FEBRUARY 16, 1971

Full News Archive

• Headline: Nixon May Finally Meet Black Leaders. Impact: If Nixon had met with the 12 Negro HR members, it's possible that the civil rights movement could have gained a little more traction. Instead, we got a whole lot of awkward silence and a few more years of heated debates. Who knows, maybe Nixon would have become the unexpected civil rights hero we never knew we needed.. Fact: Nixon famously hated the term 'Negro.' It's like he was trying to win the award for least imaginative president in history..
• Headline: Egypt's Positive Reply to Jarring. Impact: Egypt's positive reply to Jarring could have expedited peace in the Middle East, leading to a world where Middle Eastern conflicts were merely footnotes in history books. Spoiler alert: they weren't.. Fact: Jarring's first name was Gunnar. So, if only peace could be brokered by someone named 'Gunnar,' the world might look a lot different today..
• Headline: Stans's Stock in Crisis Revealed. Impact: Stans owning stock in a railroad company during negotiations for federal aid? Talk about conflict of interest! This could have led to an entire genre of political thrillers focusing on stock tips from government officials.. Fact: Penn Central was such a mess that it was the poster child for corporate bankruptcy. Stans's stock might have been worth a fortune, but it was more like a ticket to the Titanic..
• Headline: Astronauts Study Photographs Taken On Their Moon Trip. Impact: The astronauts studying their moon photos could have led to an intense moon photography competition. Instead, they just cataloged them and let the world miss out on the greatest lunar selfies ever taken.. Fact: They took over 1,000 photos on the moon, but I bet none of them were as epic as the ones we see on Instagram today. No filters, folks!.
• Headline: Israelis Disregard Critics, Press Jerusalem Housing. Impact: Ignoring critics and pushing ahead with housing projects could have led to a vastly different urban landscape in Jerusalem. Imagine a world where urban sprawl was a fashionable thing to do—oh wait, that's basically now.. Fact: The Housing Ministry probably thought, 'If they don't like it, let them find their own housing!' Classic..
• Headline: Chrysler Recalling Trucks. Impact: Chrysler's recall of trucks could have sparked a nationwide movement for vehicle safety, leading to a golden age of automotive accountability. Instead, we just got a lot of recalls and even more 'check engine' lights.. Fact: 1,246 trucks were recalled, but I bet they still sold more than your average indie band. Who doesn't love a good Dodge?.
• Headline: Israelis See Some Hope. Impact: Sadat's hopeful statement could have changed the trajectory of Israeli-Egyptian relations entirely, leading to a potential peace treaty decades earlier. Or, we could just call it another 'hopeful' moment that fizzled out.. Fact: Hope is a powerful thing. Just ask anyone who watched a season finale of a popular TV series..
• Headline: POLICE SEIZE HEAD OF DEFENSE GROUP. Impact: The seizure of Rabbi Kahane could have either sparked a civil rights movement or just led to more harassment complaints. Spoiler: it was mostly the latter.. Fact: Rabbi Kahane was quite a controversial figure. His ideas were so out there, they could have been featured on a reality show about extreme beliefs..