There is a long history of U.S. Presidents making use of new communication technologies to campaign, advocate, and connect. Here are a few Presidential firsts:
Abraham Lincoln was the first to make widespread use of the telegraph. He had to leave the White House and walk next door to the War Department to send a message.
William McKinley was the first President to be captured on film in 1896, in what today we would call a campaign ad.
Warren Harding was the first President to give a speech over radio, in 1922.
Franklin Roosevelt was the first President to appear on television, in a broadcast from the 1939 World’s Fair.
Bill Clinton was the first President to launch a website in 1994. The site is archived by the National Archives. He was also the first President to send an email, though he later stated that he sent a total of two messages while in office.
Barack Obama was the first President to tweet, though not as @POTUS. During a 2010 visit to the headquarters of the Red Cross, a Red Cross staffer asked the President to press “Update” on a tweet they wrote about his visit.Entefy’s enFacts are illuminating nuggets of information about the intersection of communications, artificial intelligence, security and cyber privacy, and the Internet of Things. Have an idea for an enFact? We would love to hear from you.