A 50-Year Memory: Debates

September 26 – The 2 leading U.S. presidential candidates, Richard M. Nixon and John F. Kennedy, participate in the first televised presidential debate.

As a 7th grade political geek at the tender age of 12, I remember lying on the floor by my bedroom door to listen to this from the TV down the hall in the living room. I didn't hear everything, but it was an intriguing time. My parents wouldn't let me stay up, so I had to sneak the listen.