1921: The day Syracuse took a stand against dancing by banning the camel walk, the toddle and the shimmy
Updated Feb 22, 2021;
Posted Feb 22, 2021
The type of dancing seen in this 1923 photo of a dance marathon would probably have been allowed in Syracuse following the drastic blue laws which were passed by the Common Council on Feb. 21, 1921 banning many popular dances. Courtesy of the Library of Congress. Courtesy of the Library of Congress
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February 22, 1921 could be called the day that the dancing stopped in Syracuse.
Well, to be more accurate, that was the day that the vibrant, popular dances associated with the first years of the “Roaring Twenties” and the Jazz Age could no longer be performed in public in the city.
THINK SPRING â photo from 1977
Let me tell you, 72 years ago there was a lot of competition for the Adirondack Daily Enterprise. Never mind about the Plattsburgh and Malone newspapers that were on the newsstands in our three mountain villages, but there was also the Syracuse Post-Standard, with a full-time correspondent stationed in Saranac Lake, and the Syracuse Herald Tribune. No television back then it did exist, but not for the working man. Radios, newspapers and gossip kept the public informed and did a helluva good job of it. So again, researching for news in my vast filing system … what falls off the shelf but a pristine copy of the Syracuse Post-Standard from 1948. Alongside the paper’s logo at the top of a special section in big letters read: Tupper Lake, Lake Placid, Saranac Lake and Malone. So let’s see what kind of coverage resulted.
1911: To make city safer, Syracuse considers taking on a public menace: ‘bristling hat pins’
Updated Jan 28, 2021;
Posted Jan 28, 2021
Hatpins dating from the 1890 s - 1920 s, ranging from $18 to $150 in price, were on sale at the 2002 Madison-Bouckville Antiques Show.
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With his colleagues snickering from their seats and his own cheeks blushing, Syracuse alderman George Fearon, the youngest member of the Common Council, pressed on.
It was Jan. 30, 1911 and Fearon was about to introduce a piece of legislation which he thought would help make the crowded streetcars, sidewalks, and elevators of Syracuse safer.
The time had come, he reasoned, to shorten the length of Syracuse women’s hatpins.
1955: Parents feel relief and hope after Salk Polio vaccine found to be ‘safe and effective’
Updated Jan 26, 2021;
Posted Jan 26, 2021
The first doses of the Salk vaccine arrive Syracuse. The first shipment was received at noon on April 15, 1955 by Harold Halpern, right, local general manager for Daw Drug Co., Incorporated, from A.J. Lebow, representative of the Parke Davis Co., Detroit.
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News of the approval and effectiveness of the Covid-19 vaccines stirred feelings of optimism in Americans, fueling hopes of a return to normal life.
The emotions were similar to those felt in Syracuse, and across the United States, when another vaccine promised to eradicate a horrible disease.
Covid vaccine provides beacon of hope in these dark days (Editorial)
Updated Dec 20, 2020;
:
The first Covid-19 vaccine arrived in Syracuse last week, signaling the beginning of the end of the pandemic. Feelings of joy, relief and hope are tempered by profound grief at the toll the coronavirus is exacting on residents of Central New York.
The moment demands recognition, even if we don’t feel much like celebrating.
Think about it: In fewer than 10 months, scientists developed a vaccine against a new and deadly viral disease that upended the world and our daily lives. Many of our neighbors participated in clinical trials establishing its effectiveness. Our regional’s teaching hospital, Upstate Medical University, is at the center of the fight, and its leading infectious disease expert is a principal investigator on the vaccine. A second vaccine will come online shortly, expanding the number of people who can be inoculated. Barring unforeseen delays, it’s possible all who w