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On this day – September 26th, 1960
On September 26th, 1960, Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy faced off in the first televised presidential debate in United States’ history. The debate attracted about 60-70 million total viewers. It was also followed by a series of further debates, which are now known as “the Great Debates.”
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On this day – January 2, 1980
On January 2nd, 1980, President Jimmy Carter asked the Senate to halt any action on the SALT II Program (nuclear weapons treaty agreement between the United States and the Soviet Union). This came in response to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in December of 1979. By postponing SALT II, Jimmy Carter and the United States made it clear that the friendly, detente relationship between America and the Soviet Union had come to an end. This also led to a halt of exports, such as grains and technology, to the USSR, as well as a boycott by American athletes of the 1980 Summer Olympics held in Moscow.
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The Short Staircase and an International Incident
Most of us have seen the famous images of US presidents descending from Air Force One via the 18 foot tall staircase. Recently however, these images have become less common. This is because President Biden has been opting to use another shorter set of stairs to enter and exit Air Force One. Because of this, media sources and the general public have been criticizing the president and calling him weak. How could a simple staircase have such a great impact on a president’s public image? Well, the use of the same staircase once led to the outbreak of an international incident. In 2016, President Obama was en route to…
