AUGUST 31, 1943

Full News Archive

• Headline: Urgent Call for Jewish Rescue in 1943. Impact: This event set off a series of international debates that led to some countries actually reconsidering their immigration policies. However, it also resulted in the creation of a very awkward family reunion during a Thanksgiving dinner in 1946 when a distant cousin suddenly became relevant. Fact: Did you know that sometimes the loudest cries for help can echo through time, only to be ignored until it’s too late? True story.
• Headline: Roosevelt's Decisions on Enemy Aliens. Impact: Roosevelt’s move to give the Immigration and Naturalization Service more power created a series of bureaucratic nightmares that inspired countless sitcoms about the absurdities of immigration – and the birth of the ‘I’m not an alien, I’m just misunderstood’ club. Fact: Fun fact: Alien classifications have nothing to do with extraterrestrials. Sorry to disappoint the conspiracy theorists.
• Headline: First Woman District Leader Here Named by Republicans in 12th A.D.; Mrs. Dorothy Bell Rackoff Sets Precedent in City -- Paxton Blair Resigns Law Post to Be Her Associate in North Area. Impact: Mrs. Rackoff’s appointment sparked a minor revolution in political gender roles, leading to a slow but steady increase in women daring to enter the realm of politics, eventually resulting in something called ‘social media influencers’ running for office. The horror!. Fact: Did you know that it took until 1943 for women to start breaking into leadership roles? Guess it took them that long to figure out how to deal with all the paperwork.
• Headline: FINDS BRITISH CONFIDENT; McLean, Head of the A.P., Says They Hail Gains in Air Offensive. Impact: This confidence in British air power eventually inspired a slew of overly optimistic war-themed movies, leading to the birth of an entire genre where pilots always come back ‘just in time’. Spoiler: they rarely do. Fact: Did you know that confidence can be contagious? Just ask the British, who seemed to have it in spades, even when the odds were stacked against them.
• Headline: RUSSIANS TAKE TAGANROG, NAZIS' SOUTH ANCHOR; ENCIRCLE ENEMY THERE BY SWEEP TO THE WEST; GERMANS ARREST DANISH CABINET AND LEADERS; ROSTOV AREA FREED Trapped German Army Faces Annihilation in Crushing Defeat NAZI RETREAT SEEN NEAR Russians Take 150 Villages in Drives Including Gains on Sevsk-Bryansk Front ROSTOV AREA FREED BY TAGANROG FALL. Impact: The fall of Taganrog marked a significant shift in the war, but it also led to a series of motivational posters that encouraged people to ‘never give up’, which was ironically used by a lot of failing businesses in the 90s. Fact: This battle was so pivotal that it’s like the ‘that moment’ in a movie where the hero finally gets their act together. Spoiler alert: the hero was the USSR.
• Headline: HORATIO N. GILRERT. Impact: Horatio N. Gilbert, while perhaps not a household name, likely inspired someone to write a very mediocre novel about a time traveler who accidentally causes a rift in the space-time continuum every time he sneezes. Fact: Did you know that sometimes a name can change history? If only Horatio had chosen ‘Superman’ as his alias!.
• Headline: FRAUD LAID TO FCC IN DRAFT APPEALS; Misrepresenting of Skills to Get Deferment Is Charged Before Cox Committee FLY RESENTS 'DISTORTION' His Aides Whittle Requests to 218 Cases and Contend That Those Are Justified. Impact: This scandal led to the introduction of the phrase ‘fake it till you make it’ into political jargon, which is still being used by politicians to this day when they can’t find any actual qualifications. Fact: Fun fact: Misrepresentation has been an art form for centuries. Just ask any politician or used car salesman!.
• Headline: Senators Start Alaskan Inquiry. Impact: This inquiry sparked a series of investigations that were so dull, they inspired the creation of a new genre of reality TV: ‘Watching Paint Dry with Senators’. Ratings were abysmal. Fact: Did you know that Alaska has more than just snow? It also has a lot of politicians who think they’re interesting when they really aren’t.
• Headline: M'DERMOTT PROTEST PUTS HERNDON IN 1-A; Editor of Negro Quarterly Had Been Deferred as Indispensable. Impact: M'Dermott's protest changed the landscape for draft deferments, leading to a whole new level of ‘who is indispensable in a crisis?’ debates that continue to this day and often result in ‘my cousin Larry’ being called to the front lines. Fact: Did you know that being deemed ‘indispensable’ is often just a polite way of saying ‘we don't want to deal with you right now’?.