In 1985* a reader wrote in to tell the New York Times that it was incorrectly using the term hansom cab to describe Central Park carriages. (A hansom has just two wheels.) The Times published the letter, but has continued to blithely use the descriptor repeatedly — until today, when the paper finally owned up to its grave, shameful error.
This post has been corrected to show that the letter was written in 1985, not 1986. It is especially embarrassing to make a correction on a post about a correction. We are fully aware of the irony.
