy of Library of Congress