FEBRUARY 14, 1943

Full News Archive

• Headline: British Bombs Carry 'Air Mail' to Germany. Impact: The introduction of 'Air Mail' bombs led to a new postal service that accidentally revolutionized air travel—by making it very explosive. Imagine if FedEx had just dropped packages from the sky; we might have gotten pizza delivery a decade earlier. Fact: In a twist of fate, the phrase 'going postal' was not originally about disgruntled mail carriers, but rather about the bomb-dropping postal service that didn’t quite take off.
• Headline: Women's Auxiliary Fundraising for Hospitals. Impact: The A.W.V.S. initiative inspired future generations of women to take up knitting for charity, leading to a global yarn shortage in the '70s and the subsequent rise of hipster knitting cafés. Fact: The only thing more life-changing than hospital benefit plans? The introduction of the 'I can knit my own sweater' trend.
• Headline: NEWS AS NAZIS READ IT; German Paper Found in Africa Tells of Success in Russia. Impact: The German paper's success report led to a series of misguided confidence boosts in the Nazi regime, ultimately resulting in their downfall when they realized success was not a reliable metric for winning wars. Fact: Ironically, the paper’s title was later changed to 'Fake News: The Early Years' when they started reporting on their own success.
• Headline: Killed by 40-Pound Wrench. Impact: The unfortunate demise of Gentile M. led to the introduction of strict safety standards for tools, which ironically made home improvement projects far more dangerous due to people ignoring those standards. Fact: The wrench involved was later dubbed 'the ultimate weapon of procrastination'—because who doesn’t have a project that's been on hold since 1945?.
• Headline: THE BLACK ANGEL. By Cornell Woolrich. 300 pp. New York: Published for The Crime Club, Inc., by Doubleday, Doran & Co. $2.. Impact: Woolrich’s 'The Black Angel' inspired countless future crime writers, leading to an explosion of noir literature, which in turn led to a black market for vintage detective hats. Fact: Woolrich's work was so influential that it led to the phrase 'It's always darkest before the dawn' becoming the tagline for every crime movie ever.
• Headline: MOST USEFUL NUT TREES; They Rank High as Food Plants, and They Also Have High Decorative Value. Impact: The discussion on nut trees eventually led to a bizarre vegan movement where people believed they could sustain themselves entirely on decorative plants, resulting in a spike in hipster diets of pecans and walnuts. Fact: Nut trees are indeed useful, but most people still prefer their nuts in a can or on top of their sundaes, thank you very much.
• Headline: VALENTINE FETE PLANNED. Impact: The Valentine Fete brought servicemen and women together, sparking a love craze that led to a global increase in cheesy romance novels and awkward dating scenarios for decades to come. Fact: The original plan for the party included a contest for the cheesiest pick-up line, but it was scrapped when someone suggested using real cheese.
• Headline: TREE IN THE TRAIL. Written and illustrated by Holling Clancy Holling. 27 pp. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. $2.50.. Impact: Holling Clancy Holling’s 'Tree in the Trail' became the inspiration for the modern environmental movement, although many people thought it was just about avoiding trees while walking. Fact: Holling was later asked if he had a tree-hugging agenda, to which he responded, 'Only if the tree is hugging back!'.