The Panic of 1947

As the threat of an H1N1 swine flu outbreak looms, Jerry Oppenheimer looks back at how New York handled a deadly smallpox outbreak—and prevented a catastrophe.

Published Sep. 19 2009 3:10PM EDT

articles/2009/09/19/the-panic-of-1947/oppenheimer-flu_50656_o2puww — FPG, Hulton Archive / Getty Images

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On April 6, 1947, an estimated 1,250,000 New Yorkers were lured by record warm weather to Fifth Avenue for the city’s annual Easter Parade, the largest turnout for the pageant since World War II had ended a year and a half earlier.

On the avenue, women in their Easter bonnets sported...

Jerry Oppenheimer

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The Panic of 1947

As the threat of an H1N1 swine flu outbreak looms, Jerry Oppenheimer looks back at how New York handled a deadly smallpox outbreak—and prevented a catastrophe.

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Jerry Oppenheimer