By: History.com Editors

1961

President Kennedy holds first live television news conference

History.com Editors

Published: November 16, 2009

Last Updated: January 31, 2025

On January 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy becomes the first U.S. president to hold a live televised news conference.

John F. Kennedy

John F. Kennedy's progressive agenda during the 1960s inspired a new generation of optimism in America.

From a podium in the State Department auditorium, Kennedy read a prepared statement regarding the famine in the Congo, the release of two American aviators from Russian custody and impending negotiations for an atomic test ban treaty. He then opened the floor for questions from reporters, answering queries on a variety of topics including relations with Cuba, voting rights and food aid to impoverished Americans.

Ever since his televised presidential debate with Richard Nixon in 1960, Kennedy had been aware of the media’s enormous power to sway public opinion. On that day, Kennedy had appeared rested, well-groomed and in control. Nixon, on the other hand, was not as telegenic as Kennedy and appeared sweaty and flustered. His five o’clock shadow created more of a stir than his responses to the moderator’s questions.

Kennedy knew that, in a televised news conference, his appearance would count almost as much as what he said. On this day in 1961, the president exhibited a calm demeanor and responded to reporters’ questions with intelligence and decorum. Kennedy’s ability to project charm, intelligence, strength and openness defined the presidential image in the age of mass media.

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Timeline

Also on This Day in History

Discover more of the major events, famous births, notable deaths and everything else history-making that happened on January 25th

1759

Scottish poet Robert Burns is born

Scottish poet Robert Burns is born on January 25, 1759. The day is still celebrated by Burns fans across the English-speaking world, with high-spirited “Robert Burns Night” feasts, featuring haggis and other Scottish delicacies, as well as enthusiastic drinking, toasting and speechmaking.

1776

First national memorial is ordered by Congress

On January 25, 1776, the Continental Congress authorizes the first national Revolutionary War memorial in honor of Brigadier General Richard Montgomery, who had been killed during an assault on Quebec on December 31, 1775.

1905

World’s largest diamond found

On January 25, 1905, during a routine inspection of the Premier Mine in Pretoria, South Africa, a mine superintendent made a glittering discovery: a 3,106-carat diamond. (Some sources say the discovery occurred on January 26.) Weighing 1.33 pounds, and christened the “Cullinan,” it was the largest diamond ever found.

1916

Montenegro capitulates to Austro-Hungarian forces

After an eight-day offensive that marked the beginning of a new, aggressive strategy in the region, Austro-Hungarian troops under commander in chief Franz Conrad von Hotzendorf take control of the Balkan state of Montenegro, which surrendered on January 25.

1919

Formal commission is established on the League of Nations

On January 25, 1919, in Paris, delegates to the peace conference formally approve the establishment of a commission on the League of Nations.

1924

First Winter Olympics

On January 25, 1924, the first Winter Olympics take off in style at Chamonix in the French Alps. Spectators were thrilled by the ski jump and bobsled as well as 12 other events involving a total of six sports. The “International Winter Sports Week,” as it was known, was a great success, and in 1928 the International Olympic Committee (IOC) officially designated the Winter Games, staged in St. Moritz, Switzerland, as the second Winter Olympics.

Curling Team

1942

Thailand declares war on the United States and United Kingdom

On January 25, 1942, Thailand, a Japanese puppet state, declares war on the Allies.

1949

First Emmy Awards ceremony

The first Emmy Awards ceremony is held on January 25, 1949 at the Hollywood Athletic Club. The awards recognize excellence in television (which in the 1940s was a novel medium).

1961

JFK becomes first president to hold live television news conference

On January 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy becomes the first U.S. president to hold a live televised news conference.

1968

Israeli sub vanishes

The Israeli submarine Dakar, carrying 69 sailors, disappears on January 25, 1968. It would remain missing for some 30 years.

1971

Charles Manson and his followers convicted of murder

In Los Angeles, California, cult leader Charles Manson is convicted, along with followers Susan Atkins, Leslie Van Houten, and Patricia Krenwinkle, of the brutal 1969 murders of actress Sharon Tate and six others.

1980

Paul McCartney is released from a Tokyo jail and deported from Japan

Paul McCartney’s arrival at Tokyo’s Narita International Airport on January 16, 1980, marks his first visit to Japan since the Beatles tour of 1966. The occasion was a planned 11-city concert tour by his band Wings. Instead, Paul’s visit was limited to a nine-day stint in the Tokyo Narcotics Detention Center, which ended on January 25, 1980.

1981

Chairman Mao’s widow sentenced to death

Jiang Qing, the widow of Chinese leader Mao Zedong, is sentenced to death for her “counter-revolutionary crimes” during the Cultural Revolution.

1995

Russia activates its nuclear command systems for the first time

On January 25, 1995, Russia’s early-warning defense radar detects an unexpected missile launch near Norway, and Russian military command estimates the missile to be just minutes from impact on Moscow. Moments later, Russian President Boris Yeltsin, his defense minister and his chief of staff are informed and the nuclear command systems switched to combat mode. This marks the first time in the history of the Soviet-made weapons system that the nuclear suitcases carried by the president and his top commander were ever activated.

2005

BTK killer sends message

On January 25, 2005, a Wichita, Kansas, television station receives a postcard from the BTK killer that leads police to discover a Post Toasties cereal box that had been altered to contain the letters BTK. This communication was one in a long line sent by the serial killer who terrorized Wichita for over 30 years, brutally murdering 10 people and taunting law enforcement and the local media. A month later, on February 25, Dennis Lynn Rader, a husband, father of two and compliance officer for Park City, Kansas, was taken into police custody and soon confessed to being the BTK killer.

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Citation Information

Article title
President Kennedy holds first live television news conference
Website Name
History
Date Accessed
March 21, 2025
Publisher
A&E Television Networks
Last Updated
January 31, 2025
Original Published Date
November 16, 2009

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