+Famous Televised Presidential Addresses

+Famous Televised Presidential Addresses

Notable televised presidential addresses. In a day where television reporting is widespread, it’s hard to think back to a time when it was a new method of reaching the public. In honor of the 60th anniversary of President Harry Truman’s first coast-to-coast live broadcast, we take a look at his and other notable, televised speeches.

President Truman

Date:  Sept. 4, 1951

Topic: Treaty officially ending World War II

The details: Speaking at a San Francisco conference,President Harry S. Truman accepted a treaty that led to peace with Japan officially. The speech was broadcasted usingmicrowave technology to 87 stations in 47 cities across the nation.

President Eisenhower

Date:  Jan. 17, 1961

Topic:  Farewell address

With a speech in which he warned the public about the “military-industrial complex”, President Dwight D. Eisenhower gave his parting address, after two terms in office. The former World War II hero spoke from the White House’s Oval Office.

President Kennedy

Date:  Oct. 22, 1962

Topic:  Cuban Missile Crisis

President John F. Kennedy spoke to the nation about nuclear missile sites discovered in Cuba and how the U.S. was planning to stop the Soviet Union from bringing more military supplies into the island country. After a short, tense  naval blockade of Cuba, the U.S. and Soviet Union reached an agreement to end the dispute.

President Johnson

Date:  March 15, 1965

Topic:  Civil Rights Movement

A week after the death of minister and civil rights activist James J. Reeb in Selma, Alabama (map it),President Lyndon B. Johnson (photos) spoke to Congress and the American public. Five months after the address, LBJ signed this act, demolishing discriminatory voting practices such as literary tests and poll taxes.

President Nixon

Date:  Aug. 8, 1974

Topic:  His resignation from office

President Richard Nixon announced on national television that he was resigning as U.S. president. His resignation came after a political scandal tainted his presidency.

President Ford

Date:  August 9, 1974

Topic:  His remarks after being sworn-in

It was a day that marked the beginning and end of two presidential careers. Following Richard Nixon’s resignation, Vice President Gerald Ford was sworn in as the 38^th president of the United States. He said this famous line in his remarks after taking the oath of office.

President Carter

Date:  July 15, 1979

Topic:  The energy crisis and the nation’s ”crisis of confidence”

In this televised address, President Jimmy Carter encouraged each American to conserve energy as “an act of patriotism.” His speech is also referred to as the ”malaise” speech, although the term was never included in the address.

President Reagan

Date:  June 12, 1987

In his speech commemorating the 750th anniversary of Berlin at the Brandenburg Gate, President Ronald Reagan challenged Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.

President Bush

Date:  Sept. 11, 2001

Topic:  The 9/11 attacks

 President George W. Bush addressed the nation following the terrorist attacks in Washington D.C. and New York City. This line from his speech stood out to many following the address.

President Obama

Date:  January 20, 2009

Topic:  Inaugural Address

Barack Obama, the United States’ first African-American president, moved listeners with his inaugural address. A record number of people attended the event.

Source: MSN