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The first inauguration broadcast happened 100 years ago

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Published  January 17, 2025 4:25pm EST
Inauguration Day
FOX TV Stations

Newsreel footage of Calvin Coolidge's inauguration

This silent newsreel from 1925 reveals the scene in Washington as President Calvin Coolidge is inaugurated for the second time. He first assumed the office after the death of President Warren Harding.

The Brief

    • Donald Trump will be inaugurated as the 47th U.S. president on January 20, 2025, coinciding with Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
    • This marks 100 years since Calvin Coolidge’s 1925 inauguration was the first broadcast nationally by radio.
    • Presidential inaugurations continue to draw millions of viewers, with 33.8 million watching Joe Biden’s in 2021.

WASHINGTON - President-elect Donald Trump will soon be sworn in as the 47th president of the United States.

Hundreds of thousands are expected to pack Washington, D.C. on Jan. 20, 2025 for the historic event, which incidentally falls on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

His swearing-in marks 100 years since a presidential inauguration was first broadcast, allowing non-attendees to be a part of the ceremony. 

The backstory:

According to the White House Historical Association, Calvin Coolidge’s inauguration and subsequent speech was the first to be broadcast nationally by radio in 1925. The oath of office was administered by the chief justice, former President William Howard Taft.

LINK: Listen to the recording

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Calvin Coolidge making a speech at his inauguration. Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress.

Dig deeper:

According to the Federal Communications Commission, broadcasting Coolidge’s inauguration was made possible after commercial radio became available in 1920. 

The FCC said, under the call sign KDKA, Pittsburgh’s Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company transmitted the first scheduled broadcast on Nov. 2, 1920. KDKA’s Leo Rosenberg announced live returns of the presidential election between Warren G. Harding and James Cox.

President Harry S. Truman’s inauguration was the first to be televised in 1949, according to the association. 

What they're saying:

"Thanks to Coolidge’s extensive and enthusiastic use of broadcast radio, he is remembered today as our first radio president. The new medium perfectly fitted his personality and speaking style." – Historian and Calvin Coolidge expert Jerry L. Wallace.

By the numbers:

History shows that people do tune in to watch presidential inaugurations.

The Nielsen company said that 33.8 million people watched President Joe Biden’s inauguration over 17 television networks between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. in January 2021. 

Biden exceeded the 30.6 million who watched Donald Trump take office in 2017, Nielsen said.

The Source: The Associated Press contributed to this report. The information in this story also came from the White House Historical Association, the Calvin Coolidge Presidential Foundation, and the FCC. Additionally, Nielsen’s television viewership data highlighted audience trends for recent inaugurations, including those of Joe Biden in 2021 and Donald Trump in 2017. This story was reported from Los Angeles. 

Inauguration DayPoliticsNews