Grover Cleveland was in the White House and we could pick up laudanum without a prescription to cure what ailed us, but cyclists were still running afoul of pedestrians and motorists. New York City's first automobile accident occurred on May 30, 1896, when Henry Wells of Springfield, Massachusetts, struck cyclist Ebeling Thomas on the "Western Boulevard" (better known to us as Broadway).
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Results tagged “19thcentury”
NYC's First Car Accident In 1896 Involved A Bicycle
Dog vs. Rats: Old School Edition
Apparently pitting dogs against rats is a long time tradition here in New York. Recently we saw video of dogs killing rats in Washington Square Park—which PETA explained was "entirely illegal," even if the Parks Department didn't seem to know the rules. Well, back in the day there were no rules, and Ephemeral NY notes that New York after the civil war saw "a brutal pastime reached new heights in popularity: rat-baiting—pitting a terrier against a rat until they fought to the death."
Unearthed Gentleman's Directory Outs 19th Century Brothels
For those lamenting over the loss of "edgy New York City"—look no further than the New York Historical Society. The establishment is in possession of a book containing all the best (and worst) brothels in 19th century New York (and we all have is the Village Voice classifieds). Held under lock and key it's a time capsule to a grittier time, and recently the Grey Lady dared peek inside (flip through the book yourself here).
John Coffer, Master of the 19th Century Tintype
Noah Kalina, the photographer who made a splash by taking a snapshot of himself every day for years, now has some unusual competition: John Coffer, a master of nineteenth-century tintype photography, is unveiling his series “The Daily Tintype” tonight at Gerald Peters Gallery on East 78th Street. The willfully anachronistic exhibit features 365 tintypes from his daily life, one per day from 2007.
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