15. In The First-Ever Televised Presidential Debate In US History Nixon "Lost" To JFK... Although Those Listening On The Radio Thought Differently
John F Kennedy and Richard Nixon appeared in the first-ever presidential debates in history on TV - and in the first of these four parleys, Nixon appeared pale on TV and seemed to have a "five o'clock shadow" when compared to the extremely photogenic and youthful JFK. For those watching on TV, Nixon received an average response and it was perceived that JFK had performed the better of the two. However, the majority of Americans listening to the debates on the radio believed Nixon had clearly outperformed JFK - highlighting how important image was to perception. Nixon eventually lost the 1960 election by just 0.2% of the popular vote (120,000 votes) in one of the closest presidential campaigns in history.
NUFC editor for WhatCulture.com/NUFC. History graduate (University of Edinburgh) and NCTJ-trained journalist. I love sports, hopelessly following Newcastle United and Newcastle Falcons. My pastimes include watching and attending sports matches religiously, reading spy books and sampling ales.
John F Kennedy and Richard Nixon appeared in the first-ever presidential debates in history on TV - and in the first of these four parleys, Nixon appeared pale on TV and seemed to have a "five o'clock shadow" when compared to the extremely photogenic and youthful JFK. For those watching on TV, Nixon received an average response and it was perceived that JFK had performed the better of the two. However, the majority of Americans listening to the debates on the radio believed Nixon had clearly outperformed JFK - highlighting how important image was to perception. Nixon eventually lost the 1960 election by just 0.2% of the popular vote (120,000 votes) in one of the closest presidential campaigns in history.