12 memorable moments from past State of the Union addresses

President James Monroe.

(Hulton Archive/Getty Images)President James Monroe, 1823.

President James Polk.

(Hulton Archive/Getty Images)James Polk, 1848.

President Abraham Lincoln at the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1862.

(Hulton Archive/Getty Images)President Abraham Lincoln, 1862.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt addresses a joint session of Congress on Jan. 6, 1941.

(AP Photo)President Franklin Roosevelt, 1941.

President Lyndon B. Johnson delivers his State of the Union address on Jan. 8, 1964.

(AP Photo)President Lyndon B. Johnson, 1964.

President Richard Nixon delivers his State of the Union address in 1974.

(AP Photo)President Richard Nixon, 1974.

President Gerald Ford delivers his first State of the Union address in 1975.

(Everett Collection Historical / Alamy Stock Photo)President Gerald Ford, 1975.

President Ronald Reagan's 1986 State of the Union speech.

(Mark Reinstein / Alamy Stock Photo)President Ronald Reagan, 1986.

President Bill Clinton's 1996 State of the Union.

(AP Photo/Greg Gibson)President Bill Clinton, 1996.

President George W. Bush gives his State of the Union address on Jan. 29, 2002.

(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.

(MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images)President Barack Obama, 2010.