Technological Milestones
On May 24, 1844 (28th Congress), inventor Samuel Morse sent the first official telegraph from the Capitol to his partner in Baltimore, MD. |
In 1880, the first telephone was installed in the House of Representatives lobby. |
On February 8, 1922, President Warren G. Harding was the first person to use the newly installed public address system in the House of Representatives for a radio broadcast when he addressed a Joint Session of Congress in the House Chamber. |
On December 19, 1922 (the 67th Congress), the first live radio broadcast of a House debate covered a constitutional amendment to abolish tax-exempt securities. |
On January 3, 1947, the first live television broadcast from the House Chamber occurred during the opening session of the 80th Congress (1947–1949). |
On January 23, 1973 (the 93rd Congress), the first electronic vote was held in the House Chamber. The vote was a 15 minute roll call vote of Members, which prior to the electronic system took on average 30 to 45 minutes. |
On March 19, 1979, the House of Representatives inaugurated the first live televised proceedings of debate on the House Floor. Both the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) and C-SPAN picked up the House feed and broadcast the House proceedings to the public. The first Member to speak before the television cameras was Representative Albert Gore Jr. of Tennessee |
