MAY 24, 1936

Full News Archive

• Headline: Mayor La Guardia Attends Police Memorial Service. Impact: La Guardia's attendance sparked a nationwide trend of politicians attending memorials, leading to an unintentional chain reaction where mayors began attending all sorts of events, including bake sales and pet parades, just to avoid being called insensitive.. Fact: This was the first time a mayor attended a memorial service. Now we know La Guardia just wanted to ensure there were no crumbs left on the floor for the next politician to trip over..
• Headline: Establishment of a Reference Bureau. Impact: The establishment of the Reference Bureau inadvertently led to an explosion in the popularity of trivia nights at local bars, culminating in a global obsession with useless facts and the eventual rise of internet comment sections.. Fact: The Reference Bureau was not just a place for facts; it was where people learned that ‘googling’ was not an acceptable substitute for actual research—at least until 1998..
• Headline: Liquor Price War Concludes in 1936. Impact: This price war's end marked the beginning of the phrase 'happy hour,' which would later be used to justify questionable life choices and regrettable karaoke performances worldwide.. Fact: This was the week everyone learned that liquor prices can fluctuate more than a politician's stance on any given issue..
• Headline: EDISON FUND FOR STUDIES; Memorial Scholarships to Be Offered as Aid to Young Americans. Impact: The establishment of the Edison Fund led to a generation of students who believed that scholarships were just another way for old inventors to buy their love—cue the rise of overly sentimental Valentine's Day cards.. Fact: Thomas Edison was known for his inventions, but few knew he was also a savvy marketer who understood that 'free money for learning' was a surefire way to get kids to stop blowing things up in their garages..
• Headline: In New Orleans; EDMOND PEYRE. By C.B. Roberts. 206 pp. New York: Fleming H. Revell. $2.. Impact: The publication of this book inadvertently set off a chain of literary debates that would last for decades, with people arguing about whether they should read it or just pretend they did, leading to the modern phenomenon of 'book clubs' that often turned into wine clubs.. Fact: Edmond Peyre sounds like a character in a Southern Gothic novel, but he was actually just a guy trying to sell books—because who doesn’t want to read about more people named Edmond?.
• Headline: 432 IN U.S. WIN IN SWEEPSTAKES; Nearly Half of Tickets Drawn Are Held in This Country -Prizes Total $6,266,875. SECOND LIST TOMORROW Twenty-eight of Eighty-two Entries Expected to Run in Race Wednesday. THIRTY-TWO ON FAVORITES Twenty-three of These Residents of New York and the Metropolitan Area. 432 IN U.S. WIN IN SWEEPSTAKES. Impact: The massive sweepstakes win led to an explosion of 'get-rich-quick' schemes, resulting in both the lottery and the phrase 'the house always wins' becoming the ultimate reality check for countless hopefuls.. Fact: Winning the sweepstakes was like winning the social lottery—you were suddenly the most popular person at the office, until everyone else remembered you still owed them lunch money..
• Headline: LISTS LONG CAREER OF REALTY FIRMS; Six Manhattan Concerns Are Eligible for Century Club, States W.J. Brede.. Impact: The listing of these realty firms encouraged future real estate agents to inflate their resumes, leading to the modern-day phenomenon of people claiming they can sell ice to Eskimos—or at least a tiny studio for a million bucks.. Fact: The Century Club—where realty firms go to reminisce about the good old days when you could actually afford a place in Manhattan without selling a kidney..