From George Washington to Trump, coverage of the inauguration has changed as technology has changed

Millions of people across the country are expected to listen to the president-elect Trump’s inauguration for the second time. Television networks, online publications and social media are preparing for this big event. The way the inauguration was presented to the public has changed radically over the years.

“We must think big and dream bigger,” Trump said during his first inaugural address in 2017.

Tens of millions of people watched his maiden speech in real time – whether on television or via webcast. but Opening titles and analysis of sermons were not always immediately available. In 1789, when George Washington was first sworn into office, his speech was not available to the public until several days later.

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Thomas Jefferson became the first president to have his inaugural address printed in a newspaper on the same day he delivered his speech in 1801. The National Intelligence Service printed the speech on the morning of Jefferson’s inauguration.

James Polk was the first president to have his speech reported by telegraph. It was also the first time a letter had been featured in a newspaper illustration by the Illustrated London News.

The graphics were Main image of the opening For another 12 years, until photography became more widely used. James Buchanan was the first president to have his photograph taken while taking the oath of office. Another 40 years later, video was used to record the inauguration for the public.

William McKinley was the first president to appear in front of a movie camera during his inaugural address in 1901. Silent films were only available at the time, but that changed over the years when inaugural addresses began to include sound.

In 1921, Warren Harding was the first to use loudspeakers to personally address the crowd attending his inauguration. Four years later, Calvin Coolidge was the first to have his inauguration broadcast nationally on radio. The White House Historical Association estimates that his 1925 speech reached more than 23 million radio listeners. Herbert Hoover introduced the first multimedia editorial. His 1929 speech was the first to be recorded on a talking newsreel.

“It is dedication and consecration under God to the highest position in the service of our people,” Hoover said during his speech.

After World War IIAn increasing number of Americans have purchased televisions for their homes. By 1949, nearly all major cities had at least one local television station, and 4.2 million American homes were equipped with televisions. Harry Truman became the first president to have his inauguration broadcast live that year. More than a decade later, JFK broadcast his speech in color to about 500,000 Americans who owned color televisions.

“Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country,” Kennedy said in his inaugural address.

Ronald Reagan He sought to bring inauguration celebrations to Americans across the country. Its inaugural committee hosted about 100 satellite inaugural ceremonies that were broadcast in 32 cities.

“Nearly 200 years ago, at the first inauguration, people came by bus,” Reagan said during a gala dinner at the Washington Hilton Hotel. “And this time, people all over America, millions of people, are attending this ceremony via satellite.”

After more than a decade, Bill Clinton’s second inauguration In 1997 it was available online via live streaming. Clinton had signed the Communications Act of 1996 just a year earlier at the Library of Congress.

“Ten years ago, the Internet was an obscure domain for physicists,” Clinton said during his inaugural address. “Today, it is a popular encyclopedia for millions of school children.” “As we look back at this remarkable century, we may ask: Can we hope not only to follow, but even to surpass, the achievements of the twentieth century in America?”

As the Internet has grown, the use of social media has also expanded.

“We have always understood that when times change, so must we,” Barack Obama said in his second inaugural address in 2013.

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Obama was the first president To join Twitter. His 2013 speech generated more than a million tweets. According to Pew Research Center research, about 51% of Americans owned a smartphone at the time. When Trump was sworn in in 2017, that percentage rose to 77%. Cell phone carriers installed extracellular antennas ahead of the address for the massive crowd, which will share photos and videos from the day’s events on social media.

when Joe Biden gave his address In 2021, its inaugural committee relied on technology for nearly every aspect of the event. The coronavirus pandemic has forced much of Biden’s celebrations to move online.

“The world is watching all of us today,” Biden said during his speech. “So, this is my message to those beyond our borders: America has been tested, and we have emerged stronger.”