JULY 23, 1973

Full News Archive

• Headline: Watergate and Hiss: A Reflection. Impact: The comparison of Watergate to Hiss's trials led to a sudden spike in conspiracy theories, resulting in the modern rise of basement-dwelling truthers who believe every minor scandal is the next Watergate, thus creating a society that can’t take actual events seriously anymore.. Fact: Hiss's case was so scandalous that it inspired not just journalists but also future reality TV producers. How ironic that today's reality shows are often more scripted than the actual trials!.
• Headline: Mob Justice: 100 Against a Gunman. Impact: The local residents' collective beat-down of the gunman sparked a nationwide debate on vigilantism, which later inspired a series of superhero movies where the heroes also beat up villains, leading to a worldwide obsession with caped crusaders, and yet no one ever does their laundry.. Fact: Did you know that vigilante justice tends to lead to more problems than solutions? Who would have thought that beating someone unconscious could have social repercussions?.
• Headline: Mass Arrests of Farm Strikers in California. Impact: The arrests of farm workers not only strengthened the labor movement but also inspired a whole generation of activists who thought that getting arrested was the cool new trend, leading to a rise in protest fashion and hashtags.. Fact: The United Farm Workers actually had a more organized strike than most modern-day influencers have in planning their Instagram posts!.
• Headline: Instant Essays. Impact: Safire’s commentary on the 'monster with total recall' indirectly led to the creation of the phrase 'don’t feed the trolls,' as people learned that sometimes the best way to deal with a problem is to just ignore it. This has been proven effective, except on social media.. Fact: Ironically, the White House tape recordings are often cited as the first example of a government leak that went viral—before 'viral' was even a thing!.
• Headline: Gasoline Dearth Spurs Search for Causes. Impact: The investigation into the gasoline shortage revealed the cozy relationship between big oil and regulators, which, decades later, would lead to countless conspiracy theories about oil barons controlling the world—because nothing says 'trusted governance' like a few million dollars exchanged under the table.. Fact: Gasoline shortages in the '70s made carpooling trendy, which is ironic because nobody wants to share their ride with someone who has a different taste in music!.
• Headline: Democrats Vote to Limit ‘74 Meeting. Impact: The Democrats’ vote to limit their own meetings showcased the eternal struggle to balance party unity with individual opinions, which means future elections would continue to be a circus where everyone pretends to care about the main event while secretly plotting their own escape.. Fact: Limiting meetings is just political code for 'we want to keep the drama to a minimum'—which is hilarious because they clearly didn’t manage that!.
• Headline: A River Town in Arkansas Marks Impact Of the Mississippi on Its Past and Future. Impact: The article about Helena’s relationship with the Mississippi River reminded future generations that rivers can be both life-giving and destructive, leading to the creation of various water-themed tourist traps that completely ignore the river’s darker history.. Fact: Helena celebrated its 300th anniversary, which is impressive—considering most of us can’t even remember our anniversary with our significant others!.
• Headline: Personal Finance. Impact: The ruling against the auto collision company started a trend of questioning auto repair practices, eventually leading to a tech boom in car diagnostics, which ironically made it easier for people to ignore mechanics who were actually trying to help them.. Fact: The only thing worse than a car repair bill is realizing that you also have to deal with the mechanic's personality while paying it!.