OCTOBER 23, 1958

Full News Archive

• Headline: German Red Charge: American Photographer Detained. Impact: This incident may have inspired a whole genre of spy movies where tourists accidentally become international agents, leading to the birth of the 'accidental spy' trope. Thanks, G.S. Milroy!. Fact: Fun fact: The only thing more dangerous than photographing military installations is trying to explain to your family why you got arrested in East Germany..
• Headline: U.N. Refugee Aide Reports Arab Restrictions. Impact: The refusal of Arab governments to cooperate with the UN may have led to the creation of the world's most awkward group project, where everyone shows up but nobody actually wants to work together.. Fact: In 1959, asking for cooperation was the diplomatic equivalent of shouting into a void. Spoiler alert: it didn’t help..
• Headline: AD INQUIRY ASKED; Senator Green Asks Revenue Study of Attack on Reuther. Impact: This inquiry might have opened the floodgates for political ads to be scrutinized, leading to a future where everyone just starts running campaigns based on cat videos instead.. Fact: Senator Green’s new hobby? Investigating why his own campaign ads haven’t been tax-exempt yet. Priorities, right?.
• Headline: 31 DIE AS FIGHTER HITS BRITISH PLANE; Italian Jet Smashes Viscount on Clear Day Near Rome -- Pilot Parachutes Safely Ruins of British Plane After Collision in Italy 31 DIE AS FIGHTER STRIKES AIRLINER. Impact: The tragic collision likely sparked a series of stringent aviation safety regulations, forever changing how pilots parachute from dangerous situations—most notably, with a little more forethought.. Fact: The pilot's parachute was the only thing that didn't get a bad review after this incident. Talk about a soft landing!.
• Headline: P.-T.A. IN VIRGINIA FOR LOCAL OPTION; 515-513 Vote on School Plan Follows an Overnght Coup by Moderates in Group. Impact: The Virginia P.T.A. vote might have inspired countless school board meetings across the nation, leading to an endless cycle of debates over cafeteria menus and dress codes. The horror!. Fact: This was supposedly the first time that school politics got more dramatic than a high school prom..
• Headline: BAIL IS DENIED FIVE IN ATLANTA BOMBING. Impact: Denying bail to the bombers likely led to increased security measures, with authorities realizing that letting bombers out on bail was a bad idea. Who'd have thought?. Fact: This event marked the moment when bail bondsmen decided it was best to specialize in anything but bombers..
• Headline: GEORGE H. BURCHUM. Impact: George H. Burchum's name might have been lost to history if not for the fact that every time someone mispronounced it, a time traveler cried out in agony.. Fact: Rumor has it he once tried to trademark his name for a line of snack foods. 'Burchum Bites' never took off, though..
• Headline: FIRST SHIP OF WEST SOLD TO RED CHINA; British Get $406,000 for a 10,000-Ton Freighter in a Dull Market. Impact: The sale of the first Western ship to Red China might have inadvertently started the trend of Western businesses trying to woo the Chinese market, forever changing global trade dynamics.. Fact: Little did they know, this would also lead to a future where everyone tries ordering Chinese takeout with a British accent..