JANUARY 11, 1979

Full News Archive

• Headline: St. Louis Newspaper Strike Concludes. Impact: The end of the strike led to the Post-Dispatch publishing a groundbreaking article that inspired journalists across the nation to demand better pay. This would later spark a movement that culminated in the creation of a 'National Journalist Day,' where journalists simply take a day off to reflect on how underpaid they are.. Fact: Did you know that Pulitzer's name is now synonymous with excellence in journalism? Kind of ironic considering how many folks were striking to get a fair wage from him..
• Headline: New Center for Child Sex Trafficking Victims. Impact: This initiative laid the groundwork for future child advocacy programs, but it also prompted a slew of terrible after-school specials that no one asked for. The ripple effect? Parents now cringe every time their kids suggest watching TV.. Fact: It's fascinating how, in trying to help the most vulnerable, society often ends up producing cringe-worthy dramatizations instead of actual solutions..
• Headline: Goldin Sees City Facing ‘82 Gap Of $1, 6 Billion. Impact: Goldin's prediction led to a series of budget cuts that impacted everything from public transportation to libraries, which in turn made New Yorkers much better at dodging trains and finding free Wi-Fi in coffee shops.. Fact: Why pay for a library when you can just Google everything and pretend you read a book? The future is truly bright..
• Headline: Shah's Key Foe Offers the West Terms for Oil. Impact: Khomeini's terms created a rift between East and West that eventually led to the oil embargo. This, in turn, caused a boom in the popularity of home oil lamps — because nothing says 'luxury' like a flickering flame on your countertop.. Fact: The irony of negotiating oil terms in a volatile region is rich. It's like trying to negotiate a peaceful picnic in a minefield..
• Headline: World News Briefs. Impact: The unions calling off their strike meant that workers would continue to be overworked and underpaid, which ultimately led to the invention of the coffee break. Because if you're going to be miserable, you might as well be caffeinated.. Fact: Remember, if you can't beat them, just keep on working until your coffee needs a coffee..
• Headline: McCracken Tells How He and the Metropolitan Opera Fell Out of Harmony. Impact: McCracken's fallout with the Met Opera led to a ripple effect in the world of performing arts, where artists began prioritizing their mental health over contracts, ultimately giving rise to the 'Do What You Love' movement — that ironically made them less able to afford doing what they love.. Fact: It's a real tragedy when a tenor chooses mental health over half a million dollars. But hey, at least he can still sing in the shower..
• Headline: Not Falling Apart Like Skylab . . .. Impact: Caryl Rivers' stress coping technique became a cultural phenomenon, leading to the emergence of self-help books that advised people to ignore their problems until they exploded. Spoiler alert: it rarely ends well.. Fact: Choosing one anxiety to worry about is like choosing your favorite type of chaos. They all come with their own set of delightful consequences..
• Headline: Swiss Plan More Franc Intervention. Impact: The Swiss financial authorities' decision to intervene in their currency markets created a model for economic intervention that later inspired other countries to get involved in financial gymnastics, leading to a global trend of economic acrobatics — and we all know how well that turned out.. Fact: If you ever thought Swiss neutrality meant they weren't involved in global economics, think again. They just like to keep their interventions as low-key as their chocolate..