Welcome to Today in History on Slow English FM. Today, the U.S. presidential election of November 8, 1960.

EmmaThe election took place during the Cold War, a period of tension between the United States and the Soviet Union. In 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the first man-made satellite to orbit Earth. In 1960, a U.S. spy plane was shot down over Soviet territory. In Cuba, Fidel Castro’s revolutionary government became a close Soviet ally. These events added to concern about security and America’s place in the world.

The two main candidates were John F. Kennedy, a Democratic senator from Massachusetts, and Richard Nixon, the Republican vice president. Kennedy faced doubts about his youth, his foreign-policy experience and his Catholic faith. He won the Democratic nomination after a primary victory in West Virginia and a final round of delegate votes at the party convention. He chose Texas senator Lyndon B. Johnson as his running mate.

EmmaNixon presented himself as an experienced leader who would protect the peace, prosperity and military strength associated with President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s administration. He chose Henry Cabot Lodge Jr., the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, as his running mate. After the party conventions, Nixon led in the polls.

Television was becoming a major way for voters to learn about the candidates. In 1950, 11 percent of American homes had a television. By 1960, the figure was 88 percent. About 70 million people watched Kennedy and Nixon’s first televised debate, on September 26. Their different appearances on screen drew attention, and the Kennedy Library says the first debate helped reshape the campaign. Nixon seemed more relaxed in the later debates.

EmmaKennedy also spoke directly about his Catholic faith. Some voters worried that a Catholic president might take orders from the Pope. In September, Kennedy addressed a group of ministers in Houston. He argued that church and state should be separate. Still, concern about his religion remained an issue in the campaign.

Civil rights was another major issue. Weeks before the election, civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested during a protest in Atlanta. Kennedy called King’s wife, Coretta Scott King, to express concern, and Kennedy’s brother Robert contacted the judge. Martin Luther King Sr. later endorsed Kennedy. The Kennedy Library says publicity about that endorsement, along with other campaign efforts, contributed to increased support for Kennedy among Black voters.

EmmaOn November 8, Kennedy defeated Nixon in a close election. Kennedy’s popular-vote margin was 118,550, out of nearly 69 million votes. The result was different in the Electoral College, the constitutional process in which voters choose electors, who then vote for president. Kennedy received 303 electoral votes and Nixon received 219. A total of 269 was needed for a majority.

Nixon won more states, but Kennedy won states with more electoral votes. For example, New York gave Kennedy 45 electoral votes, while California gave Nixon 32. Kennedy became the thirty-fifth president of the United States. The close result showed how the national popular vote and the Electoral College can tell different parts of the story. Stay with Slow English FM.