‘Mad Men’ notes: Naked truths about New York nudism
Every Monday I’ll try and check in with the Mad Men episode from the night before and focus in on one or two historical references made on the show. Spoilers aplenty, so read no further if you don’t...
View ArticleNotes from the podcast (#120): NYC early film history
Fashion weak: Mary Pickford finds millinery mischief in the 1912 feature ‘The New York Hat’, a Biograph film by D.W. Griffith. This was an especially unusual show to arrange and represents a closely...
View Article‘Mad Men’ notes: New Jersey invades the Statue of Liberty
The lady of Liberty Island makes an appearance in a 1965 United Airlines ad campaign. Don Draper, of course, prefers American Airlines. (Courtesy Flickr/What Makes The Pie Shop Tick) WARNING The...
View ArticleHolland Tunnel, still drying out, turns 85 years old today
Contract No. 3. South tunnel, New York. taken December 1923 [NYPL] The Holland Tunnel, New York’s first automobile tunnel, linking downtown Manhattan with Jersey City, New Jersey, turns 85 years old...
View ArticleThe Bridge to Everywhere: The George Washington Bridge strangely political,...
PODCAST The George Washington Bridge is best known for being surprisingly graceful, darting between Washington Heights and the Palisades, a vital connection in the interstate highway system. It’s...
View ArticleAaron Burr vs. Alexander Hamilton: The terrible consequences of an ugly insult
PODCAST Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr met at a clearing in Weehawken, NJ, in the early morning on July 11, 1804, to mount the most famous duel in American history. But why did they do it? This is...
View ArticleThe grand opening of the World Trade Center on April 4, 1973; Richard Nixon,...
Photography on this page, from various periods, by Edmund V. Gillon, courtesy of the Museum of the City of New York. Check out their online gallery for some more beautiful black-and-white shots. Let...
View ArticleIn 1914, a Jersey City fireworks and munitions plant exploded. Was it...
One hundred years ago today, the Detwiller & Street fireworks plant, located in the Greenville section of Jersey City, exploded in a horrible shower of fire and glass. Four men were killed...
View ArticleDanger in the Harbor: World War I and the Black Tom Explosion of 1916
PODCAST The tale of the Black Tom Explosion which sent shrapnel into the Statue of Liberty and rocked the region around New York harbor. On July 30, 1916, at just after 2 in the morning, a massive...
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