JANUARY 14, 1934

Full News Archive

• Headline: 1933 Retail Trade Analysis Highlights Mail-Order Success. Impact: The rise of mail-order sales in 1933 set the stage for the Amazon Prime delivery obsession of the 21st century. Who knew a simple catalog could lead to people ordering toilet paper at 2 AM in their pajamas?. Fact: Fun fact: Back in 1933, people had to wait weeks for their mail-order items. Now, if it takes more than two days, you might as well have ordered a dinosaur..
• Headline: Auto Theft Ring Operations Disrupted. Impact: The arrest of this suspect sparked a series of undercover operations, inadvertently inspiring a whole genre of heist movies. Who knew a gang of car thieves could lead to the likes of 'Ocean's Eleven'?. Fact: Fun fact: Auto theft rings in the '30s were like the original boy bands—everyone wanted to be a part of them, but most just ended up in jail..
• Headline: SCHACHT OF THE REICHSBANK NAMED AFTER HORACE GREELEY. Impact: Schacht being named after Horace Greeley led to countless history students mistakenly thinking they could run for president with just a catchy name. Spoiler alert: It doesn't work that way.. Fact: Fun fact: Horace Greeley is best remembered for saying 'Go West, young man.' Meanwhile, Schacht just wanted to be remembered for running a bank..
• Headline: ROB HOME IN CAPITAL OF $50,000 JEWELS; Three Bandits Lock Mrs. Carrie J. Lawrence, Her Son and Maid in Closets.. Impact: The robbery of Mrs. Lawrence's jewelry sparked a highly publicized trend in home security systems, leading to the invention of the world's first 'anti-burglary' chihuahua.. Fact: Did you know that back then, locking someone in a closet was considered a crime? Now it’s just a bad family reunion..
• Headline: EBLE WOULD SCRAP 'OBSOLETE' TARIFF; Former Customs Commissioner Holds Congress Blundered on Hawley-Smoot Bill.. Impact: Eble's call to scrap the tariff is what eventually led to modern economic debates that last longer than most relationships—talk about a commitment issue.. Fact: Fun fact: The Hawley-Smoot Tariff was so unpopular that even tariffs started getting ghosted!.
• Headline: SEEN IN THE GALLERIES. Impact: The art scene in the 1930s saw an uptick in pretentious commentary, which eventually led to the invention of Instagram influencers who think they can paint with filters.. Fact: Did you know that 'seen in the galleries' was code for 'I have no idea what I’m looking at, but it looks expensive'?.
• Headline: OPPOSE CUT IN HOURS NOW; Business Men Feel Shorter Week Should Be Delayed for a Time.. Impact: This opposition to shorter work hours cemented the belief that one must work hard to barely scrape by. Thanks to that mindset, we've now perfected the art of overworking ourselves for minimal pay.. Fact: Fun fact: Business leaders in 1933 were essentially the original workaholics—except their coffee was probably served in a tin cup..
• Headline: COAL HIGHER IN CHICAGO.; Retail Rise Up to 30% Is Laid to NRA Increases In Mine Pay.. Impact: The rise in coal prices led to the invention of the phrase 'coal is the new gold,' which was later proven to be a massive oversell when everyone switched to electricity.. Fact: Did you know that the NRA was not about the National Rifle Association but rather the National Recovery Administration? Plot twist!.
• Headline: Walpole the Novelist and the Man; HUGH WALPOLE. By Marguerite Steen. 288 pp. New York: Doubleday, Doran & Co. $3.. Impact: Walpole's success as a novelist inspired countless wannabe writers, most of whom learned the hard way that 'being a tortured artist' doesn’t pay the bills.. Fact: Fun fact: The only thing more abundant than Hugh Walpole's novels in the 1930s was the number of people who claimed to have read them..