With the candidates for President of the United States running neck and neck, this Wednesday's debate is of particular importance. It is going to give Americans their first side by side look at President Obama and Governor Mitt Romney, and see what each of their thoughts are to the same questions. These will be answers from their own mouths and not expressed from the press's view.
Fifty-Two years ago Americans were able to see their candidates side by side for the first time ever on National TV. September 26, 1960, with 70 million viewers glued to their TV sets, Vice President Richard M. Nixon and Senator John F. Kennedy met for their first of three debates.
Many contend that this first debate changed the dynamics of the race completely. Nixon insisted on campaigning until just a few hours before the first debate started. He was still recovering from a knee injury and hospital stay thus looking pale, sickly, underweight, and tired. He also refused makeup for the first debate, and as a result his beard stubble showed prominently on the black and white TV screens. Kennedy, by contrast, rested and prepared extensively before hand in California. He appeared tanned, confident, and relaxed during the debate.
Those who heard the first debate on the radio pronounced Nixon the winner. The 70 million who watched television saw a candidate still sickly and obviously discomforted by Kennedy's smooth delivery and charisma. Those television viewers focused on what they saw, not what they heard. Studies of the audience indicated that, among television viewers, Kennedy was perceived the winner of the first debate by a very large margin. Unfortunately for Nixon, the second and third debates were watched by 20 million fewer viewers than the first.
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. Regardless of whether the debates changed the election result, voters pointed to the debates as a significant reason for electing Kennedy.
Showing posts with label john f kennedy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label john f kennedy. Show all posts
Monday, October 1, 2012
Monday, February 20, 2012
John Glenn An American Hero
Fifty years ago on February 20, 1962, a rocket blasted into orbit carrying Astronaut John Glenn into history.
During the Cold War there was a "race to space" competition between Russia and the United States. In October 1957 the Soviets shocked the world by launching Sputnik 1 into orbit. This was an embarrassment to the US and caused worry that they were falling behind in technology and defense.
NASA was signed into existence on July 19, 1958, and later President John F. Kennedy challenged Americans to send a man to the moon by the end of the 1960s. But still the US lagged behind the Soviet Union.
By 1962, NASA had sent Alan Shepard and Gus Grissom for short 15 minute journeys that did not enter orbit. With a 1 in 6 percent chance of coming back alive, John Glenn was America's first man to actually orbit the earth. His lift off was rescheduled 10 times due to bad weather and technical problems.
There was a lot riding on Freedom 7 and John Glenn. The United States needed a big win in the space race. On the morning of February 20, 1962 all eyes were on Cape Canaveral, Florida. It was such a historic moment that it was shown on TV in homes that were filled with pride for America.
John Glenn's spacecraft went into orbit circling the earth three times at an altitude of 162 miles. Each orbit lasted 88 minutes and 29 seconds. The mission lasted 4 hours, 55 minutes and 23 seconds, during which he travelled a total of 75,679 miles then splashed-down safely in the Atlantic Ocean. It was not without some problems. The reentry was made very tense by what they thought was a loose heat shield. For four nervous minutes NASA was completely out of touch with Glenn until he was just miles above earth with the parachute open on the capsule carrying him safely to the water.
Astronaut John Glenn has lived to see an important legacy since his historic flight. NASA has landed astronauts on the moon, sent teams to the International Space Station, driven rovers on Mars, and countless other trips into space.
During the Cold War there was a "race to space" competition between Russia and the United States. In October 1957 the Soviets shocked the world by launching Sputnik 1 into orbit. This was an embarrassment to the US and caused worry that they were falling behind in technology and defense.
NASA was signed into existence on July 19, 1958, and later President John F. Kennedy challenged Americans to send a man to the moon by the end of the 1960s. But still the US lagged behind the Soviet Union.
By 1962, NASA had sent Alan Shepard and Gus Grissom for short 15 minute journeys that did not enter orbit. With a 1 in 6 percent chance of coming back alive, John Glenn was America's first man to actually orbit the earth. His lift off was rescheduled 10 times due to bad weather and technical problems.
There was a lot riding on Freedom 7 and John Glenn. The United States needed a big win in the space race. On the morning of February 20, 1962 all eyes were on Cape Canaveral, Florida. It was such a historic moment that it was shown on TV in homes that were filled with pride for America.
John Glenn's spacecraft went into orbit circling the earth three times at an altitude of 162 miles. Each orbit lasted 88 minutes and 29 seconds. The mission lasted 4 hours, 55 minutes and 23 seconds, during which he travelled a total of 75,679 miles then splashed-down safely in the Atlantic Ocean. It was not without some problems. The reentry was made very tense by what they thought was a loose heat shield. For four nervous minutes NASA was completely out of touch with Glenn until he was just miles above earth with the parachute open on the capsule carrying him safely to the water.
Astronaut John Glenn has lived to see an important legacy since his historic flight. NASA has landed astronauts on the moon, sent teams to the International Space Station, driven rovers on Mars, and countless other trips into space.
Friday, October 14, 2011
Cuban Missile Crisis - Oct. 14, 1962
On this day in history the Cuban Missile Crisis began, bringing the United States and the Soviet Union to the brink of nuclear conflict. Photographs taken by a high-altitude U-2 spy plane offered incontrovertible evidence that Soviet-made medium-range missiles in Cuba—capable of carrying nuclear warheads—were now stationed 90 miles off the American coastline.
Tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union over Cuba had been steadily increasing since the failed April 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion, in which Cuban refugees, armed and trained by the United States, landed in Cuba and attempted to overthrow the government of Fidel Castro. Though the invasion did not succeed, Castro was convinced that the United States would try again, and set out to get more military assistance from the Soviet Union. During the next year, the number of Soviet advisors in Cuba rose to more than 20,000. Rumors began that Russia was also moving missiles and strategic bombers onto the island. Russian leader Nikita Khrushchev may have decided to so dramatically up the stakes in the Cold War for several reasons. He may have believed that the United States was indeed going to invade Cuba and provided the weapons as a deterrent. Facing criticism at home from more hard-line members of the Soviet communist hierarchy, he may have thought a tough stand might win him support. Khrushchev also had always resented that U.S. nuclear missiles were stationed near the Soviet Union (in Turkey, for example), and putting missiles in Cuba might have been his way of redressing the imbalance. Two days after the pictures were taken, after being developed and analyzed by intelligence officers, they were presented to President Kennedy. During the next two weeks, the United States and the Soviet Union would come as close to nuclear war as they ever had, and a fearful world awaited the outcome.
Tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union over Cuba had been steadily increasing since the failed April 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion, in which Cuban refugees, armed and trained by the United States, landed in Cuba and attempted to overthrow the government of Fidel Castro. Though the invasion did not succeed, Castro was convinced that the United States would try again, and set out to get more military assistance from the Soviet Union. During the next year, the number of Soviet advisors in Cuba rose to more than 20,000. Rumors began that Russia was also moving missiles and strategic bombers onto the island. Russian leader Nikita Khrushchev may have decided to so dramatically up the stakes in the Cold War for several reasons. He may have believed that the United States was indeed going to invade Cuba and provided the weapons as a deterrent. Facing criticism at home from more hard-line members of the Soviet communist hierarchy, he may have thought a tough stand might win him support. Khrushchev also had always resented that U.S. nuclear missiles were stationed near the Soviet Union (in Turkey, for example), and putting missiles in Cuba might have been his way of redressing the imbalance. Two days after the pictures were taken, after being developed and analyzed by intelligence officers, they were presented to President Kennedy. During the next two weeks, the United States and the Soviet Union would come as close to nuclear war as they ever had, and a fearful world awaited the outcome.
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