The Great Debate

This picture was taken of a television showing the famous Nixon-Kennedy presidential debates of 1960. The debates, the first ever to be broadcast on television, introduced a new and singularly influential way to reach Americans in a national election. The first debate, held on September 26, was watched by some 70 million at-home viewers and was widely acknowledged to have swayed public opinion in favor of Massachusetts senator John F. Kennedy, who looked relaxed and attractive on camera; Vice President Richard Nixon, who was recovering from a hospital stay, sported facial stubble and had declined full television makeup. Although the final results were close, and recent scholarship has argued that the debates may not have moved the dial as much as initially thought, the televised face-offs nevertheless ushered in an era in which crafting an appealing public image and manipulating media exposure would become critical components of political campaigns.