Episodes
Monday Apr 22, 2013
Yellow Cabs
Monday Apr 22, 2013
Monday Apr 22, 2013
Sunday Apr 14, 2013
Malcolm X in NYC
Sunday Apr 14, 2013
Sunday Apr 14, 2013
Malcolm X had an immeasurable impact around the world, but a great deal of his activism happened while he was living in New York City. Kate and Kathleen tell you all about his crimes in his youth, which led to prison, which led him to the teachings of Elijah Muhammed and the Nation of Islam. His work as the leading voice of the NOI came to an abrupt and ugly end, but this didn't stop his work and greater impact on civil rights and human rights. Learn all about this fascinating person in Episode X. More info to check out after you listen: The Autobiography of Malcolm X would be required reading, if podcasts had that. It is so good. It reads like a novel. READ IT. A video of Malcolm X discussing his "chickens coming home to roost" comment Plenty of other videos of Malcolm X's speeches Learn more about Malcolm X and his work at The Malcolm X and Dr Betty Shabazz Memorial and Educational Center As always, our Facebook page has lots of bonus images!
Wednesday Mar 13, 2013
Weeksville: Special Mico- Episode
Wednesday Mar 13, 2013
Wednesday Mar 13, 2013
Weeksville was a bustling community, far off in the wilds of Brooklyn, established by former slave James Weeks in 1838 for free African- Americans. This was only 11 years after the abolition of slavery in New York state-- a time when African- Americans had very few opportunities for land ownership. That area is now where Bedford- Stuyvesant, East New York, and Brownsville meet. Your hosts Kathleen and Kate tell you all about how Weeksville was started, how it was almost lost from history forever, and the miraculous rediscovery and restoration of this amazing town in African- American history. Links to check out after listening to the 'cast: The Weeksville Heritage Center Thirteen.org's excellent video about Weeksville A video of a white guy talking about Weeksville. Kenneth Jackson is a Professor of History at Columbia University. A great blog post featuring Weeksville in NYPL's awesome digitized map collection. As always, our Facebook page has a ton of bonus images!
Saturday Mar 02, 2013
Van Cortlandt Park
Saturday Mar 02, 2013
Saturday Mar 02, 2013
There are 1165 acres of hills, ridges, valleys, verdant forest, wide- open fields, and other assorted gorgeousness waiting for you up in the Bronx! Van Cortlandt Park has a hiking trail that is a National Historic Landmark, world- class running paths and trails, two public golf courses, boccie courts, cricket pitches, and a Gaelic football field. And that's in addition to everything ELSE you can expect at one of the biggest city parks: basketball courts, soccer fields, baseball diamonds, handball courts, pools, and playgrounds. What are you waiting for? Your hosts Kathleen and Kate will see you there-- once the weather warms up a bit! Links to check out after you listen to the podcast: Hey You Know It is a fantastic podcast by our excellent friends Jacquetta Szathmari and Katie Kazimir. Soon- to- be- released episode HYKI92 features Kathleen and Kate discussing ABC Gotham! We tried to keep the topic for episode V a secret, but Katie and Jacquetta managed to weasel it out of us, those tricky dames. We're not the only people doing the history of Van Cortlandt Park! Friends Of Van Cortlandt Park have an oral history project to record everyone's VCP memories. Want to hear 92-year old Walter Perron's stories of the park in the 1920s and 1930s? Click here and scroll to the bottom. In 1895 it cost $624.80 to construct the golf course. Thanks to MeasuringWorth.com we know that golf course would have cost $78,800.00 if built today. See more pictures on our Facebook page!
Friday Feb 08, 2013
Underground Railroad in NYC
Friday Feb 08, 2013
Friday Feb 08, 2013
The Underground Railroad was an organization of safe houses, churches, schools, and brave people willing to break the law to help slaves escape to safety. New York City was the site of several important locations, including Plymouth Church, "the Grand Central Station" of the Underground Railroad. Kate and Kathleen discuss the political mood in NYC at the time and the major "stations" and "conductors" along the dangerous trek to freedom. Two different groups lead walking tours of major Underground Railroad sites: Inside Out Tours leads The Underground Railroad Tour and Viator leads The New York City Slavery and Underground Railroad Tour. John Strasbourg's 2007 New York Times article On the Trail of Brooklyn’s Underground Railroad was extremely helpful with research for this episode.
Saturday Jan 12, 2013
Tammany Hall: Special Mega- Episode
Saturday Jan 12, 2013
Saturday Jan 12, 2013
Today it is merely a symbol of corruption in city government, but Tammany Hall was once the political machine to end all political machines. New York City politics were controlled thanks to those ubiquitous tools of leadership: graft, corruption, patronage, cronyism, and exploitation. From its beginning in 1786 until 1936, when Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia dealt Tammany Hall's death blow, their influence could be felt far and wide. Kate and Kathleen describe the leaders, their methods, and all their dirty tricks in this episode. And let's all be thankful that we now live in city that is completely, absolutely, 100% free from corruption. Check out our Facebook page for more Tammany Hall images!
Thursday Nov 22, 2012
Secret Subway Stations: Special Micro-Episode!
Thursday Nov 22, 2012
Thursday Nov 22, 2012
Secret subway stations are the lonely places where trains and riders no longer go. Many of the “ghost stations” were abandoned when the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) unified the Interboro Rapid Transit (IRT) and Brooklyn- Manhattan Transit (BMT) lines, which resulted in redundant stations all over the city. Some stations couldn’t be renovated to accommodate increased ridership (like lengthened platforms and 10-car trains). One of these stations, City Hall, is stunning, while another, Myrtle Ave, is a showplace for a clever art installation. However, most are grimy and deserted, still covered with the graffiti from the 1970’s and 1980’s. What the heck is a zoetrope? The Myrtle Ave subway station experience video The Bowery Boys graffiti podcast NYC Transit Museum WNYC Ghost Subway blog
Wednesday Nov 14, 2012
RIOTS: Special Mega-Episode!
Wednesday Nov 14, 2012
Wednesday Nov 14, 2012
What happens when a group's simmering rage boils over? Kate and Kathleen describe 3 of the many riots that New York City has seen: the Draft Riots, the Stonewall riot, and the Crown Heights riot. Hear about the complex social problems that led up to them, the days of violence, and what changed (if anything) as a result. MeasuringWorth.com is the site to check when you want to compute the relative value of a U.S. dollar amount over time. For example, I learned that the $3 admission to Stonewall in 1969 would be $14.70 today! Check out the July 14, 1863, issue of the New York Herald which first reported the draft riots. The photograph above appeared on the front page of The New York Daily News on Sunday, June 29, 1969, showing the "street kids" who were the first to fight with the police at the Stonewall riots. There's a great "All Things Considered" about the Ali Forney Center, which currently provides housing for homeless gay youth. And of course, check out our Facebook page for 25 great bonus images!
Tuesday Jun 12, 2012
Fiorello LaGuardia
Tuesday Jun 12, 2012
Tuesday Jun 12, 2012
Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia was one of the greatest mayors in US history. New Yorkers agree-- they reelected him twice. The Progressive Republican ran the city from 1934 to 1945, managing to turn around the city after the Depression, defeat Tammany Hall, and crack down on the mob starting with having Lucky Luciano arrested on LaGuardia's very first day in office. A straight shooter with zero tolerance for bullshit, this is the guy who said "Prohibition cannot be enforced for the simple reason that the majority of American people do not want it enforced and are resisting its enforcement." To check out after listening: Bette Davis is a gun moll who testifies against her mob boss in The Marked Woman, based on the prosecution of Lucky Luciano. The Pulitzer Prize- winning musical Fiorello! For a ton of information on everything related to LaGuardia, go to the LaGuardia and Wagner Archives at CUNY. Follow Fiorello on Twitter, courtesy of WNYC. (He REALLY cares about food.)
Tuesday May 22, 2012
The Kissing Sailor
Tuesday May 22, 2012
Tuesday May 22, 2012
It's August 14, 1945, V-J Day, in Times Square. The war is finally over and everyone's celebrating. A sailor grabs a nurse and plants one on her. "Life" magazine photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt happens to be nearby, and the rest is history. Kate and Kathleen tell you all about the coincidences, mysteries, lawsuits, and controversies behind that image in this episode of ABC Gotham. To see the alternate picture of that exact same couple at the exact same moment (by US Navy photojournalist Victor Jorgensen), photos of kisses in other cities on V-J Day, other photos by Alfred Eisenstaedt (including Nazi Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels giving him the stink-eye), modern re-enactments of the image, and MANY other relevant pics, visit our Facebook page!!