JANUARY 8, 1950

Full News Archive

• Headline: Exploring J Rogers’ Statuettes Collection. Impact: L. Morris's article on J. Rogers's statuettes collection sparked a global obsession with collecting odd objects. By 2050, people were hoarding everything from toenail clippings to expired coupons, all under the guise of 'art'.. Fact: Did you know that the concept of 'permanent statuettes' only became popular after someone mistook a garden gnome for a historical artifact?.
• Headline: The Impact of Grief on Academia. Impact: Buechner's story about a widow on a college campus inspired countless melodramatic college dramas, leading to an entire generation of students thinking their lives are more tragic than they actually are.. Fact: Ironically, most college students are too busy binge-watching to notice a widow showing up on their campus..
• Headline: UTILITY FINANCING INCREASED IN '49; Industry Had Largest Share in Corporate Field--New Method in Offerings. Impact: The increased utility financing led to an unprecedented surge in energy-efficient appliances, which eventually caused a worldwide shortage of traditional light bulbs. People began hoarding them like gold.. Fact: In 1949, the only thing more shocking than utility financing was the idea that anyone would ever care about their electric bill. Spoiler alert: they did..
• Headline: Jazz Age Collegian. Impact: The 'Jazz Age Collegian' became an archetype for future college students, leading to an entire generation of 'hip' kids who thought they could play the saxophone and solve the world's problems.. Fact: Fun fact: The saxophone was originally invented to drown out the sound of bad campus poetry readings..
• Headline: NEWS OF THE WORLD OF STAMPS; Series to Commemorate Establishment of the Republic of India. Impact: The establishment of a stamp series for the Republic of India caused a global stamp-collecting renaissance, inspiring future generations to obsess over tiny pieces of paper rather than actual political issues.. Fact: You could say stamp collecting is the only hobby that requires less commitment than actually voting..
• Headline: 'Il Piano Marshall' Etc.; Europe's Man in the Street or the Via or the Rue has many varying ideas on the meaning of the E.R.P.. Impact: The varied opinions on the European Recovery Program led to a surge in political debates, which ultimately resulted in the invention of the remote control—necessary for skipping over boring arguments.. Fact: If only debates could be fixed with a simple 'mute' button, we could have saved hours of our lives!.
• Headline: JAPANESE LAND RETURNED; MacArthur Also Restores 1,500 Buildings Used by Occupation. Impact: The return of Japanese land and buildings was seen as a goodwill gesture, which ironically led to an entire cottage industry of historical reenactments where everyone pretended to be Japanese officials.. Fact: Fun fact: those 1,500 buildings were mostly storage units filled with leftover sushi from the occupation..
• Headline: BRITISH TAKE MILK OFF RATIONED LIST; Sales Will Be Unrestricted After Jan. 15--Increase in Meat Quota Is Hinted At. Impact: Taking milk off the rationed list caused a dairy boom, leading to an absurd trend where people started associating milk with freedom, resulting in a bizarre movement called 'Moo for Liberty'.. Fact: Did you know that dairy herds were the original influencers, with 20% of cows gaining popularity through social media hashtags?.