DECEMBER 16, 1955

Full News Archive

• Headline: Satellite Launching Device Development Announced. Impact: If this G.I. had chosen to map the launching of a taco truck instead, we might have been in a world where tacos ruled the skies and astronauts were just glorified food delivery drivers.. Fact: Did you know that before satellites, the best way to communicate was through carrier pigeons? Yeah, they weren’t very reliable, especially during the Great Pigeon Rebellion of 1955..
• Headline: Eisenhower's Candidacy Uncertainty Denied. Impact: Eisenhower’s denial sparked a series of political maneuvers that eventually led to the invention of the ‘political rumor mill’—a machine that churns out gossip faster than a tabloid.. Fact: Fun fact: Eisenhower was the first president to actually use the phrase 'No comment'—it's the most bipartisan thing he ever did!.
• Headline: Frick Assures Baseball Players Demands Will Be Considered Again; REQUESTS PLACED ON OWNER AGENDA Joint Session of Majors in February to Take Up Video, Salary Proposals Again. Impact: Frick’s assurance that player demands would be considered resulted in a long-standing tradition of players asking for more money while owners ask for the players to 'just play the game, you know?'. Fact: Baseball salaries have grown so much that if Babe Ruth were alive today, he'd be making more money than some small countries' GDPs. And he would still be eating hot dogs!.
• Headline: Secret Police Power Reduced by Moscow; POWER OF POLICE CURBED IN SOVIET. Impact: This reduction in secret police power led to a sudden influx of citizens who felt comfortable enough to complain about the weather, which ironically led to the first official Soviet weather app—'Comrade Clouds.'. Fact: In a bizarre twist of fate, the Soviet secret police had a secret police of their own, dedicated to making sure no one was having too much fun..
• Headline: Argentina Ends Church Tax. Impact: By ending the church tax, Argentina inadvertently set the stage for a series of debates about church-state separation that would eventually inspire the phrase 'tax breaks for prayers'—a real winner in the political arena.. Fact: Interestingly, the church tax was so unpopular that it almost made people start attending services just to complain about it!.
• Headline: M'GILL STUDENTS TO PAY; Offer $5,000 Reparations for Montreal Riot Damage. Impact: This decision to pay reparations for riot damage marked the beginning of a trend where students realized that their tuition money could also double as 'we're sorry' funds for minor mishaps.. Fact: Montreal students were so passionate about their causes that they once rioted just to see if it would help them avoid a midterm exam..
• Headline: Soviet Bars Japan Again;; Lodge Forces a New Vote on Tokyo -- Russian Gives Third Rebuff A 3D SOVIET VETO BARS JAPAN IN U.N.. Impact: The third veto set off a chain reaction that would lead Japan to work on their own international diplomacy game, leading to a future where they would dominate global pop culture instead.. Fact: Japan’s future success in pop culture was so unexpected that even the USSR was left wondering if they should have vetoed a few more times!.