The first nationally televised debate between the major candidates for president of the United States was held on this day in 1960, between Sen. John Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Vice President Richard Nixon (R) on the CBS show "Face the Nation." The audience's size was unheard of in the nascent TV industry, with 70 million tuning in — around a third of the country's population. Nixon had led the election by six points going into the debate; after it, Kennedy edged ahead of him in the polls.
Most accounts agree that Kennedy won the debate because he was better around cameras. Nixon had refused to wear makeup and wore a light gray suit, which in the times of black and white TV meant he blended into the set's background. He was nervous, feeling ill after just having left the hospital, and sweating from the lights. His mother even called him to ask if he was sick after the debate. When the election came around in November, Kennedy won by one of the narrowest margins in a presidential election ever recorded.
