"It’s a headline. It may be the headline of the century. It came out of Chicago. It is rendered in six letters: two words and a mark of punctuation. As if you couldn’t guess, here it is: DA POPE!"
"Dewey Defeats Truman - Perhaps the greatest factual error ever published in a headline, from an early edition of the Chicago Daily Tribune on Nov. 3, 1948. Man Walks On Moon - Published July 21, 1969, in The New York Times. It’s memorable for its brevity, alliteration front and back, and for the dual meaning of “Man,” signifying one man, but also all mankind. That dual meaning was botched, both by Neil Armstrong, and also when the Times was soon forced into this revision: Men Walk On Moon. Headless Body in Topless Bar - A 1993 hed (sorry!) credited to a legendary New York Post writer and editor, Vinnie Musetto. Folks think this is a parody, but it describes an actual heinous crime. It became the title of a book of tabloid headlines. Ford To City: Drop Dead - Published Oct. 30, 1975. The New York Daily News considered something more profane but chose instead an alliterative imperative to describe the Ford administration's unwillingness to bail out New York City. It is said to have contributed to the unpopularity of the president, helping to clear the way for the election of Jimmy Carter."
"OK, those are just appetizers or appe-teasers. What, then, makes DA POPE! even more special? Length: six letters, two words and an exclaimer: I value short writing, when it works, in part by how short it is. In boxing, you some"
DA POPE! is presented as an outstanding example of short, high-impact headline writing. The headline is described as coming from Chicago and consisting of two words and an exclamation point. The piece compares it to other famous headlines, including “Dewey Defeats Truman,” “Man Walks On Moon,” “Headless Body in Topless Bar,” and “Ford To City: Drop Dead,” noting their brevity, memorability, and cultural effects. DA POPE! is singled out for its extreme length and punctuation, framed as a model of how concise writing can drive attention and set the tone for major news.
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