Coolidge First President to Make a Speech on Radio

On This Day in History: Calvin Coolidge First President to Make a Speech on Radio


On this day, February 12, 1924, President Calvin Coolidge became the first President to use the new medium of radio to speak to the public. Ironically his nickname was "Silent Cal". I think the American people want a solemn ass as a President," he once told Ethel Barrymore, "and I think I will go along with them." However, he did hold a then-record number of presidential press conferences, 520 during his presidency.