1961: SNOW CRIPPLES EAST: The worst snowstorm in 13 years paralyzes America's Northeast. New York's Mayor Wagner bars all but emergency vehicles and essential deliveries from entering the city, in the first order of its kind in nearly a decade and a half. Firemen battle blocked streets and freezing weather. All schools are closed, delight for the kids, as the crippled city weathers out the ordeal by snow.