Record setters

THE RULES: The U.S. Constitution states that the president "shall from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such Measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient." It doesn't say the information has to be spoken. Several presidents wrote their State of the Union messages as letters.

ZIPPIEST: George Washington gave the shortest State of the Union speech on Jan. 8, 1790. I It was also the first. His entire speech was about 1,080 words. Of course, the union had only just been born.

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OVER THE AIRWAVES: Calvin Coolidge was the first to go national with a State of the Union speech. He gave his 1923 address over the radio. He must not have been very happy with it. The 30th president wrote the rest of his State of the Union updates as letters instead.

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INTO THE LIVING ROOM: Harry S. Truman didn't just send his voice into living rooms across the country--he appeared in person. How did he do it? Television! The 33rd president's 1947 address was the first to be televised.

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KEEPS GOING AND GOING: Bill Clinton gave six of the 10 wordiest State of the Union speeches. His 1995 speech was nearly 9,200 words and lasted 85 minutes.

THE UNSTOPPABLE PEN: The longest written State of the Union message was by Jimmy Carter in 1981. It went on for 33,667 words!

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