August 3, 2021 On August 5 at 1 p.m. Pacific, join the WSU Alumni Association for “Kennedy, Nixon, & the Debate of the Century.” Regarding John F. Kennedy’s 1960 election, one historian has written, “It was that first moment in our history when we saw that television can transform a political candidate from a candidate into a celebrity, and it changed the whole contours of our politics.” Join Professor Allen Pietrobon as he takes us back to the Eisenhower Era, a time before the “celebrity president.” The first-ever televised presidential debate took place in 1960; the result was seen as being so disastrous (for Nixon) that it would be 16 years before presidential candidates agreed to debate live on TV again.