Recently we dusted off some of Steven Siegel's old photos from 1980s New York City, showing the five boroughs during what many dub The Bad Old Days. Sure, things looked grim and downright apocalyptic in that series of images, but there was some life here, too. Here's another collection of photographs from Seigel's archives, showing New Yorkers in the 1980s, mugging for his camera. Click through for a glimpse at the faces of those living here back in those Bad Old Days, and we'll have more from Siegel in the near future. more ›

Have you ever walked around the cemeteries of New York reading the old tombstone inscriptions? Well, if that's not your thing, we're here to point you in the direction of George Spencer Millet's grave in Woodlawn Cemetery, which tells a tragic and unusual story. His headstone reads: "Lost life by stab in falling on ink eraser, evading six young women trying to give him birthday kisses in office of Metropolitan Life Building." This happened the day after Valentine's day, on February 15th, 1909—which also happened to be his 15th birthday. And to clarify, an ink eraser is not an eraser, it's more like a knife. more ›

In 1932 the artist Lester Gaba, not unlike Andrew McCarthy's character in the 1987 classic Mannequin, created Cynthia, a mannequin for Saks Fifth Avenue. Cynthia was "a 100-pound model who had realistic imperfections like freckles, pigeon toes, and even different sized feet." Five years later, Gaba posed with Cynthia around New York City for a LIFE magazine spread which supposedly "launched the career of an up-and-coming starlet [and] made Cynthia a household name overnight." more ›

The Montauk Club is a private social club in Park Slope that's been around since the late 1800s—founded by Charles Pratt, Richard Schermerhorn, and Edwin C. Litchfield in 1889. In later years, it would come to host prominent political figures like Dwight D. Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy. And over the past few years or so, it's come back to life with a strong focus on Brooklyn's under-35 set. To enter, you must be a member, and each month the Club approves new applications. They explain on their website, "The majority of our under 35s are unmarried—and in keeping with Brooklyn’s reputation—good looking. But our older members are holding their own and the mix of ages and the diversity of points of view make for engaging conversation." more ›

It's fun to look back at how people envisioned New York City in "the future," now that we're living said future. Just like that plan to drain the East River never happened, neither did depthscrapers or two-level streets. The latest rendering to pop up online (we DO have the internet here in the future) is from 1900, and originally ran in Joseph Pulitzer's New York World newspaper. The Skyscraper Museum writes: more ›

There are a lot of depressing headlines out there today, so let's think of something positive. We stumbled across this old photo from 1931, during Prohibition, of illegal beer kegs being smashed somewhere in New York City. A tragic sight! The sound of the foam seeping into the unappreciative soil will haunt our dreams tonight, but at least the Great Beer Massacre of 1931 is all in the past. more ›

According to the New York Historical Society, and they're a pretty reliable source, Santa Claus is really a New Yorker! They say that the modern day Santa "came into the world on West 23rd Street... born in the imagination of Clement Clarke Moore, a scholar who penned a whimsical poem about St. Nicholas, the patron of old Dutch New York, for the amusement of his six children at Christmastime" (A Visit from St. Nicholas is best known from its opening line: "Twas the night before Christmas"). They note, "Moore's poem permanently connected St. Nicholas to Christmas, and led to our idea of Santa Claus." more ›

Old subway maps were pretty enough to hang on your wall. more ›

The 78th birthday of being able to go out and legally drown yourself in a bucket of Jack and gingers is upon us today, with the anniversary of Repeal Day. What's that—you don't toast to your brave forefathers who fought tirelessly to pass the 21st Amendment in 1933 every time you do a Jagerbomb? For shame! more ›

Do you live at 305A President St? This is your apartment in 1978, and the old tenants, the Pantanos. (via NYPL) more ›

Before Hoovervilles were popping up around town in the 1930s, there were plenty of down and out New Yorkers living in makeshift shanty homes. Photographer Jacob Riis documented the structures, and the people living in them, for his book How the Other Half Lives, which introduced the middle and upper class to the squalor for the first time, according to LIFE. In his book Rediscovering Jacob Riis, author Daniel Czitrom wrote: more ›

In the 1950s, a 23-year-old Guy Miller set out to build a model of Manhattan, a dream he had since he was a young boy. His project was funded by the inspirational speaker that motivated him to follow through with his dream, Anthony Norvell, and in 1956 LIFE magazine documented his progress. At the time they took these photos, he had completed Midtown Manhattan, as well as the Wall Street area—"complete with every office building, brownstone, bar and grill." The model was "on a cliff in Union City, New Jersey." more ›

Sportswriters were wetting themselves with joy last night as St. Louis Cardinals superstar Albert Pujols, arguably the greatest hitter of the last decade, had a historic night in Game 3 of the World Series. Pujols hit three home runs—and went 5-for-6 with six RBIs—against the Texas Rangers as the Cardinals went on to crush the Rangers 16-7 to take a 2-1 lead in the series (watch highlights here). The only other players to hit three home runs in one World Series game? Yankees legends Babe Ruth and Reggie Jackson. more ›

There are a lot of signs here to tip you off, but you can guess what year this photo was taken, and what these New Yorkers were protesting? We'll update later with the answers, and more photos of the scene. more ›

This area may look familiar if you've ever waited in line at Grimaldi's... but was it taken before or after the pizza shop inhabited the area? Guess what year this photograph was taken, and we'll update later with the answer and more details. more ›