Call Sign

I've talked about the Internet Archive once before. It keeps a history of the internet, as well as collections of text, images, audio, and video, in a publicly accessible library. Their system allows anyone to access most all of the data (some is held inaccessible due to copyright restrictions, but is still archived by them) relatively easily, and the ability to bring up anything needed.

But sometimes, there is something unexpected. Recently, I've begun listening to old radio programs that are collected on the Archive. At the moment, I'm listening to one called Dimension X, a sci-fi radio drama from the early 50's that was apparently pretty popular. However, one of the most interesting - and unexpected - things I found was an interruption to the particular episode I was watching:

"Ladies and gentlemen, we interrupt the program Dimension X for just a moment from for two important bulletins from the wires of the United Press. From Seoul, Korea, the North Korean radio says the North Korean communist government formally declared war on South Korea effective at 11 AM Sunday, Korean Time. And then, a little later, this bulletin from Washington. State Department officials say they will hold Russia responsible for the North Korean attack against the independent South Korean Republic, which this country and the United Nations brought into being and has supported."

The particular Dimension X page on the Archive doesn't have the dates listed for each episode. I heard that and had to do a double take, and rewound it to hear it again. Then, when I looked it up, the airdate was June 24, 1950. June 25 past the International Date Line, the beginning of the Korean War. I can only imagine what must have gone through peoples heads when they heard this live, just hot off the heels of World War 2.

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Date posted: 03 July, 2008
Tags: anecdote internet new_alexandria personal
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