New York's 1888 blizzard had smallpox, bonfires, and rubber boot shortages

The upcoming blizzard in the Northeast is likely to be huge. But at least cities like New York are ready. Things were very different back in 1888.

That year, New York City got 21 inches of snow in early March — still the third-worst snowstorm in the city's history. And it was a terrifying experience for the people there, in part, because so many things went horribly, unexpectedly wrong.