OCTOBER 13, 1944

Full News Archive

• Headline: Baldwin Challenges Roosevelt's European Influence. Impact: Baldwin's denial about Dewey's influence might have set the stage for politicians to always believe that they know better than the electorate. Spoiler alert: they usually don’t.. Fact: Dewey was famously defeated by Truman in the 1948 election, proving that sometimes it's not just about being heard, but also about not being totally wrong..
• Headline: Messages From Churchill, Eden. Impact: Messages from Churchill and Eden might have sparked a surge in sympathy cards, or perhaps just a realization that political tributes have always been flowery nonsense.. Fact: W. L. Willkie was the Republican candidate in the 1940 election, so you know, he really had a chance at being a trivia answer for all time..
• Headline: BRITISH FINISH ROAD FOR PUSH IN ARAKAN. Impact: The British finishing the road for a push in Arakan could be seen as a pivotal moment that delayed the establishment of modern-day road trip culture in the area. Thanks a lot, Mountbatten.. Fact: Mountbatten's challenges in Burma included not just military tactics but also the joy of dealing with monsoons—because who doesn't love a good rainstorm during a battle?.
• Headline: M'GOLDRICK OFFERS A $20,000,000 PLAN; Wants City to Buy 8 Blocks in Downtown Brooklyn to Round Out Improvement WOULD THEN RESELL LAND Asks That Sum Be Added to $50,000,000 Capital Outlays Now in Budget for Area. Impact: If M'Goldrick's plan had been enacted, Brooklyn might be known today as the 'City of Eight Blocks' instead of the hipster utopia it is now. Talk about a missed opportunity!. Fact: $20 million in 1944 would be like almost $300 million today. So, you know, maybe the city should have just bought a couple of hipster coffee shops instead..
• Headline: COL. M'CARLEY LOSES LIFE; Was One of Youngest Lieutenant Colonels in Army Ground Forces. Impact: Colonel M'Carley's death is a stark reminder that even the youngest and brightest can become mere footnotes in history. Tragic, but hey, that's war for you.. Fact: M'Carley was one of the youngest lieutenant colonels in the Army, which is a nice way of saying he was likely overworked and underpaid..
• Headline: 2 SHOT, TOSSED FROM CARS; Believed Victims of a Dispute Between Rival Gangs. Impact: The shooting of two gang members may have contributed to the infamous cycle of violence, paving the way for countless crime dramas featuring rival gangs. Thanks, humanity!. Fact: The phrase 'tossed from cars' really puts a new spin on the word 'drive-by'..
• Headline: Appeal for Registration Made With Loudspeaker. Impact: The use of loudspeakers for voter registration could have led to a chain reaction of increasingly creative campaign strategies, culminating in the viral TikTok dances we see today.. Fact: Imagine trying to convince people to register to vote with a loudspeaker today. The backlash would be louder than the actual speaker..
• Headline: U.S. RECEIPTS 8 TIMES '40; Morgenthau Reports 44 Billions Paid to Treasury Last Year. Impact: Morgenthau's report about U.S. receipts could have changed fiscal policy forever, but instead, it just encouraged future generations of accountants to work harder for the same old results.. Fact: 44 billion dollars in 1944 is roughly equivalent to every American adult today paying for their own Netflix subscription for life. So, you know, priorities..