1953
April
1 Bob’s seventh birthday
27 Suzanna’s fourth birthday
June
David ends third grade. David attended school fairly regularly and could usually walk to school.
Bob ends first grade.
12 David’s ninth birthday
July
27 “The United States, North Korea and China sign an armistice, which ends the war but fails to bring about a permanent peace. To date, the Republic of Korea (South) and Democratic Peoples' Republic of Korea (North) have not signed a peace treaty. North and South Korea did sign a non-aggression treaty in 1991.”
August
12 Soviet Union tests a hydrogen bomb.
September
David starts fourth grade.
Bob starts second grade.
1 Newsday disclosed plans for a 70-mile-long, six-lane highway between Manhattan and the east end of Long Island.
According to a letter addressed to then-Governor Thomas E. Dewey, Moses argued that the Long Island Expressway - originally called the "Central Motor Expressway" - was the only logical solution to present and future traffic problems:
"The proposed Long Island Expressway is a most important part of the arterial highway program which will serve all of Long Island, that is, Brooklyn, Queens, Nassau and Suffolk counties, with a combined population of over 5,500,000. The backbone of this program is a 70-mile expressway for mixed traffic from Manhattan to Riverhead, Suffolk County. The building of this vitally needed express artery has the full approval and support of the authorities of both Nassau and Suffolk counties, and has been recommended by the Temporary State Highway Finance Committee.
Early completion of this comprehensive expressway system from Manhattan and Queens, through Nassau to the county seat of Suffolk County, is the only logical solution to the intolerable congestion resulting from the rapid increase of building subdivisions, extraordinary population growth and large increase in motor vehicle registration. Almost daily, the remaining estates and large acreages on Long Island are being sold to developers."
Beyond the newly established developments in Nassau County, Long Island was largely comprised of old mansions, potato fields, and oak and pine barrens. The parkways built by Moses some two decades earlier were restricted to passenger cars. This meant all other traffic had to use congested surface roads such as Northern Boulevard (NY 25A), Jericho Turnpike (NY 25), Hempstead Turnpike (NY 24), Sunrise Highway (NY 27), and Merrick Road.
9 Jennie Marshak’s 66th birthday
November
29 Miriam and Howard’s twelfth wedding anniversary.
December
21 Robert Oppenheimer was notified of a military security report unfavourable to him and was accused of having associated with Communists in the past, of delaying the naming of Soviet agents, and of opposing the building of the hydrogen bomb. A security hearing declared him not guilty of treason but ruled that he should not have access to military secrets. As a result, his contract as adviser to the Atomic Energy Commission was cancelled. The Federation of American Scientists immediately came to his defense with a protest against the trial. Oppenheimer was made the worldwide symbol of the scientist, who, while trying to resolve the moral problems that arise from scientific discovery, becomes the victim of a witch-hunt.
© 2004 H. David Marshak, All Rights Reserved
