Campaigning Through the Ages
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Photo: Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs
Misprint
On the eve of the presidential election of 1948, pollsters and pundits alike had no doubt that Thomas E. Dewey would defeat Harry S. Truman. According to The Chicago Tribune's website, a printers' strike on election night forced the paper to go to print hours before its normally scheduled time. Going with their gut, they published the headline "DEWEY DEFEATS TRUMAN." As the night wore on, it became clear the Tribune erred. Two days later while standing on a train platform in St. Louis, Truman was handed a copy of the paper, and the famous photo op ensued.
