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1283: Headlines

2013-10-28T10:07:35Z

Timharrod: Explained the "Dad" clause

{{comic
| number = 1283
| date = October 28, 2013
| title = Headlines
| image = headlines.png
| titletext = 1916: 'PHYSICIST DAD' TURNS HIS ATTENTION TO GRAVITY, AND YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT HE FINDS. [PICS] [NSFW]
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete}}
"Getting more clicks" is a common goal in news and blog sites, where more entries mean greater popularity. To achieve that goal, the editor give different articles outrageous headlines, which Randall parodies in this comic. These headlines are designed to make the story sound so unbelievable the reader has to check out the details for himself.

*1905 is when Albert Einstein published his {{w|Annus Mirabilis papers}}, which laid the groundwork for much of modern physics; he had an infant son in 1905.
*1912 is the year of the the {{w|sinking of the RMS Titanic}}.
*1916 is when {{w|Karl Schwarzschild}} found a solution to Einstein field equations, which describes the gravitational field of a point mass and a spherical mass, more commonly known now as a "{{w|Black hole}}" - thus the humorous reference to Not Safe For Work Pictures.
*1920 is the year that the {{w|Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution}} was passed, guaranteeing voting rights for women in all US states.
*1928 is when {{w|penicillin}} was discovered.
*1929 is a reference to the {{w|Wall Street Crash of 1929}}, the largest stock market crash in history and the beginning of the Great Depression.
*1945 is the year that World War 2 ended. It's also the year that many war crimes committed by Nazi Germany were discovered or declassified.
*1948 is when the Soviet Union established the {{w|Berlin Blockade}}, preventing food and other critical supplies from reaching occupied Berlin. In response, Western forces organized the {{w|Berlin Airlift}}.
*1955 is the year that the {{w|Polio vaccine}} was developed.
*1957 is when the Soviet Union launched {{w|Sputnik 1}}, the world's first artificial satellite.
*1968 is the year that {{w|Martin Luther King Jr.}} and {{w|Robert F. Kennedy}} were both assassinated.
*1969 is the year that {{w|Apollo 11}} performed the first manned lunar landing.
*1986 is when the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded one minute into its launch. See {{w|Space Shuttle Challenger disaster}} for details.
*1989 marked the {{w|Fall of the Berlin Wall}}.

The outrageous headlines usually follow a few patterns, including bringing in family relationships and a number in the title.
* [NSFW] is "Not Safe for Work" - a tag to identify that there are (usually) images that you don't want to have on your screen when somebody at work might glance at it over your shoulder.
* [GIFS] indicates that the post will contain an animated GIF image - a crude form of short video
* [PICS] tells the potential viewer that there are images embedded
* [video] indicates a link to a video

==Transcript==
:20th Century Headlines
:Rewritten to get more clicks

:1905 - How a shocking new theory, discovered by a dad, proves scientists are wrong about ''everything!''
:1912 - 6 ''Titanic'' survivors who should have died
:1920 - 17 things that will be outlawed now that women can vote
:1928 - This one weird mold kills all germs
:1929 - Most embarrassing reactions to the stock market crash [GIFS]
:1945 - These 9 Nazi atrocities will make you lose faith in humanity
:1948 - 5 insane plans for feeding West Berlin you won't believe are real
:1955 - Avoid Polio with this one weird trick
:1957 - 12 nip slips potentially visible to Sputnik
:1968 - This year's assassinations ranked from most to least tragic
:1969 - This is the most important photo of an astronaut you'll see all day
:1986 - This video of a terminally ill child watching the ''Challenger'' launch will break your heart
:1989 - You won't ''believe'' what these people did to the Berlin wall! [video]
:Jan 1, 1990 - 500 signs you're a 90s kid

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Language]]

1044: Romney Quiz

2012-08-01T15:22:46Z

Timharrod: Spelling

This is comic number 1044. It was posted on April 18,2012. [http://xkcd.com/1044/]

[[File:Romney_quiz.png]]

Image text: Charlie actually delivered the Medicare line almost verbatim in the 1971 movie's Fizzy Lifting Drink scene, but it was ultimately cut from the final release.

This comic satirizes "either/or" quizzes seen on websites such as mentalfloss.com. These quizzes normally have an element of challenge by presenting tonally similar quotes, such as "Who Said It: Ted Nugent or Cartman from ''South Park''?"

Mitt Romney is the Republican candidate for President of the United States and as it says above, the former Governor of Massachusetts. Charlie Bucket is the main character of the 1971 children's movie "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory." (Also the 1964 book by Roald Dahl, "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," on which the movie was based)

The joke here is that the two categories of quotes are not similar at all, creating no challenge.

In 1965, Congress created Medicare under Title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide health insurance to people age 65 and older, regardless of income or medical history. So, the quote being used in a movie in 1971 (which is obviously not true) is still feasible.

[[Category:Comics|1044]]

1044: Romney Quiz

2012-08-01T14:32:35Z

Timharrod: additional information and grammar tightening

This is comic number 1044. It was posted on April 18,2012. [http://xkcd.com/1044/]

[[File:Romney_quiz.png]]

Image text: Charlie actually delivered the Medicare line almost verbatim in the 1971 movie's Fizzy Lifting Drink scene, but it was ultimately cut from the final release.

This comic satirizes "either/or" quizzes seen on websites such as mentalfloss.com. These quizzes normally have an element of challenge by presenting tonally similar quotes, such as "Who Said It: Ted Nugent or Cartman from ''South Park''?"

Mitt Romney is the Republican candidate for President of the United States and as it says above, the former Governor of Massachusetts. Charlie Bucket is the main character of the 1971 children's movie "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory."

The joke here is that the two categories of quotes are not similar at all, creating no challenge.

In 1965, Congress created Medicare under Title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide health insurance to people age 65 and older, regardless of income or medical history. So, the quote being used in a movie in 1971 (which is obviously not true) is still feasible.

[[Category:Comics|1044]]