THIS DAY IN 1959
Charles Van Doren admits cheating on the quiz show "21"
SIGNIFICANCE
Though trickery had been a component of entertainment forever, no one guessed that 21 was trivia equivalent of pro wrestling. In Van Doren the public had a perfect cold war hero and a great model for knowledge and learning. Or so they thought.
RESULTS
Van Doren lost his teaching job at Columbia and spent his life in the background of academia working at places like Enclycopedia Britannica. The Game show left prime time for a generation. The real downside was that disheartened idealistic "21" watching pre-teens began growing their hair long, bathing less, protesting, carrying on generally, and smoking those funny smokes.
Seriously, "reality" television today has borrowed the same strategy by grooming and producing so many "spontaneous" moments to keep the public watching. You ever sit through an episode of the wretched BACHELOR? The public knows they're being duped deep down, but wants to continue the illusion of realism for whatever escapist quality it offers.
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