NYT headlines from February 6, 1974

So, following on The New York Times from February 5, 1974, I thought I would share the February 6th cover.

Interestingly, The New York Times failed to cover the most important event to happen on the day before. Shame on the Times.

All grey — color news photography was, of course, in the future.  The New York Times did a fine job of covering what seems to be important news: a doctor acquitted in a patient’s death, the on-going gasoline shortage, a trucker’s strike, and Nixon refusing to give information to a prosecutor.  Buried on page 17, next to a Braniff advertisement, is the headline, “David Eisenhower Says Nixon Will Never Quit.” That promise lasted just over six months. Braniff lasted another 8 years.

Once upon a time, this was a great reason to subscribe, today I use Google Finance.

A fair amount of space in the February 6, 1974, New York Times was dedicated to stock listings and classified advertising. Both, back then, critical to the ongoing success of the newspaper publishing industry. I doubt that any newspaper today publishes the full listing of stock quotes and the classified advertising has all moved to Craigslist. The model for newspaper success has certainly changed.

Waldbaum’s can help — Imagine a half gallon of orange juice for just 49 cents! Or a pound of margarine for 49 cents! Or 3 pounds of apples for just a buck!

Now for two advertisements: first up Walbaum’s. Amazingly, this grocery store chain still exists, although I don’t recall ever having seen one whilst visiting New York City.  The prices for groceries are amazing: 3 pounds of apples for just a buck! A two pound can of coffee for just $1.85!  Note that in the upper left hand corner is an apology for the trucker’s strike that might mean bare shelves.

Advertisement for TWA on page 76. Imagine having three meals to choose from in coach!

A tough year for some airlines?!  The more things change, the more they seem to stay the same: TWA observes, “you might think your next flight will feature wooden benches and stale sandwiches.”  TWA offered 3 meal choices to passengers in coach, a choice of movies for a small surcharge (including “a choice of general audience or adult movies” — some how I think the term “adult movies” has morphed since 1974), and — at major terminals — there was the “TWA X-ray security system” — thus meaning that your bags were no longer routinely opened.

Of course, as I read this edition, I searched for the most important event to have happened on February 5, 1974, but it was not there. And for that, I remain a bit disappointed in The New York Times — surely they would have known that the birth of a boy in Denver was important, earth shattering, news, right?

right?