Neural Newscast

Welcome to Deep Dive. I'm Margaret Ellis. And I'm Noah Feldman. You know, we're looking at a date that's seen some of the most significant shifts in American law, global thought, and even the weather. We're talking about January 22nd. It is a date that carries heavy historical weight. Perhaps most notable for many is January 22nd, 1973. Right. On that day, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision in Roe v. Wade. It was a landmark ruling that established a constitutional right to abortion, grounded in the right to privacy. The impact of that decision can't be overstated. It basically reshaped the entire political and social landscape of the U.S. for nearly half a century. Right. And Margaret, you see how these historical moments still dominate our feeds today, right? The conversation never really stopped, Noah. For decades, it was a centerpiece of judicial appointments and legislative debates. Of course, we saw that era come to a definitive close in 2022 when the decision was overturned by the Dobbs case, returning the power to regulate or restrict the practice back to individual states. It is wild to think about how one court decision from 1973 can still be the primary driver of digital discourse in 2026. It is one of those topics where the history is literally still unfolding in real time. That is the power of precedent. It sets the course for decades, but it is never truly settled. While the legal world was shifting in the 20th century, we have to look much further back to find the birth of how we even process facts today. Wait, what? Are we talking about the man himself, the father of the scientific method? Indeed. Today is the birthday of Francis Bacon, born in 1561. He was an English philosopher and statesman who fundamentally changed how humanity seeks knowledge. Before Bacon, a lot of what passed for science was based on tradition or pure logic without much testing. Bacon was the one who said, hey, maybe we should actually observe things and run experiments, right? Empirical observation and inductive reasoning. It is essentially the operating system for every scientific discovery we have made since. It truly is. He championed the idea that we must question everything and rely on evidence rather than preconceived notions. It is a philosophy that feels more relevant than ever in an era of misinformation, Noah. Speaking of people who lived by their own rules, we have another heavy hitter born today, Lord Byron, born in 1788. Margaret, he was basically the first global celebrity influencer, wasn't he? That is a very modern way to put it, Noah, but accurate. George Gordon Byron was the quintessential romantic poet. His works, like Don Juan and Child Harold's Pilgrimage, were massive hits. He was brilliant, but his personal life was so scandalous that it often overshadowed his writing. He was the guy who was described as mad, bad, and dangerous to know. That is like a perfect bio for a viral thread today. But his influence on literature was massive. He defined the Byronic hero, that brooding, rebellious figure we still see in books and movies all the time. He lived with a narrative discipline that made him a legend even during his own lifetime. Byron and Bacon both sought truth and experience, though in very different ways. But speaking of unusual journeys, we have to talk about Douglas Corrigan. Ah, wrong way Corrigan, born in 1907. This is, I mean, this is one of my favorite. favorite stories. He was a pilot who in 1938 was supposed to fly from New York back to California, right? Exactly. He had been denied permission to fly across the Atlantic because his plane was considered unsafe. So, he filed a flight plan for California, took off from New York, and 28 hours later, he landed in Dublin, Ireland. He claimed it was a navigational error and that his compass failed. No one really believed him, but everyone loved the story so much that he became a national hero. He basically hacked the system by playing dumb. It is the ultimate legend. It was a daring move that earned him a ticker tape parade in New York. A reminder that sometimes the wrong way is the only way to get where you really want to go. However, there are some things you simply cannot plan for, like the bizarre weather event we saw in 1943. You are talking about Spearfish South Dakota. I saw this on a weather trivia site recently. It sounds like something out of a sci-fi movie. It remains the fastest temperature change ever recorded. on the morning of january twenty second nineteen forty three the temperature in spearfish was four degrees below zero two minutes later it was forty-five degrees above zero a forty-nine degree jump in just two minutes No way! Two minutes! Imagine walking out the door in a heavy parka and needing a t-shirt before you even finish scraping the ice off your car. That was because of a Chinook wind, right? Correct, Noah. These warm winds came down from the mountains and displaced the cold Arctic air almost instantly. By mid-morning, it had actually dropped back down to the negatives just as quickly. The sudden shifts even caused windows to crack from the thermal stress. That is absolutely wild. From Supreme Court shifts to Byron scandals and South Dakota's weather, January 22nd really is a day of extremes. It reminds us that whether it is the laws of the land or the laws of nature, change can happen much faster than we expect. I am Margaret Ellis. And I'm Noah Feldman. Thanks for joining us for this look into the archives. Deep Dive is AI-Assisted, Human Reviewed. Explore History Every Day on NeuralNewscast.com. Deep Dive is AI-Assisted, Human Reviewed. Explore History Every Day on Neural Newscast.