Unique New York

"The Pushcart War started on the afternoon of March 15, 1986, when a truck ran down a pushcart belonging to a flower peddler."

I'm terrifically sorry to be late with this historical commemoration, but better late than never.

In any case, twenty years ago yesterday, Albert P. Mack of Mammoth Moving smashed Morris the Florist's pushcart and knocked Morris into a pickle barrel, where his picture was snapped by young Marvin Seeley. As historian Jean Merrill points out, from that point onwards New York's pushcarts fought back against the oppressive trucking companies of Manhattan, and although few New Yorkers realized at the time that they were living in a war zone, the events of the next few months permanently changed city dwelling into the comparatively civil, efficient and happy way of life we know today. (I wish.)

So everyone go out and read this vital work of history immediately. Then we'll talk.

Benshlomo says, Sometimes alternate history beats the real thing all hollow, doesn't it?