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| The 1970s |
| 1970: Fighting the Mafia Frank Sinatra answers a subpoena to appear before a mob-busting Jersey commission as an investigator charges politicians are "entirely too close" to organized crime. 1971: Jersey plays the numbers The state lottery sells its first ticket, launching a program that raises millions for the government and creates a whole new class of gambling addict. 1972: Cable TV scandal A sensational corruption trial reveals dealings between a colorful set of Trenton pols accused of taking bribes from the charismatic nephew of Irving Berlin. 1973: Constitutional crisis A judge rules that New Jersey's local property taxes are inherently unfair, especially for funding schools, setting up a battle for the pursestrings that continues to this day. 1974: A pitcher's unwanted fame Trenton's greatest baseball player, Dodgers southpaw Al Downing, is victimized by Hank Aaron's record-breaking 715th home run. 1975: Not a drop to drink Trenton's water filtration plant breaks down, leaving half a million people with no tap or shower water for a scary week. 1976: The swine flu scare A recruit at Fort Dix dies of a mysterious bug, sparking a nationwide inoculation program that appears to run well until the vaccine starts killing people. 1977: "Julia" and Muriel An Oscar-winning movie, "Julia," borrows controversially from the real story of the Pennington woman who smuggled cash to the anti-Nazi forces of Austria. 1978: Crazy Jean Zelinsky A spinster from Hunterdon County chops off her mother's head, then tosses it onto the steps of the State House during the office Christmas parties. 1979: Murder at Mill Hill A socialite attracted to Trenton's gentrifying neighborhood is brutalized and killed by a sick son of the city who has been stalking her. |
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