New York became something of a symbol of urban dysfunction: a city that nearly went bankrupt, a place where trash piled up amid a garbage strike and a massive blackout struck as the Son of Sam serial killer was on the loose.

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Of course, given our impending storm, it is worth mentioning that the Blizzard of the Century came in early 1978, right before the end of the Snake year of 1977, which also saw the Great Blackout and Son of Sam hysteria.

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John Walton, the son of Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton, perished in a plane crash last June.

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In 1977, postal employee David Berkowitz was arrested in Yonkers, New York, accused of being "Son of Sam, " the gunman responsible for six slayings and seven woundings.

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When Sam (Garrett Hedlund), the son of the now mysteriously vanished Kevin Flynn (Bridges), visits his dad's dusty, abandoned Flynn Arcade and ends up getting sucked -- through a "TRON" videogame!

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Under New York's so-called "Son of Sam" law, which limits the ability of convicted criminals to profit from accounts of their crimes, Gravano could not keep any money he was paid.

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John Walton, the son of Wal-Mart (nyse: WMT - news - people ) founder Sam Walton, perished in a plane crash last June.

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Tom Hanks plays Sam, left miserable by the death of his wife, with only his young son, Jonah (Ross Malinger), to console him.

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John Walton , the second son of Wal-Mart Stores (nyse: WMT - news - people ) founder Sam Walton and a member of the company's board, died Monday in a plane crash in Wyoming.

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