MAY 20, 1941

Full News Archive

• Headline: B Simonds Becomes Yale Music Dean. Impact: This appointment set off a chain reaction that led to an unexpected explosion of jazz musicians in the streets of New Haven. Ironically, their improvisational skills were so advanced that they invented a new genre of music called 'stress jazz,' which is now used in therapy sessions worldwide.. Fact: Yale Music School has produced so many famous musicians that it's rumored to have a secret underground jam session that rivals Woodstock..
• Headline: Emil Ludwig's Quota Immigration Return. Impact: Emil's immigration adventure sparked a trend where writers started to travel back and forth across borders just to avoid deadlines. This ultimately led to the creation of the 'Writers' Quota' movement, which ensures that no author can ever be required to write more than one book per decade—thank you, Emil!. Fact: Immigration quotas are often more flexible than your average Tinder date's criteria..
• Headline: Smith Urges County Reforms on Radio. Impact: Smith's radio campaign was so persuasive that it inadvertently inspired an entire generation to distrust elected officials, resulting in the rise of cat memes as the primary form of political commentary. Who knew a radio appeal could lead to a feline revolution?. Fact: LaGuardia was known for his 'no-nonsense' attitude, which is why he was often mistaken for a superhero in a trench coat..
• Headline: CITY SEEKS TO KEEP RIGHTS TO AIRPORT; Acts to Block Condemnation of Bennett Field Giving U. S. Perpetual Control. Impact: The city's attempt to keep control of the airport inadvertently set off a turf war among local pigeons who believed they had rightful claim to the skies. This led to the infamous 'Birds vs. Bureaucrats' standoff of 1938.. Fact: Floyd Bennett Field was named after a guy who literally just wanted to fly and not deal with bureaucratic nonsense—talk about ironic..
• Headline: PLANE PLANTS' COST TOLD; Bomber Assembly Units Will Be $22,400,000 and $22,000,000. Impact: The staggering cost of bomber assembly plants forced the government to rethink its budget, leading to a decades-long obsession with cutting corners, which eventually resulted in the invention of the 'budget airline'—where comfort goes to die.. Fact: The cost to build planes in the 1930s would be equivalent to the price of a small yacht today—if only they had known they could just slap some wings on a bus..
• Headline: RAIL UNIONS DEMAND 30 P.C. RISE IN PAY; Move by 'Big Five' Brotherhoods Would Add $168,000,000 to Payroll of the Roads RAIL UNIONS ASK 30 P.C. PAY RISE. Impact: The rail unions' demand for a pay rise triggered a nationwide dialogue on labor rights which, over decades, led to coffee breaks being protected by law—because nothing says 'worker rights' like a caffeine fix.. Fact: Railroad workers in the 1930s had to fight for their rights much like we fight for the last donut in the break room..
• Headline: Iraqis Report Battles; BRITISH PUSH RAIDS ON NAZIS IN SYRIA. Impact: The British raids on the Nazis created an unexpected side effect; Arab producers started making action films about the war, which eventually led to the rise of the modern action movie genre—thank you, WWII!. Fact: The only thing more explosive than a British raid during WWII is a Hollywood blockbuster about it..
• Headline: 12 MORE DROPPED AT CITY COLLEGE; Board Suspends Teachers and Clerks in 'Purge' of Reds in Rapp-Coudert Inquiry ACCUSED OF OBSTRUCTION Ten Who Have Tenure of Office Must Face Trial -- Fourteen Previously Under Fire. Impact: The purge at City College became a cautionary tale about the dangers of political witch hunts, inspiring a generation of students to pursue careers in journalism—because nothing screams 'free speech' like a good old-fashioned scandal.. Fact: The Rapp-Coudert Inquiry was so infamous that it inspired a popular sitcom in the 1970s called 'Suspended,' which was less about education and more about chaos..
• Headline: Strikes Defended by Methodists As They Oppose Use of Convoys; Church Group Lays Curtailment of Defense Production to Plant Owners' 'Greed' -- War Feared if Ships Are Escorted. Impact: The Methodist defense of strikes led to a dramatic increase in the number of church services held in factories, creating a bizarre fusion of worship and work that resulted in the first-ever 'Holy Hour' labor break.. Fact: The Methodists' opposition to convoys was taken so seriously that they nearly formed their own Navy—because nothing says 'peace' like a bunch of pacifists with submarines..