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WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 01: Vice President Harris and Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) are seen prior to US President Joe Biden giving his State of the Union address.© Pool, Getty Images WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 01: Vice President Harris and Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) are seen prior to US President Joe Biden giving his State of the Union address.“Madam Speaker, Madam Vice President, our First Lady and Second Gentleman,” President Joe Biden said as he stood at the podium on Tuesday. Last year, Biden made the same remarks, followed by, “No president has ever said those words from this podium and it’s about time.”

Here is how and why history was made at Biden’s first State of the Union.

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Who sits behind the president at the state of the union?

The reason why Harris and Pelosi are sitting behind Biden during the State of the Union is because the two seats on the dais have always been reserved for the vice president and the House speaker, regardless of political affiliation.

Sitting in the chambers will also be the Supreme Court justices, cabinet members, Congress members and diplomatic members as well.

Who is Nancy Pelosi?

Pelosi, from California, has been a U.S. representative for over 30 years, first taking office in 1987.

In 2003, she became the House minority leader and held the role for the next four years. When the Democratic party gained control of Congress in 2006, Pelosi was nominated for the Speaker of the House, which she won in January 2007, making her the first woman to ever be elected to the position.

When former President George W. Bush gave his State of the Union address that same year, Pelosi became the first woman to ever sit behind the president during a joint session of Congress.

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Slide 35 of 35: President Joe Biden greets lawmakers after delivering the State of the Union address during a joint session of Congress.

  • Slide 1 of 35: President Joe Biden is applauded by Vice President Kamala Harris and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) as he arrives to deliver his first State of the Union address at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on March 1, 2022.
  • Slide 2 of 35: (L-R) Democratic Representatives ahead of President Joe Biden's state of the union address to Congress in the Capitol on March 1, 2022 in Washington, DC.
  • Slide 3 of 35: Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., wears an embroidered shirt in honor of Ukraine as she arrives ahead of President Joe Biden's first State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress at the Capitol, Tuesday, March 1, 2022, in Washington.
  • Slide 4 of 35: Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi greets US Vice President Kamala Harris prior to US President Joe Biden's State of the Union address before a joint session of Congress in the United States House of Representatives chamber on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on March 1, 2022.
Slide 1 of 35: President Joe Biden is applauded by Vice President Kamala Harris and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) as he arrives to deliver his first State of the Union address at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on March 1, 2022.

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1/35 SLIDES © Pool photo by JABIN BOTSFORD
President Joe Biden is applauded by Vice President Kamala Harris and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) as he arrives to deliver his first State of the Union address at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on March 1, 2022.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: For first time in history, two women sat behind president at State of the Union