New York Times alters 1998 crossword--includes 9/11 reference

I posted this in the introduction forum, and was encouraged to re-post it here:

Here are the two photos:
jeremymassler.blogspot.com...

And here's the explanation, from earlier on my blog:

"Among my random scraps of paper is a crossword puzzle which I took out of a New York Times "Best of" compilation book. The clue for 35-Across is: "9/11 notable"--which, at first, I assumed meant September 11th. I later noticed the puzzle was dated "Friday, July 24th, 1998", so it couldn't be a reference to September 11th. However, in solving the puzzle, it turned out the answer was 'Giuliani.'

"I don't currently have an online subscription to the New York Times crossword puzzle. But I used to. And I was curious what the original clue had been, thinking it was probably some lighthearted, not very serious jab at Giuliani which somebody nonetheless felt like changing.

"So I went to the archive and found the original wording of the clue. I don't remember what it was, but it was something totally innocuous--'Big Apple mayor", or something similar to that.

"Now the question is why someone (and who, for that matter?) would decide to change it."

very interesting indeed..

more than likely someone just playing a joke on someone though.

Great find! I couldn't see the answer of the question on the pictures though. Can you tell me what the answer is? Does it say who the designer of the crossword is and is there any way to contact them on this matter. Iluminati does the rule the media.

reply to post by Eyesofthemothman

Give anyone here on ATS access to a printing machine that is sending out newspapers to the public and I bet there would be lots of little things reworded that the editor wouldn’t pick up on.

reply to post by Australiana


The answer to 35A (9/11 Notable) is "GIULIANI". The constructor was Manny Nosowsky, who I think is a NYT crossword regular. Wouldn't know how to contact him.

When did this book come out that contains the crossword ?

It's possible they just changed the clue because Giuliani wasn't the mayor of New York anymore.

If the original clue was ''Big Apple mayor'', then that wouldn't have been as relevant to readers of the puzzle after he left that position.

reply to post by Australiana

His answer that DID work is "Giuliani" This is very interesting....and in 1998......

reply to post by Eyesofthemothman


See link to crossword book ( The New York Times Will Shortz's Greatest Hits) published in 2005. I guess we would need to check microfiche to be sure.

books.google.com.../11+notable%22&source=bl&ots=Q8r5P0Mk7Z&sig=R_Xl 8OQxTtd-qlyvP0yUQuTOOLg&hl=en&ei=NgZGTZeTF4a0lQfHxdXqDw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&sqi=2&ved=0CCcQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q&f=false

Thanks for that google link. I had no recollection what the title of the book was, only that it was a Will Shortz collection.

reply to post by Eyesofthemothman


In the month before D-Day (Thats June 6, 1944 for truthers,,,,) British newspaper ran several crosswords
which featured some of the code words for important parts of the operational plan. Counter intelligence
agents were frantic think there had been a leak and this was a means of tipping off the Germans .

Discovered it was all a coincidence - the author had simply picked those words by chance

Moral of story - dont read too much into things and try to fashion a conspiracy out of nothing

Sometimes randon events are just that - random events

reply to post by thedman


Guess what thedman?

Wrong again mate!

This time the schoolmaster was arrested. Confounded investigators finally decided that the words had been the product of an incredible series of coincidences. Not until 1984 was the mystery solved: One of the schoolmaster's pupils revealed that he had picked up the words while hanging around nearby camps and eavesdropping on soldiers' conversations. He then passed the odd words on to his unwitting schoolmaster when he asked his pupils to provide ingredients for his crosswords.

ngm.nationalgeographic.com...

Not random at all. You should take back your snide remark about 'truthers', and take a good looooooong look at yourself mate.

Back in 1998, the only thing 9/11 would have meant to me was either the birthday of my niece AJ, whose actual name has 10 letters, not 8, and then the CIA-backed overthrow of Allende in Chile...
Having read halfway through this thread, I am a tad confused.. Who was the Big Apple Mayor in 1998?
Vicky

reply to post by Vicky32


My first thought was also, "What the heck could 9/11 have referred to back in 1998?"

It wasn't until I solved the entire puzzle that I realized they had altered the original clue. (So it turns out there is no answer to that question.)

The Big Apple Mayor in 1998 was also Giuliani.