21: Measles in New York, a Deadly Harlem Fire, and an Asteroid Impact

A Great Big City — New York City News, History, and Events

• The measles outbreak continues to grow as new cases are identified. According to the city health department, there have been 466 confirmed cases of measles in Brooklyn and Queens since September, and New York is a major contributor to the nationwide total of 764 cases, the highest number in 25 years. Within the city, Orthodox Jewish communities are hardest hit due to a combination of unvaccinated individuals and travelers returning from Israel, where there has been an outbreak of measles since last year. In the city health department data, Williamsburg has the highest total number of cases, at 379, and has added 31 new cases just in the previous week. The city has also carried through with restrictions outlined in an official health department declaration from last month, closing multiple schools and citing more than 80 individuals for failing to show proof of vaccination or to obtain a new vaccination. Measles is a highly contagious disease that is spread through the air as sick individuals cough or sneeze. The measles vaccination is included in MMR shots, standing for measles, mumps, and rubella, that contain a specially-weakened form of the virus that trains the body's immune system on how to defend against that virus in the future. For information on where to obtain a measles vaccination, call 311 or view information from the Department of Health at nyc.gov/doh.

• 142 years ago on May 8, 1877 — The first Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is held in Manhattan

• 170 years ago on May 10, 1849 — A rivalry between Shakespearean actors fuels the Astor Place Riot at the Astor Opera House

• 136 years ago on May 12, 1883 — The Brooklyn Grays hold their first baseball game

• 116 years ago on May 15, 1903 — New York becomes the first state to require vehicle registration numbers

• 78 years ago on May 15, 1941 — Joe DiMaggio begins what would become his famous 56-game hitting streak

• City data on DSNY salt usage: In the DSNY data, storms are loosely grouped into numbered storms when road clearing takes place over multiple days. From November 2018 to March 2019, there were eight significant storms that required an average of around 41,000 tons of salt per storm, for a season total of 329,849 tons.

• A deadly fire at the Frederick E. Samuel Apartments in Harlem claimed the lives of four children and two adults in the early-morning hours of May 8th. In what appears to have been an unfortunate accident, fire marshals found the cause to have been an unattended stove that was left lit. It was unknown whether the stove was being used for cooking, to heat the apartment, or if it was left lit for religious reasons, as was the case in a similar overnight fire in Midwood, Brooklyn in 2015 that killed seven children. Speaking to PIX11, an FDNY source said that the smoke alarm was found disconnected, which could explain why the family was not alerted by the alarm, which was inspected just five months earlier.

• 42 years ago on May 16, 1977 — A New York Airways helicopter crashes while loading passengers from atop the Pan Am building

• Planetary Defense Conference in College Park, Maryland simulates a hypothetical asteroid impact on ol' New York City

• Manhattanhenge Photography Tips and Viewing Locations

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Park of the day

• Daniel Boone Playground — 1340 WEST FARMS ROAD, the Bronx — American Frontiersman Daniel Boone (1734-1820) pioneered the exploration of and settlement in Kentucky in the 18th century. Commissioner Stern named the playground after Daniel Boone in 1987 because of its proximity to Boone Avenue.

Parks Events

• Sheep Shearing Festival

Concert Calendar

This is the AGBC Concert Calendar for the upcoming weekend:

• Riverside are playing White Eagle Hall on Thursday, May 9th.
• Björk brings Cornucopia to The Shed in Hudson Yards on Thursday, May 9th.
• Ex Hex and Versus are playing Elsewhere on Thursday, May 9th.
• adult mom, gobbinjr, and Long Neck are playing The Park Church Co-Op on Thursday, May 9th.
• Primitive Weapons, Bangladeafy, Netherlands, and Thoughtcrimes are playing Saint Vitus Bar on Thursday, May 9th.
• Idles are playing Brooklyn Steel on Friday, May 10th.
• Nitzer Ebb are playing Elsewhere on Friday, May 10th.
• Overkill, Death Angel, Life of Agony, and Mothership are playing the Playstation Theater on Friday, May 10th.
• Riverside are playing Warsaw on Saturday, May 11th.
• Night Beats is playing the Knitting Factory on Saturday, May 11th.
• Lee Fields and The Expressions and !!! are playing Brooklyn Steel on Saturday, May 11th.
• Lizzo and Tayla Parx are playing Brooklyn Steel on Sunday, May 12th.
• Broken Social Scene is playing Webster Hall on Thursday, May 16th.
• The Hold Steady are playing White Eagle Hall on Thursday, May 16th.
• Meshuggah and The Black Dahlia Murder are playing the Hammerstein Ballroom on Thursday, May 16th.

Find more fun things to do at agreatbigcity.com/events.

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Did you know?

Here's something you may not have known about New York:

• The FDNY is the largest fire department in the United States and the second-largest in the world, after Tokyo, Japan

Weather

The extreme highs and lows for this week in weather history:
Record High: 94°F on May 9, 1979
Record Low: 35°F on May 9, 1947

Weather for the week ahead:
Light rain on Sunday and Monday, with high temperatures rising to 71°F next Wednesday.

Intro and outro music: 'Start the Day' by Lee Rosevere — Concert Calendar music from Jukedeck.com — Asteroid impact music: 'I Hate Him So Much' by Anonymous420