AUGUST 7, 1964

Full News Archive

• Headline: Queens Parents Advocate for Neighborhood Schools. Impact: If only parents had focused on school issues instead of fighting, we might have created a generation of students who actually enjoy learning. Alas, here we are, still arguing about textbooks in the 21st century.. Fact: In the battle for educational reform, the only thing that gets schooled is the parents’ patience..
• Headline: Unemployment Rate Hits Four-Year Low. Impact: This remarkable drop in unemployment led to a surge in coffee consumption as everyone celebrated having jobs, which in turn caused a global coffee shortage a decade later. Thanks, prosperity!. Fact: In 1964, the only thing more optimistic than the job market was the number of times someone accidentally spilled their coffee during a morning commute..
• Headline: Impact of Advertising in 1964. Impact: This headline marks the moment where advertising became the true ruler of society. Little did they know, this would lead to a world where people would buy things they absolutely do not need, like a 'pet rock' or a 'cabbage patch doll.'. Fact: Ads in 1964 were so effective that they convinced people to buy things like lawn gnomes, which still sit confused in front yards today..
• Headline: Jury Indicts Ben Blue On Income Tax Charges. Impact: Ben Blue's tax evasion case opened the floodgates for future celebrities to find creative ways to avoid paying taxes. Who knew that dodging taxes could become a popular pastime?. Fact: Ben Blue, an expert in making people laugh, apparently couldn't make tax collectors smile..
• Headline: Spellman Assails Court Rulings on Pornography; Sees Acceptance of Beatnik Mentality and Proposes Protests and Boycotts. Impact: Spellman's protests against pornography led to a backlash that inspired the rise of 'adult entertainment' as a major industry. His efforts to boycott only fueled its popularity. Nice work, Spellman!. Fact: In the '60s, protesting against something often made it more popular, much like how avocado toast became a thing after everyone started complaining about it..
• Headline: The Talk of Jersey City; Town of Bleak Vistas; Jersey City Looks at Racial Disorders As Natural Reaction to Its Way of Life. Impact: Jersey City's bleakness became a template for urban novels and films in the following decades. Its struggles are now romanticized in films where the protagonist somehow rises above it all, likely while sipping overpriced coffee.. Fact: Jersey City: where the views are bleak but the stories are bright... in a twisted kind of way..
• Headline: Radiation Project to Study Protection by Chemicals. Impact: The pursuit of radiation protection led to a surge in plant-based diets, as people panicked about chemicals and decided that kale was their new best friend. Spoiler: it wasn’t.. Fact: In the 60s, the only thing more radioactive than the research was the enthusiasm of the scientists involved!.
• Headline: Credit‐Card Holder Ruled Not Liable for Thief's Bill. Impact: This ruling created a wild west of credit card usage, leading to a surge in identity theft that would only be truly understood in the 21st century. Thanks for the future, California courts!. Fact: In a twist of irony, this ruling made credit card fraud the ultimate thief's playground, but hey, at least they were just 'borrowing'!.
• Headline: Swede Wins Prize for Cartoon. Impact: The cartoon prize led to an explosion of underqualified cartoonists believing they could be the next big thing, resulting in a flood of truly awful comic strips in newspapers everywhere. Sorry, readers!. Fact: The only thing funnier than the cartoons was the sheer confidence of the creators who thought they could compete with established artists..