Fifty years ago this week, The Daily News published a headline that, in five words, helped turn the tide on a financial crisis that had gripped New York City for months. Landing with a thud on newsstands, it became one of the most famous headlines in history: “FORD TO CITY: DROP DEAD.”

On that Thursday morning, Oct. 30, 1975, millions of New Yorkers got the message — federal assistance to the city, which only weeks earlier had come within minutes of bankruptcy, would not be forthcoming. In a speech the previous day, President Gerald Ford had made clear that he wasn’t going to let Northeastern liberals off the hook for their spending. He never actually said “drop dead,” choosing instead a metaphor: “Responsibility for New York City’s financial problems is being left on the front doorstep o

See Full Page