Tag: society

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The first presidential election with a computer predicting the winner

UNIVAC prediction, Ike wins
A printout of the UNIVAC prediction of the 1952 presidential election. Programmers had failed to anticipate 100-to-1 odds (hence the 00). Computer History Museum image.

It was November 1952; the computer calculation conflicted with opinion polls. Guess which was right?

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The Library of Congress opens its doors

LOC
Library of Congress

Today’s LOC complex boasts three buildings. The first opened its doors on 01 November 1897.

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The most (in)famous radio broadcast

cover war of the worlds
War of the Worlds (1898) via Project Gutenberg.

Orson Welles broadcast The War of the Worlds on 30 October 1938. Did it really lead to mass panic? (Nope!)