Podcast Episodes
Back to Search#470 The Grand Tale of the Erie Canal
On October 26, 1825, the fate of New York City – and the entire United States – changed with the opening of the Erie Canal, a manmade waterway that connected the Hudson River to Lake Erie.
It was the …
Published on 8 hours ago
#469 Dominican New York: A History In The Heights
Dominicans comprise the largest immigration group in modern New York City, and Dominican culture has become embedded in the city's rich fabric of immigrant history. And in one place in particular -- …
Published on 1 week ago
19th Century NoHo: Glamour, Greed, Money, and Murder
Today's New York neighborhood called NoHo, wedged between Greenwich Village and the East Village, holds the stories of many people and places that then went on to become deeply associated with the gr…
Published on 2 weeks ago
The Boy Mayor of New York
As New York City enters the final stages of a rather strange mayoral election in 2025, let’s look back on a decidedly more unusual contest over 110 years ago, pitting Tammany Hall and their estranged…
Published on 3 weeks ago
#468 Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue": A Jazz-Age Drama
On January 3, 1924, 25-year-old George Gershwin was shooting pool in a Manhattan billiard hall when his brother Ira Gershwin read aloud a shocking newspaper article: "George Gershwin is at work on a …
Published on 4 weeks ago
History Daily: Pirate Tales!
We love the podcast History Daily, a co-production from award winning podcasters Airship and Noiser, so we're presenting two episodes with a very similar theme -- pirates!
-- July 6, 1699. The arrest …
Published on 1 month ago
#467 The Brooklyn Theatre Fire: The Forgotten Gilded Age Tragedy
On the evening of December 5, 1876, the glorious Brooklyn Theatre caught fire, trapping its audience in a nightmare of flame and smoke. The theater sat near Brooklyn City Hall (today's Brooklyn Borou…
Published on 1 month, 1 week ago
#466 Pete's Tavern and McSorley's Old Ale House
The ultimate bar crawl of Old New York continues through a survey of classic bars and taverns that trace their origins from the 1850s through the 1880s.
And this time we're recording within two of Ame…
Published on 1 month, 2 weeks ago
#465 The Oldest Bars in New York City
We’ve put together the ultimate New York City historic bar crawl, a celebration of the city’s old taverns, pubs, and ale houses with 18th- and 19th-century connections. And along the way, you’ll lear…
Published on 1 month, 3 weeks ago
#464 New York: The City of Oysters
Once upon a time New York City oysters were not only plentiful and healthy in the harbor, they were an everyday, common food source. The original fast food!
For that reason, the oyster could be an off…
Published on 2 months ago