The artificial heart became a media sensation in the 1980s as it both raised hopes and spread controversy. Today, its impact on medical science is still playing out in surprising ways. (Source: The New York Times Retro Report)
Pythons Gone Wild
Burmese pythons, often released into the wild by pet owners, have infested the Florida Everglades and created a reptilian nightmare in the ecosystem. 10 Americans have been strangled to death by pythons since 1990. (Source: The New York Times)
Heroin and the War on Drugs
In the 1970s, frustration over heroin related, urban crime led to the War on Drugs. Today, heroin is back. But the users, and the response, are very different. (Source: The New York Times Retro Report)
Stealing J. Edgar Hoover’s Secrets
One night in 1971, files were stolen from an F.B.I. office near Philadelphia. They proved that the bureau was spying on thousands of Americans. The case was unsolved, until now.
Real Story Behind Woman Burned by McDonald’s Hot Coffee
In 1992, Stella Liebeck spilled scalding McDonald’s coffee in her lap and later sued the company, attracting a flood of negative attention. It turns out there was more to the story. (Source: New York Times Retro Report)
Olympic Bombing 1996: Richard Jewell was The Wrong Man
“For 88 days I lived a nightmare. For 88 days my mother lived a nightmare too. In it’s rush for the headline that the hero was the bomber. The media cared nothing for my feeling as a human being.” —…