A Decade of Guests at the State of the Union Address

1999

First lady Hillary Clinton responds to a standing ovation from a joint session of Congress before [President Bill Clinton's] State of the Union Address. Chicago Cubs' star outfielder Sammy Sosa (at right) stands by the first lady. Clinton saluted Sosa for his relief work in the Dominican Republic. "You know sports records are made and sooner or later, they're broken," the president said. "But making other people's lives better and showing our children the true meaning of brotherhood, that lasts forever. So for far more than baseball, Sammy Sosa, you're a hero in two countries tonight. Thank you." Clinton also saluted civil rights hero Rosa Parks, among others.