OCTOBER 16, 1956

Full News Archive

• Headline: Furniture Show Launches in Chicago. Impact: The Furniture Show sparked a nationwide obsession with avocado green sofas, forever altering interior design trends and leading to countless regrettable home decor choices in the decades to come.. Fact: In the grand scheme of human history, furniture shows have done more to shape society than most political debates. Who knew a couch could change the world?.
• Headline: Nixon Faces Backlash in Vermont. Impact: Kefauver's accusations against Nixon set off a chain reaction of political mudslinging that ultimately culminated in the modern-day reality show known as presidential campaigns.. Fact: In Vermont, people take their politics almost as seriously as their maple syrup. Spoiler alert: both can get sticky..
• Headline: SENATOR EXPLAINS FAKE TYDINGS PHOTO. Impact: The fake photo debacle led to an increase in political fact-checking, which eventually resulted in the birth of the internet meme culture where everyone is a critic and no one is safe from Photoshop.. Fact: Fake news has been around since ancient times—remember that time Julius Caesar claimed to have ‘won’ the Battle of Alesia? Classic case of political spin!.
• Headline: Japan Opens Big Power Dam. Impact: The opening of the Sakuma Dam not only powered Japan's economy but also inspired the classic 'dam' jokes that would echo through the halls of engineering schools for generations.. Fact: Dams are like the introverts of the natural world: they hold back the flow of water and keep everything nice and calm until they can't anymore..
• Headline: KEFAUVER HERE; ASSAILS DULLES; Hits 'Bungling' by Secretary and Record of Nixon-- Tours Queens and L.I. Optimistic About Vermont KEFAUVER HERE; ASSAILS DULLES Met By Party Leaders. Impact: Kefauver's criticism of Dulles may have been the spark that ignited a thousand political careers, proving that if you want to climb the political ladder, just criticize someone higher up until they push back.. Fact: Politicians in the '60s apparently took criticism like they took their coffee—strong, bitter, and served with a side of scandal..
• Headline: 200,000 IN INDIA JOIN BUDDHISTS; Former Aide of Nehru Leads Mass Conversion in Ranks of the 'Untouchables'. Impact: The mass conversion of 200,000 individuals to Buddhism led to a significant uptick in the popularity of meditation, resulting in more people trying to find inner peace... and failing miserably.. Fact: In the realm of religion, nothing says 'I’m seeking enlightenment' quite like a mass conversion ceremony complete with matching robes..
• Headline: LOUISIANA ENFORCES SPORTS SEGREGATION. Impact: Louisiana's enforcement of sports segregation laid the groundwork for future battles over equality in sports, culminating in the day when we all realized that everyone just wants to watch the game without a side of discrimination.. Fact: Sports segregation was basically the universe's way of making sure that even in competition, no one could agree on anything—except for the fact that nachos are a universal language..