B-52 Mitchell Bomber Crashes...

Item # 551022

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July 29, 1945

THE NEW YORK TIMES, New York City, New York, July 29, 1945

* B-25 Mitchell bomber crashes...
* Empire State Building... In a New York newspaper w/ photos...

This 40+ page newspaper has a four column headline on the front page: "BOMBER HITS EMPIRE STATE BUILDING, SETTING IT AFIRE AT THE 79TH FLOOR; 13 DEAD, 26 HURT; WIDE AREA ROCKED," with many subheads and related photo. Much more inside. Great to have this in this famous New York City newspaper.

Other news of the day throughout. Rag edition in great condition.

wikipedia notes: At 9:40 a.m. on Saturday, July 28, 1945, a B-25 Mitchell bomber, piloted in thick fog by Lieutenant Colonel William F. Smith, Jr., accidentally crashed into the north side of the Empire State Building, between the 79th and 80th floors, where the offices of the National Catholic Welfare Council were located. One engine shot through the side opposite the impact and fell on a nearby building; the other plummeted down an elevator shaft. The resulting fire was extinguished in 40 minutes. Fourteen people were killed in the incident.[16][17] Elevator operator Betty Lou Oliver survived a plunge of 75 stories inside an elevator, which still stands as the Guinness World Record for the longest survived elevator fall recorded.[18] Despite the damage and loss of life, the building was open for business on many floors on the following Monday. The crash helped spur the passage of the long-pending Federal Tort Claims Act of 1946, as well as the insertion of retroactivity provisions in the law, allowing people to sue the government for the accident.

Category: The 20th Century