March 31st in N.Y.C. History
Posted: Mar 31, 2013 | 2:36 PM
1923: Alma Cummings danced 27 hours non-stop, setting a world record and sparking the nation's marathon-dance craze.
1943: Rodgers and Hammerstein first musical, the revolutionary "Oklahoma!" opened on Broadway. With its mix of ballet, and other innovations, it was expected to be a flop. It was a hit, running for over 2,200 performances. The best seats cost less than $5.
1943: Actor Christopher (actually Ronald) Walken born in Astoria, Queens.
1945: Tennessee Williams' "The Glass Menagerie" debuted on Broadway.
1945: Actor and comedian Gabe Kaplan, of "Welcome Back Kotter" born.
1947: Mayor William O'Dwyer submited NYC's first $1 billion budget, second only to the federal budget.
Legend has it that O'Dwyer's parade up Broadway's Canyon of Heroes was finagled as a deal for his resignation during a corruption scandal. Nonetheless,
330,000 witnessed his resignation parade, and O'Dwyer had an illustrious career as a pioneering Mayor and military hero.
1984: Grammy winner Jack Antonoff of the band Fun born in NJ. He went to high school in NYC where his music career started.
1992: The U.N. Security Council banned flights and arms sales to Libya, branding it a terrorist state for harboring six men accused of blowing up Pan Am Flight 103 and a French airliner.
1998: The first Jewish woman in Congress, and a bold feminist, Bella Abzug died. She served from 1971-1977.
1999: Four New York City police officers were charged with murder for killing Amadou Diallo on February 4th. Diallo was a young unarmed African immigrant, killed in a hail of 41 bullets as he reached for his wallet. They were acquitted the following year.