The Show Beat Out the President
“I Love Lucy” beat the presidential swearing-in ceremony of Ike Eisenhower in 1953. According to Nielsen, only 67.7 percent of Americans watched the U.S. transition of power while 71 percent of people had watched an episode of the sitcom. Months later, the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II was broadcast on American television and “I Love Lucy” once again drew a bigger audience.