A huge snow storm is hitting the east coast. It’s so big that in Washington D.C., the city’s metro system has already shut down as have government and private sector offices all over town. Storms like this are dangerous, and they can also change the way we live and the way we govern ourselves. Yoni Appelbaum, the Washington Bureau Chief at the Atlantic Magazine, wrote about The Great White Hurricane of 1888 which created the modern mayor.

 Produced by Mukta Mohan