A 1968 NYC sanitation strike brought the city to its knees in 6 days. A 1970 Irish banker strike had no effect on the economy for 6 months.
history of New York City
In the 1980s, teenagers in New York…
In the 1980s, teenagers in New York would jam the token turnstiles for the subway and suck out the tokens with their mouths so they could use them later. To combat this, employees sprinkled chilli powder or spray mace on the slots and see if they noticed anyone with red lips.
There is a neighborhood called…
There is a neighborhood called “The Hole” in NYC. It has no streetlights, sidewalks, or sewers, and it sits 12 feet below the surrounding area (hence the name). It was once home to a farming town, black cowboys, the mob, until finally earning the reputation of the worst neighborhood in NYC.
Airing, New York, 1906
In 1906 Eleanor Roosevelt bought a chicken-wire cage for hanging from the window of her New York City townhouse for first child, Anna, to nap in—a practice known as “airing” for city dwelling children.
Essentially, the thinking was that this was part of a process to toughen up the babies, and make them better able to withstand common colds. It was believed that exposing infants to cold temperatures—both outside and through cold-water bathing—would grant them a certain immunity to catching minor illnesses.
In 1896, New York passed a law that…
In 1896, New York passed a law that alcohol could only be served on Sunday if it was with a meal. New York taverns then started “selling” inedible sandwiches (served with a drink). The waiter would collect the sandwich at the end of the meal, and serve it the next customer.
Until 1996, NYPD cars were painted blue…
Until 1996, NYPD cars were painted blue. They phased out the blue cars in favor of factory white, resulting in a $1 million savings. Light blue shirts were replaced with dark blue to “hide coffee and donut stains”.
100 years ago, motorised kick…
Lady Norman on her scooter.
100 years ago, motorised kick scooters like todays ”Bird“ scooters, were already a thing. They were foldable, had a top speed of 15 mph and were used by New York gangs as getaway vehicles.
In the 1930s New York city planner Robert…
In the 1930s New York city planner Robert Moses deliberately built a number of bridges really low so that only cars could go under it – so as to prevent blacks (who mostly used public transport) from visiting New York’s ‘pristine’ beaches.
In 1956, a pilot landed on an Uptown Street in NYC…
In 1956, a pilot landed on an Uptown Street in NYC, because that’s where the bar was.
Back when NYC subways ran on tokens people would jam the slots…
Back when NYC subways ran on tokens people would jam the slots with paper so they could suck the tokens out with their mouths. This was referred to as “Token Sucking” and some token booth attendants even tried to deter this crime by sprinkling chili powder in the slots.
Until 1953, NYC had a pneumatic tube mai …
Until 1953, NYC had a pneumatic tube mail network that spanned 27 miles and connected 23 post offices. At its peak, the system moved 95,000 letters a day.