MAY 30, 1948

Full News Archive

• Headline: American Car Purchases in Europe Made Easier. Impact: This new car-buying plan led to a surge in American tourists in Europe, who subsequently decided that driving on the wrong side of the road was a thrilling adventure. This, of course, resulted in a rise in international insurance premiums and a new genre of YouTube fails.. Fact: Buying a car abroad is like getting a tattoo in a foreign country – it sounds fun until you realize you have to explain it to your insurance agent..
• Headline: Commercial Jet Engine Certification Milestone. Impact: The certification of jet engines was the spark that ignited a worldwide 'who can build the loudest, fastest plane' competition. This eventually led to the creation of the 'Fly Like a Rock' school of aviation that strictly teaches how to defy the laws of physics.. Fact: Jet engines were once viewed as the future of air travel, until someone realized that they also sound like a thousand angry cats..
• Headline: U.S. Envoy Arrives in Cuba. Impact: The arrival of the U.S. envoy in Cuba was the first step towards thawing relations, which would later inspire countless movies, diplomatic dinners, and a bizarre number of cigars being smuggled across borders.. Fact: Cuba and the U.S. have had a long and complicated relationship, like that couple who break up and get back together every few years but can't decide on a Netflix show..
• Headline: FUND DRIVE OPENS IN PARIS; French Premier Makes Appeal for U.N. Aid to Children. Impact: This appeal for U.N. aid kicked off a global trend where every politician realized that asking for help was more effective than actually doing their jobs. Who knew charity could be such a powerful tool?. Fact: The U.N. has been appealing for children's aid for decades, which is a lot like asking your neighbor for sugar – if your neighbor was a global organization and the sugar was actually a lot of money..
• Headline: THE DODGERS AND ME. By Leo Durocher. New York: Ziff-Davis. 285 pp. $2.50.. Impact: Leo Durocher's memoir not only cemented his place in baseball history but also inspired countless future athletes to pen their own embarrassing tell-alls, revealing that yes, they too once tripped over their own shoelaces.. Fact: Durocher's book is a testament to the fact that sometimes the best stories come from people who are just really good at not being boring..
• Headline: Smith Returns to Moscow. Impact: Smith returning to Moscow sparked a chain reaction where diplomats began to realize that maybe a little bit of face-to-face conversation could prevent nuclear war. Spoiler alert: it didn’t.. Fact: Returning to Moscow is like going back to your ex's place for a 'friendly chat' – awkward, tense, and someone is probably going to regret it..
• Headline: NEWS OF THE WORLD OF STAMPS; Philatelic Advisory Body For the Americas To Be Set Up. Impact: The establishment of a philatelic advisory body created a niche market for stamp collectors that eventually led to the first stamp trading conventions. Who knew that collecting tiny pieces of paper could become a social event?. Fact: Stamp collecting is the only hobby where you can sit quietly in your room and still be the life of the party when you whip out your prized 1868 Z Grill..
• Headline: U.N. Portrait; Aake Ording battled for and now directs the United Nations Appeal for Children.. Impact: Aake Ording's leadership role in the U.N. Appeal for Children inspired a wave of charity initiatives, proving that even in a world of chaos, a few determined individuals can still make a difference—albeit a very slow difference.. Fact: The U.N. has more meetings about children than most parents do about their kids’ bedtime, and yet somehow both still end in tears..
• Headline: GO WEST YOUNG BEAR. By Elizabeth Hamilton. Illustrated by Kurt Wiese. 95 pp. New York: Coward-McCann. $2.50.. Impact: The publication of 'Go West Young Bear' led to an unexpected rise in pro-bear migration movements, ultimately causing a bear version of the Oregon Trail where bears shared their adventures on social media.. Fact: This book inadvertently launched a literacy campaign among bears, proving that they, too, want to know what’s out there beyond the forest..