This evening and the wider election campaign have seen a number of firsts and records.
Notably, the pair taking the stage tonight will be oldest candidates nominated by the two major parties in presidential history.
A small caveat to that is that Joe Biden (81) and Donald Trump (78) will not officially be nominated by their parties until the conferences – but that’s by the by.
You can read more about how age will play a part in the debate in our 9.55pm and 10.09pm posts.
As we mentioned in our 9pm update, tonight is also the earliest debate in a president race since 1960 – read that post to find out why.
It’s also the first time in nearly 70 years that the same two candidates have faced off again in a presidential race – the last two being Republican Dwight Eisenhower and the Democrat Adlai Stevenson in 1956.
Mr Trump could become just the second candidate to return to power having lost the presidency – and we have to go back to the 19th century to find the other.
Grover Cleveland is the lone president in US history to serve two non-consecutive terms, successfully pulling off what Mr Trump is now attempting – to win back the White House from the opponent who took it from him.
Mr Cleveland defeated Republican Benjamin Harrison in 1892.
Mr Trump will hope to avoid being added to the list of the three others that have tried – and failed – to return to the White House (Teddy Roosevelt, Millard Fillmore and Martin Van Buren).
Emily Foster is a globe-trotting journalist based in the UK. Her articles offer readers a global perspective on international events, exploring complex geopolitical issues and providing a nuanced view of the world’s most pressing challenges.
