Jump to: Tricky Clues | Today’s Theme
SUNDAY PUZZLE — Will Shortz, in his print introduction to this grid, writes: “Michael Schlossberg is an internist and self-described ‘history nerd’ in Bend, Ore. ‘Most of what I read,’ he says, ‘is historical fiction or nonfiction.’ This is Michael’s 14th crossword for the Times, which he was inspired to construct after reading an article that mentioned 39-Across. His favorite answers here are the combined 113- and 115-Across, which are an all time classic of their genre.”
Everyone who remembers when the crossword puzzle came wrapped in an actual newspaper should love this theme; it captures a brief moment in time when there were hard deadlines, presses to stop and a newsroom full of people working to conjure up a series of words that told the story and grabbed the eyes of readers in an instant.
Today’s Theme
There are six examples in this theme set; five are at 25-, 27-, 39-, 64- and 91-Across, and one stretches over 113- and 115-Across. These are all famous headlines, clued only with their date of publication and the newspaper that ran them.
Some of these are amazing snapshots of a moment in history, so the date of publication is useful. The entries at 25- and 27-Across fit in this category. 25-Across, [London Herald, 4/16/1912] is TITANIC SINKS, a definitive headline that was published one day after newspapers ran wild with speculation about the fate of the “unsinkable” ocean liner. 27-Across, [The New York Times, 8/9/1974] is political news: NIXON RESIGNS.
Other entries in this theme set, though, are headlines more memorable than the events they describe. This makes them difficult trivia in my book, but great nostalgia and gorgeous crossword fodder. One of these is 91-Across, which is also about politics and was published not long after the headline at 27-Across. [New York Daily News, 10/30/1975] solves to FORD TO CITY: DROP DEAD, a reaction to former President Gerald R. Ford (who was never elected) threatening to veto federal funds for New York City and suggesting bankruptcy instead, which never happened. (Apparently, neither did this headline. But Mr. Ford definitely blamed it for costing him the presidential nomination in 1976.)
39-Across, [Chicago Daily Tribune, 11/3/1948], is also about politics and is perhaps mostly memorable because of a photo that was splashed across front pages all over the United States.
64-Across, [Variety, 10/30/1929], is quirky; one I didn’t know and a great example of how a particular publication casts news in the right light to appeal to its audience.
Finally, at 113- and 115-Across — [New York Post, 4/15/1983] — comes the pièce de résistance for headline fanatics. It’s fair to say that this headline stole the thunder from the gruesome events it described, and there’s lore about it that captures the chaotic think-tank aura of a newsroom.
Tricky Clues
22A. This clue — [“Red telephone,” historically] — is a Cold War reference to a supposed HOTLINE that existed between the White House and the Kremlin for tense negotiations. This was apparently never a thing, but there were actual Teletype machines, at one point, in the Pentagon that connected to similar machines in Moscow.
29A. If you’re thinking of an “Al” here for [“Scarface”], you’ve got a 50/50 shot: The answer is AL CAPONE, who went by that nickname, but it could also have been Al Pacino, who played Tony Montana in a 1983 movie with that title. (I had no idea that Al Pacino’s “Scarface” was a remake of a 1932 movie about Al Capone with the same name.)
59A. [“_____ Mouse,” Chick Corea jazz standard of 1972], solves to SEÑOR, forming the full title of this samba.
43D. I was so primed for trivia by the time I reached this clue that the humor went right over my head. [They’re known to open with some jokes] solves to APRILS, which takes over for March every year by presenting a day just for the fools, of course. News organizations have historically loved April Fools’ Day, a chance to shed the chains of truth (boring!) and report on the happy isles of San Serriffe or the spaghetti harvest.
44D. I was familiar enough with this conductor’s name that this entry was deducible, but it’s interesting trivia. The [Longtime music director of the NBC Symphony Orchestra] was Arturo TOSCANINI, for whom the orchestra was actually created in 1937 to broadcast weekly concerts worldwide on the radio.
110D. [“The Seduction of Joe ______” (1979 Alan Alda film)] solves to TYNAN, which has usually been clued as [Tenor Ronan] in previous puzzles. I knew neither of these factoids, and this sounds like a terrible movie, even though Meryl Streep is in it.
Constructor Notes
I hadn’t heard of either 64- or 91-Across before researching this puzzle. According to a respected, peer-reviewed source — Wikipedia — both rank among the most important headlines in history. In case anyone else was unfamiliar with one or more headlines, when I submitted the themed clues I also included images. For 25-Across there was an image of a tiny person looking up at three huge wash basins, representing TITANIC SINKS! Get it?
The editors replied to my submission saying: “We like this as a straightforward Sunday solve, but would like to remove the picture element from the thematic clues. To us, they don’t add too much to the solving experience, as we’d like the solvers to piece together the headlines from the publication and date alone.”
Hopefully, most solvers found this puzzle approachable, or if they ran into trouble could suss out the answers from the crossing entries. Thanks for doing my puzzle!
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