OCTOBER 20, 1963

Full News Archive

• Headline: The Passport Barrier Controversy. Impact: If only Americans had been allowed to travel freely, perhaps we wouldn’t have ended up with a reality show star as president. Just kidding, that's probably inevitable.. Fact: The Supreme Court has upheld the right to freedom of travel more times than your average traveler has visited the same country. Spoiler: It’s not that many..
• Headline: Innovations in Chemical Products and Techniques. Impact: New chemicals launched in the market resulted in an explosion of beauty products that later turned into an obsession, leading to a world where even cucumbers are marketed as spa treatments.. Fact: Did you know that in the 90s, 'improved fabric' meant anything from better durability to just a really nice marketing team?.
• Headline: Aluminum Group Elects New Leadership. Impact: The election of G Radford as president of the Aluminum Group may have sparked a secret society of metal enthusiasts that is still plotting the takeover of the world’s supply of foil.. Fact: Aluminum was once so valuable that people would have rather traded it for gold. Now it’s just a cheap way to wrap leftovers..
• Headline: New Light On a Dark Age. Impact: L Cottrell's findings on the Mycenaean civilization led to a renaissance in historical fiction, inspiring countless terrible novels that still haunt bookstore shelves.. Fact: The Mycenaean civilization is famous for its palaces, which are basically the ancient version of a suburban McMansion..
• Headline: BERLIN ACCESS: NEW SOVIET TEST; But Reason for Latest Harassment Of Western Convoys Is Unclear Allies Skeptical West Is Reticent Plan Unfolded The Early System Another View. Impact: The Soviet harassment of Western convoys could be seen as the early stages of a diplomatic game of ‘who can annoy whom the most’, eventually leading to the art of passive-aggressive emails.. Fact: Berlin's access issues were often resolved with a lot of 'you go first' and 'no, you go first'—the original diplomatic chicken..
• Headline: ALGERIANS SEVER FRONTIER ROUTES; African Foreign Ministers Asked to Mediate--Arab League Urges a Truce Minister Denies Aggression King Violently Assailed ALGERIANS SEVER FRONTIER ROUTES Mediator Goes to Algiers Arab League Asks Truce Ben Bella Aide at U.N.. Impact: The severing of frontier routes in Algeria sparked a series of events that led to so much diplomatic back-and-forth, it could have been a poorly choreographed dance number.. Fact: This situation gave rise to the phrase 'diplomatic relations', which in this case was more about trying to figure out who would take the blame..
• Headline: Marion Brown, Barnard Alumna, Will Be Married; Graduate Student and Capt. Harold Just of Army Affianced. Impact: Marion Brown's marriage was a pivotal moment that may have resulted in a lineage of children who would go on to become influencers, further diluting the definition of 'accomplished'.. Fact: Wedding announcements in newspapers could be considered the original social media posts, complete with the same eye-rolling responses..
• Headline: COLUMBIA HELPING EVICTED TENANTS; Office Opened to Aid Those Hurt by Campus Plans. Impact: Columbia's eviction aid sparked a revolution in campus activism, leading to student protests that became the stuff of legend and led to the invention of the term 'free pizza'.. Fact: Columbia's students learned that eviction notices were actually just fancy invitations to join the 'save our campus' club..
• Headline: POETS OF PRAGUE CHALLENGE PARTY; Defiant Generation Enlivens Cabaret With Readings Congress Started Stir Oversimplification Charged Writers Holding Out. Impact: The poets of Prague challenging the party created a ripple effect that led to an underground movement where art became synonymous with rebellion, eventually leading to modern hipster coffee shops.. Fact: Czech poets were basically the original punk rockers, except instead of guitars, they wielded quills and existential dread..
• Headline: CHICAGO HAS A NEW MAESTRO--JEAN MARTINON. Impact: Jean Martinon's appointment as Chicago's new maestro can be traced to the rise of pretentious dinner parties, where guests would argue over which composer is the greatest.. Fact: Becoming a maestro is like being elected the captain of the musical chairs game, except the chairs are orchestral instruments and the music is often very, very loud..