JULY 24, 1949

Full News Archive

• Headline: Truman's Controversial Bomb Data Proposal. Impact: If Truman had shared bomb data, perhaps Britain would have built a better bomb, leading to a less explosive rivalry with the USSR... or just more tea parties with a side of nuclear fallout. Who knew sharing could lead to such chaos?. Fact: Truman's decision to keep secrets might have been influenced by a game of poker he lost to Churchill. You never know, right?.
• Headline: Canton Adjusts Salaries in Silver. Impact: Fixing salaries in silver? That’s one way to ensure everyone’s paycheck is as shiny as their future—until the silver market crashes. The value of the dollar was about to get a whole lot more complicated.. Fact: Silver is great and all, but what happens when you accidentally pay your rent in shiny coins? Good luck convincing your landlord it’s a valid form of currency!.
• Headline: West Coast City; THE SPECTACULAR SAN FRANCISCANS. By Julia Cooley Altrocchi. Society in American Series. 398 pp. New York: E. P. Dutton & Co. $4.50.. Impact: This book likely inspired countless tourists to visit San Francisco, leading to the modern-day 'I love the fog' phenomenon. Thanks, Julia, for making tourism a thing in a city known for its weather!. Fact: Fun fact: If you stack all the books written about San Francisco, you could build a small hill... which would still be less foggy than the actual city..
• Headline: Changsha Is Abandoned. Impact: The abandonment of Changsha could have been the catalyst for a dramatic rise in real estate prices—because nothing says opportunity like a vacant city!. Fact: They say history repeats itself, but I bet the students were just hoping for a good WiFi connection in those war-torn buildings..
• Headline: Surgeon in the Far East; SIAM DOCTOR. By Jacques M. May. 255 pp. New York: Doubleday & Co. $2.75.. Impact: Jacques M. May’s book about Siam could have sparked a whole genre of travel literature, leading to an explosion of wannabe explorers who thought they could navigate Southeast Asia with nothing but a guidebook and a sense of entitlement.. Fact: The term 'Siamese twins' was already taken, so good luck finding a catchy title for your travel memoir, Jacques!.
• Headline: EDISTO ISLAND, A REMINDER OF THE COLONIAL SOUTH. Impact: Edisto Island’s colonial attractions likely turned into a tourist trap, complete with ghost tours that made history sound way more dramatic than it actually was. Thanks for the historical hype, Edisto!. Fact: Legend has it, Edisto Island is the only place where you can still hear the echoes of colonial gossip. 'Did you hear what Lady Pembroke said about the tea? Pure scandal!'.
• Headline: CPA NOT HAMPERED BY BERCU DECISION; Ruling Held to Prohibit Only His Functioning as Legal Adviser on Tax Matters MAY STILL DRAFT RETURNS Action Is Viewed Merely as an Extension of New York Court Precedents CPA NOT HAMPERED BY BERCU DECISION. Impact: The CPA ruling could have unintentionally started the trend of tax advisors becoming celebrities—because who doesn't want their finances handled by someone who’s been through the legal wringer?. Fact: In a shocking twist, the only thing more complicated than tax returns is understanding why anyone would want to be a CPA in the first place..
• Headline: NEW ENGLAND LINK IN PIPELINE NEARS; FPC Approval Will Be Asked This Month by Minute Man Group for Big Project NEW ENGLAND LINK IN PIPELINE NEARS. Impact: The approval for the pipeline might have set off a domino effect of environmental debates and energy crises that would continue to be hot topics—no pun intended—decades later.. Fact: The Minute Man Gas Co. probably thought they’d just be building a pipeline, not the foundation for future heated arguments about climate change. Good luck with that!.