The first televised presidential debate was held on September 26, 1960. Seventy million viewers tuned in to watch then-Senator John F. Kennedy debate then-Vice President Richard M. Nixon in the first of 4 “Great Debates” between the two candidates for President of the United States.

According to CNN.com: “What everyone remembers is the first debate, where the telegenic Kennedy won the image battle over Nixon who, recovering from the flu, appeared pale and refused make-up.”

The Museum of Broadcast Communications website states: “At election time, more than half of all voters reported that the Great Debates had influenced their opinion; 6% reported that their vote was the result of the debates alone.”

After the Kennedy-Nixon debates in 1960, there was not another public Presidential debate between the candidates of the two major political parties until 1976. Since 1976, however, there have been at least two televised Presidential debates between the major candidates during each election year.