On September 26, 1960, for the first time in U.S. history, a
debate between major party presidential candidates was
broadcast on live television.

The presidential hopefuls, John F. Kennedy, a Democratic
senator of Massachusetts, and Richard M. Nixon, the vice
president of the United States, met in a Chicago studio to
discuss U.S. domestic matters.

Kennedy emerged the apparent winner from this first of
four televised debates.

Lyndon B. Johnson was nominated to run for the presidency at
the Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

His running mate would be Hubert H. Humphrey. Former Vice
President Johnson had assumed the reigns of government in
November 1963 when President Kennedy was assassinated.

Upon assuming office, he inherited a commitment to Vietnam
where Kennedy had sent military advisors to support the South Vietnamese government in Saigon.

Following the Tonkin Gulf incident earlier in August when
North Vietnamese torpedo boats reportedly attacked U.S.
destroyers, Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
empowering Johnson to “take all necessary measures to repel
an armed attack against the forces of the United States and to
prevent further aggression.”

In Los Angeles, California, Senator John F. Kennedy of
Massachusetts was nominated for the presidency by the
Democratic Party Convention, defeating Senator Lyndon
B. Johnson of Texas. The next day, Johnson was named
Kennedy’s running mate by a unanimous vote of the
convention.

Four months later, on November 8, Kennedy won 49.7
percent of the popular vote in one of the closest elections
for president in U.S. history, surpassing by a fraction the
49.6 percent received by Vice President Richard M. Nixon,
a Republican.

  
CAMILLE BOHANNON

William Henry Cosby Jr. is a former comedian, actor, spokesman,
and media personality. He performed over a period of decades in
film, television, and stand-up comedy, with his longest-running
live-action role being that of Cliff Huxtable in the NBC sitcom
The Cosby Show (1984-1992). He also released several stand-
up comedy albums. Cosby still holds the record earning the
most Grammy Awards for Best Comedy Album with seven
wins.

Jeannette Pickering Rankin, the first woman ever elected to
Congress, took her seat in the U.S. Capitol as a representative
from Montana.

Born on a ranch near Missoula, Montana Territory, in 1880,
Rankin was a social worker in the states of Montana and
Washington before joining the women’s suffrage movement
in 1910.

Following her election as a representative, Rankin’s entrance
into Congress was delayed for a month as congressmen
discussed whether a woman should be admitted into the
House of Representatives.

Bronze statue of Rankin inside the Montana
State Capitol in Helena.