14. Presidential Assassination
History has much to say about John F. Kennedy, not all good, but most likely because he was the most exposed president at that time. He was the first to debate on TV, first take on the press via TV, and the first to die on television. In 1963, while traveling in a convertible through Dallas as part of a caravan, Lee Harvey Oswald shot Kennedy in the head. His assassination aired on television and changed so much about television, the nation, and the presidency. No longer would presidents ride in convertibles. Future presidents would take more caution regarding their televised presence. The nation mourned the very public and early loss of a well-liked leader. When, in the wake of the tragedy, Jack Ruby killed Kennedy’s killer on live TV, the nation stepped into an even darker place; the first live televised revenge murder.