JULY 15, 1950

Full News Archive

• Headline: Vermont and the Picket Line Controversy. Impact: The decision to deny job aid for crossing picket lines eventually led to the rise of the term 'jobless solidarity' in labor unions, where workers proudly stood together in poverty rather than compromise their principles. Ironically, this made them the most united group of broke people in history.. Fact: Vermont was once considered the land of milk and honey – until they decided to milk this picket line situation for all it was worth..
• Headline: Third Soviet Ore Embargo Imposed. Impact: The third embargo on Soviet ore caused a chain reaction that led to many US metalworkers switching careers to interpretive dance, claiming they were expressing the 'struggles of iron' in a post-industrial world.. Fact: The USSR and the US have been playing chicken with resources for decades; it’s like a really intense game of Red Rover, but with more espionage..
• Headline: Danish Craft Designs: 18th Century Influence. Impact: This design movement sparked a worldwide obsession with minimalism, ultimately leading to IKEA's existence, where many have lost both their sanity and ability to assemble furniture.. Fact: Danish designs are so popular that even the chairs seem to have their own fan clubs. Just wait until you see the Instagram accounts dedicated to them!.
• Headline: XC-99 ROUNDS OUT TEST; Largest Land-Based Plane Has New Power Plant. Impact: The successful test of the XC-99 set the stage for a future where oversized planes became the norm, leading to the inevitable invention of the 'plane yoga' class as passengers sought peace among the turbulence.. Fact: The XC-99 was so large that it could carry a small army – or a family of five with three kids who all brought their toys along for the ride..
• Headline: WARTIME QUOTAS PLACED ON LIQUOR; Importers Act to Level Out Scotch Sales as Demand Rises Since Korea Strife NO 'PANIC BUYING' IS FOUND Virtually All Increases in Trade Laid to Retail Inventory Building by Dealers. Impact: The wartime quotas on liquor led to an underground movement where people traded Scotch for everything from stamps to vintage comic books, igniting the first 'Scotch Exchange' – a precursor to modern-day cryptocurrency.. Fact: Turns out, when people can't have something, they want it ten times more – who knew the liquor industry was the original influencer?.
• Headline: Vacations Cut Coal Production. Impact: As vacations cut coal production, coal miners started a side hustle in vacation planning, leading to the rise of eco-tourism in coal-rich areas – because who wouldn’t want to spend time in a soot-filled paradise?. Fact: The National Coal Association's idea of a good time was clearly different from yours. 'Hey, let’s go on holiday and stare at coal piles!' Sounds fun, right?.
• Headline: OHIO STATE SENATOR CALLED A COMMUNIST. Impact: Labeling a state senator as a communist led to a nationwide witch hunt that made McCarthyism look like a friendly game of bingo. This ultimately resulted in a wave of people claiming to be 'anti-anti-communists' to avoid being labeled anything.. Fact: Being called a communist in the 50s was basically the worst insult you could receive – worse than being told you had spinach in your teeth at a dinner party..
• Headline: ARCHITECT HITS HIS FIELD; Wright Calls It 'Blind Spot of Our Civilization'. Impact: Wright's critique of architecture led to a rebellion where aspiring architects began designing buildings that looked suspiciously like giant fruit, thus giving rise to the 'edible architecture' movement.. Fact: Frank Lloyd Wright called architecture the 'blind spot of civilization' – but let’s be real, have you tried driving through a city with all those blind spots?.
• Headline: News of Food; Orange Juice Now Delivered to Your Door in Iced, Stoppered Bottles Before 6:3D A.M. High-Priced Peach Here Blueberry Peak Soon. Impact: The home delivery of orange juice created a new market for lazy breakfast options, which eventually led to the rise of the 'brunch culture' – a time when people celebrated breakfast at noon and called it a lifestyle.. Fact: In NYC, the delivery of fresh orange juice was revolutionary – because who doesn’t want breakfast to come with a side of someone ringing their doorbell at 6:30 AM?.
• Headline: Union Sues for $1,000,000. Impact: The $1 million damage suit set a precedent for future lawsuits over paper cuts, ultimately creating a new legal genre: 'paper-related injuries,' thus making lawyers rich off the most mundane of mishaps.. Fact: The CIO Paper Workers really knew how to make a mountain out of a molehill – or should we say, a mountain of paper?.