Presidential candidates Sen. John F. Kennedy, left, and Vice President Richard M. Nixon are shown at the first of four presidential debates at a television studio in Chicago, Ill., Sept. 26, 1960. Seventy million U.S. viewers tuned in to watch the first-ever televised presidential debate. Those who heard the first debate on the radio pronounced Nixon the winner. However, among television viewers Kennedy was perceived the winner by a very large margin.