Mapping the Places Referenced by 224 State of the Union Speeches

Using natural language processing algorithms followed by hand corrections, Mitch Fraas andf Benjamin Schmidt "have combed through these 224 State of the Union addresses and identified 16,408 mentions of 1,410 different places. Plotted on a map, the results reveal how American presidents have seen their nation and their world."

Proceeding through the map's chronologic cycle, the country's increasingly global purview manifests strikingly throughout the 1800s before subsiding in the 20th century.

The article also includes breakdowns by continent and global region by outside experts (like Dael Norwood, Dael an assistant professor of history at Binghamton University). A section focusing on the speeches of Franklin Delano Roosevelt is also included.