The City had been hit by big blizzards before. The most celebrated one was from March 11 to 14, 1888: It paralyzed the City for days, and led to the construction of the Subway system, and to the City's electric company, Consolidated Edison, moving most electrical lines underground as well. The snowfall was officially measured at 21 inches.
This record held until December 26, 1947, 26 inches. Fortunately, by then, snow removal equipment was mechanized, so the City's paralysis didn't last nearly as long.
A "nor'easter" dropped 20 inches on New York from February 8 to 11, 1969. This one was terribly mishandled by Mayor John Lindsay, who got Manhattan plowed fairly quickly, but not the Outer Boroughs. People there were outraged, and when the Republican Primary for the Mayoral election was held that year, Lindsay was dumped for John Marchi, a State Senator from Staten Island.
The Democrats nominated the City's Comptroller, Mario Procaccino, but he made racist statements, and it looked like any chance for social progress in The City was doomed. But due to New York State's unusual 4-party system, Lindsay was nominated by the Liberal Party, and narrowly won re-election, partly because he had tied his fortunes to those of the Mets, who won the World Series 19 days before the general election. (The 4th party, the Conservative Party, nominated Marchi.) Lindsay won 42 percent of the vote, Procaccino 36, and Marchi 22.
The 1st big blizzard that I can remember struck on February 11, 1983. I was in the 8th grade in East Brunswick, New Jersey, and we were let out at 12:00 noon instead of the usual 2:05 PM. I spent much of the night dipping a yardstick into the backyard. When the snow topped out, I had it measured at 22 inches. Fortunately, that was a Friday, so most people who worked Monday-to-Friday jobs didn't miss much time, or pay.
That would also be the case with the Blizzard of '96. Still, it was, at least at first, beyond The City's capacity to get people out. Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. were clobbered as well. The federal government was paralyzed politically, as President Bill Clinton, a Democrat, and the Republican-controlled Congress couldn't agree on a budget, so the government was shut down for a while, before Clinton's public popularity forced the Republicans to cave.
Kids sledding on the steps of the U.S. Capitol Building.
A better January 6 for the building than would happen in 2021.
That same day, Willie Brown, long the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the State of California, forced to leave that post because of a stupid newly-passed term limits law, was sworn in as Mayor of San Francisco. After his Inaugural Address, he got a congratulatory phone call from Clinton. Brown told him, "Mr. President, you'd love it here: There's no snow, and no Republicans!" As Brown laughed, a big cheer went up from the crowd in what is, perhaps, America's most liberal city.
Sure, New York has to worry about snow, and extreme heat in the Summer. And San Francisco doesn't. But look at the bright side: We don't have to worry about earthquakes.
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