FEBRUARY 15, 1938

Full News Archive

• Headline: Chinese Reinforcements Amid Japanese Advances. Impact: The Japanese push in the Chengchow-Kaifeng area not only reshaped the battlefield of World War II but also led to the creation of a new genre: war-themed reality shows. Imagine 'Survivor: Yellow River Edition' where contestants must fend off invaders and survive on rationed rice. Ratings soared.. Fact: The Yellow River is often referred to as 'China's Sorrow' due to its devastating floods. So, you know, it has a history of drama long before reality TV was a thing..
• Headline: Brazil Receives Italian Submarines. Impact: The arrival of submarines from Italy to Brazil marked the beginning of a bizarre underwater rivalry that culminated in the legendary 'Submarine Samba' dance-off of 1942. Experts argue it was the real reason behind Brazil's subsequent football dominance.. Fact: Submarines are often seen as the silent killers of the sea, but in Brazil, they became the life of the party. Let’s just hope they didn’t bring any torpedoes to the dance floor..
• Headline: Typhoid Epidemic in Croydon, 1938. Impact: The Croydon typhoid epidemic was, hilariously enough, the catalyst for inventing the modern-day public health campaign. If it weren’t for this, we might still be using hand pumps to fill our glasses. Cheers to progress!. Fact: Typhoid fever is caused by the bacteria Salmonella typhi. The only thing more infectious than this disease was the gossip about who was to blame for the contaminated well..
• Headline: CROWDS SEE JERSEY FAIR; Cultural Week Draws Many at Newark Exposition. Impact: The Jersey Fair brought together locals who later formed the first grassroots movement for fair food prices. Little did they know that this was just the precursor to the rise of food trucks and artisanal cheese shops decades later.. Fact: Newark's cultural week was probably the closest thing to a social media influencer event back then. Imagine banners saying, 'Join us for a week of overpriced artisanal lemonade!'.
• Headline: COSTA RICA PRICES RISE; Cost of Living Up 6.28 Per Cent in 1937, National Bank Reports. Impact: The rise in Costa Rican prices sparked the first-ever 'Costa Rican Inflation Olympics', where citizens competed to see who could live on the least amount of money. Spoiler alert: nobody won.. Fact: A 6.28% rise in the cost of living sounds bad, but it’s actually the average annual increase of people’s ‘Why is everything so expensive?’ complaints across the globe..
• Headline: HAS 47% RUSTLESS STEEL; American Rolling Mill Buys 227,600 More Shares. Impact: The American Rolling Mill's acquisition of rustless steel shares led to a sudden obsession with all things rust-resistant, inadvertently inspiring the creation of the first rust-themed fashion line. Who knew that steel could become a trendsetter?. Fact: Rustless steel might sound like a miracle material, but it’s just steel that decided to avoid the whole ‘oxidization’ phase of life. Such commitment to staying young!.
• Headline: QUEZON MAKES AIM PROPERTY FOR ALL; Poses a 'Distributive State' for the Philippines Against Communism or Fascism AGAINST GREAT FORTUNES He Would Use Tax Power to Give Every Filipino the Means for Living Seeks "Fundamental" Plan Views on Independence. Impact: Quezon's vision for a distributive state spurred countless debates about wealth distribution, leading to a series of awkward family dinners where everyone suddenly became an economics expert. Spoiler alert: it didn’t end well.. Fact: Quezon's plan was so ambitious that it made even the most optimistic politicians of today look like they were playing checkers while he was playing 4D chess..
• Headline: NEW DATA SOUGHT ON RUIBENS STATUS; State Department May Enter Case Again if It Is Found That He Is U. S. Citizen TRESCA HEARING PUT OFF Grand Jury Postpones Session Till Next Monday in Absence of Prosecutor Grand Jury Hearing Put Off Tresca to Name Fifteen Witnesses. Impact: The Ruben citizenship inquiry was the beginning of many, many years of bureaucratic headaches. It set a precedent for future generations to develop a deep understanding of why government paperwork is the real enemy.. Fact: Nothing says 'freedom' like being stuck in a bureaucracy. If you think the DMV is bad, try navigating citizenship inquiries in the 1930s!.
• Headline: FISH SAYS BIG NAVY HEADS US FOR WAR; Assailing $800,000,000 Bill, He Asserts Roosevelt Seeks to 'Police the World' FAVORS PARITY FOR JAPAN Representative Tells Committee We Have Nothing to Fear--Asks Limitation Parley FISH SAYS BIG NAVY HEADS US FOR WAR Urges Limitation Conference Charges "Scare" Is Created. Impact: Fisher's warning about a big navy leading to war inadvertently kickstarted a series of conspiracy theories that would make even the wildest sci-fi writers jealous. Who knew a navy could cause so much drama?. Fact: The only thing more dramatic than debates over military spending is the realization that none of the big navy proponents ever had to dodge a real torpedo..