SEPTEMBER 7, 1937

Full News Archive

• Headline: Noel Coward's Brief Visit to America. Impact: Noel Coward's brief visit sparked the formation of a secret society of playwrights who vowed to write the most melodramatic plays possible, resulting in a never-ending cycle of tragic love stories and overly dramatic monologues.. Fact: Fun fact: Coward's real plan was to steal all the best American coffee recipes to take back to England, but he got distracted by all the beaches..
• Headline: Hearn Estate Fire Devastates Priceless Treasures. Impact: The fire at the Hearn estate was the catalyst for a nationwide movement to protect heirlooms, which led to the invention of the world's first 'fireproof' heirloom storage units—only to be revealed later as glorified metal boxes.. Fact: Isn't it ironic that the antiques, which were supposed to preserve history, ended up being the reason for this historical inferno?.
• Headline: WHITE RUSSIANS PLAN WIDER AID TO EXILES; New Home for Aged Projected at Jersey Farm Center by Delegates of 3,500. Impact: The White Russians' aid for exiles inadvertently inspired the creation of several terrible sitcoms based on their struggles, forever ruining the reputation of all Russian expatriates in Hollywood.. Fact: The real tragedy here? No one ever told these exiles that their new home would come with a side of bad punchlines and even worse acting..
• Headline: BUTTON MEN CITED IN PRICE-FIXING BAN; Federal Trade Board Orders 150 Manufacturers to End 'Unlawful Conspiracy' TRADE GROUP ALSO NAMED Alleged Setting of Maximum Discounts Prohibited--90 %' of Industry Involved Commission Clarifies Issue Scope of the Prohibition. Impact: The FTC's crackdown on price-fixing led to a black market for buttons and buckles, where people started trading old soda can tabs and shoelaces as currency, creating a bizarre yet thriving underground economy.. Fact: You think buttons are unimportant? Just wait until you find yourself in a post-apocalyptic world where a single button could buy you a lifetime supply of rations!.
• Headline: MRS. BARNET HART; Mother of Moss Hart, New York Playwright, Dies in Asbury Park. Impact: Mrs. Barnet Hart's passing marked a turning point in the New York theater scene, resulting in an influx of playwrights trying to immortalize her life story, leading to a slew of plays that were way too long and way too sad.. Fact: Did you know that some say Moss Hart's biggest inspiration came from his mother's attempts to survive family dinners? Now that's drama!.
• Headline: BRITISH SHIP IS SEIZED; Rebels Unload.Craft Chartered by Spanish Loyalists. Impact: The seizure of the British ship sparked a new trend in rebellious pirate-themed parties across Europe, resulting in a generation of party-goers who believed they were the rightful heirs to the pirate legacy, complete with eye patches and inflatable swords.. Fact: Isn't it amusing that for a group fighting for loyalty, they ended up throwing the most disloyal parties imaginable?.
• Headline: GASOLINE SHORTAGE PROTESTED IN MEXICO; 200 Business Men Warn They Will Have to Shut Down Unless Cardenas Ends Strike. Impact: The gasoline shortage protest led to a rise in bicycle sales, which eventually influenced a fitness craze that swept the nation—a chain reaction that resulted in millions of people discovering that exercise is, in fact, not a myth.. Fact: Did you know that without this protest, we might have never seen the rise of spandex as a fashion choice? Thank you, gasoline shortage!.