Great Moments in US Debate History: Pictures

Illustration of Republican presidential candidate Abraham Lincoln debating his opponent Steven Douglas in front of a crowd, circa 1858. Kean Collection/Getty Images
Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain reacts to almost heading the wrong way off the stage after shaking hands with Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama at the conclusion of their 2008 debate at Hofstra University. REUTERS/Jim Bourg
Democratic presidential nominee Gov. Bill Clinton, independent candidate Ross Perot and President George Bush laugh at the conclusion of their debate in East Lansing, Mich., Oct.19, 1992. REUTERS/Mark Cardwell
Republican Vice President Richard Nixon and Democratic Sen. John F. Kennedy take part in a televised debate in 1960. Pictorial Parade/Getty Images
Democratic presidential candidate Bill Clinton looks on as President George Bush speaks, Oct. 11, 1992 in St. Louis. AP Photo/Greg Gibson
Republican presidential candidate George W. Bush and Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Al Gore during town hall-style presidential debate at Washington University in St. Louis, Oct. 17, 2000. REUTERS/Jeff Mitchell
Republican presidential candidate Vice President Richard M. Nixon wipes his face with a handkerchief during the first nationally televised debate with Sen. John F. Kennedy in 1960. AP Photo
Democratic presidential candidate Michael Dukakis wipes his upper lip during the first presidential debate with his opponent Vice President George Bush in Winston-Salem, N.C., Sept. 25, 1988. AP Photo/Bob Jordan
Vice President George Bush wipes his brow with a handkerchief during the first presidential debate with Gov. Michael Dukakis in Winston-Salem, N.C., Sept. 25, 1988. AP Photo/Barry Thumma
President George Bush and independent candidate Ross Perot say good-bye to each other at the end of presidential debate in Richmond, Va., Oct. 15, 1992. AP Photo/Greg Gibson
President Bill Clinton strolls away from his podium to talk to the audience as Republican presidential candidate Bob Dole watches during their second and final debate in San Diego, Oct. 16, 1996. REUTERS/Win McNamee
Republican presidential candidate George W. Bush and Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Al Gore gesture during their third and final debate at Washington University in St. Louis, Oct. 17, 2000. AP Photo/Ron Edmonds
Democratic Presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry gestures for his wife Teresa Heinz Kerry as President Bush walks towards his family after the first of their three presidential debates at the University of Miami, Sept. 30, 2004. AP Photo/Gerald Herbert
Don Hewitt of CBS News instructs Vice President Richard M. Nixon on the set of the first debate against Sen. John F. Kennedy in 1960. CBS Photo Archive.
Presidential candidates Richard Nixon and John F Kennedy during a televised debate in 1960. MPI/Getty Images
Vice President and Republican presidential candidate Richard Nixon points at Democratic presidential candidate John F. Kennedy as he walks away from the podium at their fourth televised presidential debate, in New York, Oct. 21, 1960. They are approached by journalists and photographers. Pictorial Parade/Getty Images
President Jimmy Carter and Republican presidential candidate Ronald Reagan shake hands, Oct. 28, 1980, in Cleveland. AP Photo
President Ronald Reagan points towards his opponent, Walter Mondale, during presidential debate, Oct. 21, 1984, Kansas City, Mo. AP Photo/Ron Edmonds
President Ronald Reagan and his Democratic challenger, Walter Mondale, shake hands prior to their televised presidential debate, in Kansas City, Oct. 22, 1984. AP Photo/Ron Edmonds
Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford taking part in debate during the 1976 election. Universal History Archive/Getty Images
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and President Obama talk over each other as they answer questions during a town-hall style debate at Hofstra University, Oct. 16, 2012. John Moore/Getty Images
Republican presidential nominee George W. Bush and Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Al Gore debate at Washington University in St. Louis, Oct. 17, 2000. REUTERS/Jeff Mitchell
Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas debating during the election campaign in 1858. In the first of the Lincoln-Douglas debates, Abraham Lincoln warned that 'A house divided against itself cannot stand'. MPI/Getty Images
Democratic vice presidential candidate Sen. Joe Biden and Republican candidate Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin shake hands before the start of a vice presidential debate at Washington University in St. Louis, Mo., Oct. 2, 2008. AP Photo/Jeff Roberson
Sen. Lloyd Bentsen and Sen. Dan Quayle shake hands after their vice presidential debate in Omaha, Oct. 5, 1988, where Bentsen uttered his famous line, "I served with Jack Kennedy. I knew Jack Kennedy. Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy." AP Photo/Ron Edmonds
The second presidential debate between President Gerald Ford and challenger Jimmy Carter in San Francisco, Oct. 6, 1976. CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama answers a question as Sen. Hillary Clinton watches during the first debate of the 2008 presidential campaign. Win McNamee/Getty Images
Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney and President Obama shake hands during the first presidential debate at the University of Denver, Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2012. AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall
President Bush talks with independent candidate Ross Perot as Democratic candidate Bill Clinton stands aside at the end of their second presidential debate in Richmond, Va., Oct. 15, 1992. AP Photo/Marcy Nighswander
President Clinton reaches out to hug his wife Hillary following his debate with Republican presidential candidate Bob Dole at the University of San Diego, Oct. 16, 1996. REUTERS/Gary Hershorn
Republican presidential candidate Bob Dole greets an energetic crowd at a post-debate rally at the San Diego Convention Center, Oct. 16, 1996. Dole proclaimed victory over President Clinton in the second and final debate. AP Photo/Denis Poroy
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton with rival candidate Senator Bernie Sanders as he tries to hand her a piece of paper during a Democratic presidential candidates debate at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. April 14, 2016. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson
Republican presidential candidates Marco Rubio and Donald Trump speak simultaneously during debate for 2016 Republican presidential candidates in Houston, Feb. 25, 2016. REUTERS/Mike Stone
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump remains standing at the front of the stage as rivals Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz and John Kasich head to their podiums at the start of the presidential candidates debate in Detroit, Mar. 3, 2016. REUTERS/Jim Young
Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speak simultaneously as they discuss issues during the Democratic presidential candidates debate at the University of New Hampshire, Feb. 4, 2016. REUTERS/Mike Segar
Presidential candidate Donald Trump after Carly Fiorina says she met with Russian President Putin, during the Republican presidential debate at the Milwaukee Theatre, Nov. 10, 2015. Scott Olson/Getty Images