This week in HVNY history (January 29 - February 4, 2024)
January 30: Franklin Delano Roosevelt was born on January 30, 1882 at the Roosevelt family home in Hyde Park. But, the birth was not easy. According to the FDR Library: By 8:00 that night, Sara Delano Roosevelt had been in labor for more twenty-four hours. Believing that the cause was lost, the doctor attending her bedside administered chloroform to calm her.
Forty-five minutes later, she delivered a ten pound boy who was blue and not moving. The doctor blew air into his lungs, and the newborn began to cry. He would be named Franklin Delano after his mother’s uncle. Because of the difficult birth, the boy would be Sara’s only child.
The anniversary of Franklin’s birth became a great cause for celebration every year, and throughout his life FDR would use the occasion to honor devoted friends as well as to raise money in the fight against polio.
FDR’s birthday will be celebrated this year with a ceremony in the Rose Garden followed by cake in the Wallace Center on January 30 beginning at 3pm.
More info: https://www.fdrlibrary.org/fdr-birthday
