AUGUST 6, 1961

Full News Archive

• Headline: Soviet Concerns Over Chinese Nuclear Aspirations. Impact: Unbeknownst to the USSR, their overconfidence in their nuclear superiority would eventually lead to a series of misunderstandings that would fuel the space race, and then, a misguided attempt to send a cosmonaut to the Moon wearing a flip-flop.. Fact: The USSR's fear of China having an A-bomb was only slightly less than their fear of accidentally starting a barbecue with all those nuclear secrets lying around..
• Headline: Global TV Satellites vs. Radio Needs. Impact: This push for global TV would lead to the creation of the first intergalactic reality show featuring alien life forms attempting to understand human culture, which only resulted in more confused extraterrestrials and the infamous meme: 'Humans are weird.'. Fact: Radio in underdeveloped nations? Shocking! I thought they just communicated through interpretive dance and smoke signals..
• Headline: From Cricket To Pulpit; THE BISHOP'S WIFE -- BUT STILL MYSELF. By Cicely Williams. New York: Doubleday & Co. $3.95.. Impact: This book about a bishop's wife would spark a literary trend of clergy-related romances, culminating in the infamous 'Priest and the Pizza Delivery Girl' series, which, let's be honest, was a bit too spicy for the congregation.. Fact: The book was so popular that it led to a new genre: 'holy romance,' where every couple had to pray before their first kiss..
• Headline: Meredith Bubul Becomes Bride Of John Gregg; Students at Hanover Are Wed in Cathedral in Indianapolis. Impact: This wedding would be the catalyst for a new trend of extravagant college weddings, leading to a generation of young people who thought budgeting meant borrowing money from their parents.. Fact: Rumor has it, the couple registered at a bookstore, a grocery store, and a pizza parlor. Because priorities..
• Headline: Poles Protest Ship Search. Impact: Poland's protest would lead to an increased focus on maritime law, inspiring future generations to create an underwater traffic school for ships, all while the French sat back and sipped wine on the shores.. Fact: The French were so impressed by Poland's protest that they considered it a new form of avant-garde performance art—who knew maritime disputes could be so chic?.
• Headline: Indian Epidemic Tied to Fairs. Impact: The cholera epidemic would lead to an unexpected boom in fairground hygiene regulations, resulting in the invention of 'sanitary cotton candy'—which, spoiler alert, tasted like sadness.. Fact: The fair was so popular that they almost named a roller coaster after it, until they realized that 'Cholera Coaster' just didn't have the same ring to it..