On this day, March 17, in 1905, Franklin Roosevelt married his fifth cousin's daughter, Eleanor Roosevelt, in New York City.
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By unknown (Tom Forman Prod.) (Walter Film posters) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons On this day, March 16th, 1884, Harrison Ford was born. No, not Han Solo or Indiana Jones. The first popular Harrison Ford was a Broadway star for nearly 10 years and then a leading man in Silent Films. The two Harrison Fords do not appear to be related. On this day, March 11th, 1888 the Great Blizzard of 1888 began. The storm, also called the Great Blizzard of '88, and the Great White Hurricane, paralysed the East coast of the United States from the Chesapeake Bay, to Maine. The storm dropped 40 inches of snow in New York City, with as much as 50 inches reported in Connecticut and Massachussetts. The snowfall was not the only problem, with winds of 80 mph being noted. (the highest official wind speed in NY was 40 mph). The temperatures during the storm stayed in the single digits Farinheit. After the storm snow drifts added to the trouble, with the largest drift of 52 feet, recorded in Gravesend, Brooklyn, NY. Rail and road transportation was not possible for days after the storm. People were trapped in their homes for as long as 3 days, and firestations were immobilized. The storm caused in excess of 400 deaths, with 200 being reported from New York City. The melting snow also eventually caused severe flooding, especially in Brooklyn. On this day, March 15th, the Ides of March, 1933, Ruth Bader Ginsburg was born in Brooklyn, NY. Ginsburg grew up and went to public High School in New York City. She then attended Cornell University in Ithaca, NY, with a BA in Government. She then enrolled in Harvard Law School. When her husband took a Job in NY, she transferred to Columbia Law School, earning her law degree in 1959, tied for first in her class. Ginsburg was turned down for a clerkship by Justice Felix Frankfurter because of her gender. She was, however, given a clerkship for Judge Edmund L. Palmieri of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. After an accomplished career as a public interest lawyer, she was appointed to US Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit by President Jimmy Carter in 1980. In 1993, President Bill Clinton nominated Ginsburg to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, filling the seat vacated by the retiring Justice Byron White. She was confirmed by the US Senate, 96-to-3. She is currently the eldest member of the Supreme Court. On this day, March 14th, 1800, James Bogardus was born. Although Bogardus is not a commonly known name, he was an inventor and architect who pioneered the use of cast iron in buildings. Bogardus was born in Catskill, NY. He was a descendant of the second clergyman in New Netherland, Evardus Bogardus. His formal education ended at age 14, and he started an apprenticeship to a watchmaker. The Cast Iron buildings he pioneered became a routine sight in New York, especially in areas such as SoHo, and TriBeCa. A small park at the intersection of Chambers Street, West Broadway, and Hudson Street, in TriBeCa, Manhattan, is named in his honor. On this day, March 13th, in 2008, Gold surpassed a never before reached price of $1,000 per ounce. This was at the height of recession fears in the US, after the housing market collapse.. Gold reached $1,001 on the New York Merchantile Exchange, and then dipped slightly to $997.10. Four years later, gold prices are nearly $1,700 an ounce. On this day, March 13th, 1885, Lady Liberty's pedestal is financed after New York World publisher, Joseph Pulitzer announces he will publish all the names of those who contribute. On this day, March 12, in 1945 Salvatore Gravano was born in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn.
Sammy, would rise from low level street thug, to Underboss to John Gotti (a/k/a the Dapper Don or the Teflon Don), and the Gambino Crime Family. He became one of the first, and highest ranking "made men" to break "Omerta" the Mafia's code of silence and turned "state's evidence" testifying against his former boss John Gotti. Sammy "The Bull" Gravano (a nickname he earned as a kid) was placed in the Federal Witness Protection program, but eventually he left it, and was living openly in Scottsdale, Arizona. After emerging from the Witness Protection Program, he co-authored a book about his notorious exploits. As of 2000 he had re-entered criminal life, working with his son trafficking Ecstasy. He is currently serving a 19 year sentence at the Federal "Supermax" prison, ADX Florence, in Colorado. On this day, February 4th, 1999, Amadou Diallo, a West African immigrant is shot and killed by four undercover New York City police officers. It was later found that Diallo was unarmed leading to heightened racial tensions in the city. On this day, February 3rd, 1995 astronaut Eileen Collins becomes the first woman to pilot a Space Shuttle. Collins was born in Palmira, New York and was a former military instructor and test pilot. It was Collins' first spaceflight. The Space Shuttle she piloted left from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. |
On this day in Old New York
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