William Jennings Bryan makes first transatlantic call from Club, 1915

Elizabeth Smith Brownstein

January 23, 2012

This Week In National Press Club History

January 26, 1915: Secretary of State William Jennings Bryan, famed orator and former presidential candidate, makes the first transatlantic telephone call from the National Press Club lounge for the Bell Telephone Company.

January 26, 2007: Actor Gary Sinese asks for help for disabled veterans at a Club luncheon, joining many other Hollywood stars, including George Clooney (Darfur), Angelina Jolie (refugees) and Audrey Hepburn (UNICEF), who have appeared at the Club to plead their humanitarian causes.

This Week In National Press Club History is brought to you by the History & Heritage Committee, which preserves and revitalizes the Club’s history through displays, panel discussions, events, lectures and the oral history project.

For more information on History & Heritage Committee activities, or to join the Committee, contact Bill Hickman at [email protected].