1960: In the first televised U.S. presidential debate in history, John F. Kennedy comes off well. His opponent, Richard Nixon, does not. Television instantly emerges as the decisive medium in presidential politics.

It was Kennedy who proposed a series of four nationally televised debates, and Nixon — supremely confident that he could spank the young upstart from Massachusetts — eagerly accepted. It proved to be one of the biggest miscalculations of Tricky Dick’s career.

While Nixon could play the experience card, he was no match for Kennedy’s charisma. And as many a politician has since d...