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Electrocution of Topsy the Elephant
On this date in 1903, Topsy, an Asian elephant was euthanized by electrocution at Coney Island, New York. Here are some things you may not have known about the incident. Topsy was brought to the United States and performed in the Forepaugh Circus, where she gained a reputation as a bad elephant after killing a…
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LaGuardia Airport: New York’s First Major Airport
On this date in 1939, LaGuardia Airport in New York opened. Here are some things you may not have known about the closest airport to Manhattan. LaGuardia was the city’s first major airport. Until that time, the only commercial airport in the New York region was in Newark, New Jersey. Supposedly, the decision to develop…
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Simon & Garfunkel in Central Park, 35 Years Later
On this date in 1981, Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel played their landmark “Concert in Central Park.” Here are some things you may not have known about the show. Simon & Garfunkel met as children in Queens, New York in 1952. They began performing together in 1957 under the name “Tom and Jerry.” Their initial sound…
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World Trade Center: Before 9/11
On this date in 1973, the World Trade Center in New York was dedicated. Here are some things you may not have known about the building, besides its destruction on Sept. 11, 2001. The site of the World Trade Center was originally under the Hudson River. The river was filled in the area starting in…
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Archives: Typhoid Mary: Spreading Disease #history #podcasts #trivia
Mary Mallon, also known as Typhoid Mary, was quarantined on March 27, 1915. Here are a few things you might not know about Typhoid Mary, the first person identified as a healthy carrier of typhoid fever: One: She worked as a cook for eight families in New York before her first quarantine, seven of the…
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Empire State Building: An Art Deco Masterpiece
On this date in 1930, construction began on the Empire State Building in New York. Here are some things you may not have known about the landmark building. The land where the Empire State Building sits was first developed as a farm in the late 1700s. Later, the block was the site of the original…