October
5, 1950
Gas Explosion Sets off
Atomic War Panic
Gas explosions at four
sewers in the neighborhoods of Greenpoint, Brooklyn, set off rumors that an
atomic war had started and set off a panic of thousands of in New York City
residents. The blasts sent manhole covers as high as five stories above the
street and sent blue flames into the air, and emergency calls brought police,
emergency and fire department squads to the seven block area. Nobody was
injured
In what was then the largest
oil spill in United States history, 17 to 30 million gallons of oil spilled
into Newtown Creek; a bulk-oil storage
facilities near the corner of Manhattan Avenue and Huron Street were spilling
petroleum in amounts that were eventually more than the Exxon Valdez oil spill.
The underground explosion
added to the problem. (BP, Chevron, and ExxonMobil have since removed half of
the spill, about 12 million gallons, from the creek and surrounding area.)
Born in 1950?
Then
congratulations for turning 65 and entering the world of Medicare. If you
would like to know more about the maze we call Medicare …
