12 memorable moments from past State of the Union addresses

Here are the presidential speeches that have truly endured

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President Franklin D. Roosevelt gives the State of the Union address in 1941.
(Image credit: The Associated Press)
President James Monroe.
(Image credit: (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)President James Monroe, 1823.)

President James Polk.
(Image credit: (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)James Polk, 1848.)

President Abraham Lincoln at the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1862.
(Image credit: (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)President Abraham Lincoln, 1862.)

President Franklin D. Roosevelt addresses a joint session of Congress on Jan. 6, 1941.
(Image credit: (AP Photo)President Franklin Roosevelt, 1941.)

President Lyndon B. Johnson delivers his State of the Union address on Jan. 8, 1964.
(Image credit: (AP Photo)President Lyndon B. Johnson, 1964.)

President Richard Nixon delivers his State of the Union address in 1974.
(Image credit: (AP Photo)President Richard Nixon, 1974.)

President Gerald Ford delivers his first State of the Union address in 1975.
(Image credit: (Everett Collection Historical / Alamy Stock Photo)President Gerald Ford, 1975.)

President Ronald Reagan's 1986 State of the Union speech.
(Image credit: (Mark Reinstein / Alamy Stock Photo)President Ronald Reagan, 1986.)

President Bill Clinton's 1996 State of the Union.
(Image credit: (AP Photo/Greg Gibson)President Bill Clinton, 1996.)

President George W. Bush gives his State of the Union address on Jan. 29, 2002.
(Image credit: (AP Photo/Doug Mills, File)President George W. Bush, 2002.)

President Barack Obama delivers his first State of the Union speech on Jan. 27, 2010.
(Image credit: (MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images)President Barack Obama, 2010.)

Jeva Lange
Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.