Historical
Timeline
1939 Franklin Roosevelt first president to appear on TV
1948 Harry S Truman campaigns on cross-country Whistlestop tour
1950 Senator Benton of Connecticut produces first TV ads
1952 Eisenhower Answers America spot campaign
1956 Stevenson tries out TV in second presidential run
1960 Kennedy/Nixon debate shows television's power
1963 Kennedy assassinated, Lyndon Johnson sworn in
1964 Top agency produces historic campaign for LBJ
1966 Rockefeller ads make difference in NY Governor race
1968 Nixon's campaign called "The Selling of the Presidency"
1972 Nixon wins landslide victory over George McGovern
1974 Nixon resigns over Watergate cover-up
1976 Trust in leadership central issue in Ford/Carter race
1980 Carter ads stress hard-working leadership
1984 Reagan perfects nostalgic, soft-sell approach
1988 Bush ads attack Dukakis "Willie Horton" ad airs
1990 Controversial "Hands" ad helps Jesse Helms win
1992 Perot uses "infomercial" approach
1994 "Morphing" becomes a popular technique
1996 Clinton perfects "comparison ads"
1998 Unprecedented spending in CA race "Issue Ads" influence elections
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