Hail to the Televised Chief
Here’s President Harry S. Truman’s address, January 20, 1949, from the first presidential inauguration to be televised. Truman, although having run as an incumbent after the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt, trailed his opponent in many polls of the day, similar to the data stream of 2016. His win over New York Governor Thomas E. Dewey was considered one of the great political upsets, creating one of our most memorable news photographs – Truman hoisting a copy of the Chicago Daily Tribune rushed to print on election night while it looked like he had lost, the banner erroneously announcing “Dewey Defeats Truman”.