Podcast Episodes
Back to SearchA Gilded Age Tour Up the Island of Manhattan
It’s one of the great narratives of American urban history — the northward trek of New York society up the island of Manhattan during the 19th centur…
2 years, 8 months ago
Rewind: The Deadly Draft Riots of 1863
This month we are marking the 160th anniversary of one of the most dramatic moments in New York City history – the Civil War Draft Riots which storme…
2 years, 8 months ago
The Making of the Pledge of Allegiance
The Pledge of Allegiance feels like an American tradition that traces itself back to the Founding Fathers, but, in fact, the original version is only…
2 years, 9 months ago
#412 The New York Parking Wars
Take a look at a historic photograph of New York from the 1930s and you'll see automats, newsies, elevated trains and men in fedoras. What you won't …
2 years, 9 months ago
#411 Miss Subways: Queens of the New York Commute
From 1941 and 1976, dozens of young women and high school girls were bestowed the honor of Miss Subways with her smiling photograph hanging within th…
2 years, 9 months ago
#410 The Roeblings: The Family Who Built The Brooklyn Bridge
The Brooklyn Bridge, which was officially opened to New Yorkers 140 years ago this year, is not only a symbol of the American Gilded Age, it’s a monu…
2 years, 10 months ago
Rewind: The Birth of the Broadway Musical
The Broadway musical is one of New York City's greatest inventions, over 160 years in the making! It's one of the truly American art forms, fueling o…
2 years, 10 months ago
#409 The Great New York City Pizza Tour
The history of pizza in the United States begins in Manhattan in the late 19th century, on the streets of Little Italy (and Nolita), within immigrant…
2 years, 11 months ago
#408 The Titanic and the Fate of Pier 54
In the early morning hours of April 15, 1912. the White Star ocean liner RMS Titanic struck an iceberg en route to New York City and sank in the Atla…
2 years, 11 months ago
#407 New York by Gaslight: Illuminating the 19th Century
Enter the magical world of New York by gaslight, the city illuminated by the soft, revolutionary glow of lamps powered by gas, an innovative utility …
3 years ago