The Archives

1995

“It’s the Big Bang of our time—or perhaps we should call it the Bit Bang,” Newsweek said of the challenges posed by computer technology. “It’s outstripping our capacity to cope, antiquating our laws, transforming our mores, reshuffling our economy, reordering our priorities, redefining our workplaces, invading our privacy, shifting our concept of reality and inducing us to sit for long periods in front of computer screens while CD-ROM drives grind out video clips.” Today, nine of every 10 Americans have at least one computer at home, tripling the estimates from 1995.

1973

“These impressive men who had become the symbols of American sacrifice in Indochina might help the country heal the lingering wounds of war,” said Newsweek. The dress Lieutenant Commander Paul Galanti’s wife Phyllis wore on his return is now on view at the Virginia Museum of History and Culture.

1988

“America’s 108 million taxpayers are scrambling to cope with the most sweeping tax changes in 40 years,” wrote Newsweek of the Tax Reform Act of 1986. This year, the Internal Revenue Service used funds from the Inflation Reduction Act to add 5,000 new customer service workers to answer calls as the tax season began.