Lessons From The Past, The First Televised Presidential Debate, 9/26/60 Kennedy vs Nixon
Senator Kennedy and Vice President Nixon engaged in the first televised presidential debate on September 26, 1960, with over 70 million viewers watching. It was the first of four debates and it was focused on domestic issues.
The debate was an historical event: primarily, because it was the first televised presidential election debate, thus initiating television as an important medium in presidential elections and revealing how superficial and shallow the American voter can be regarding appearances, yet how critical or important appearances are in elections.
It can be argued that the visual contrast between the opponents was the defining issue that determined the election.
