Tag Archives: New York

April 19, 1960

Posted on April 19, 2020 by Joel Byers

On April 19, 1960, baseball uniforms began displaying players’ names on the back. This made it much easier for Philadelphia fans to boo and curse the opposing teams’ players, as well as their own when they really screwed up. New York fans did the same thing, but with their heavy accents it was difficult to … Continue reading →

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April 17, 1860

Posted on April 17, 2020 by Joel Byers

On April 17, 1860, New Yorkers learned that a new law went into effect. It required all tenement houses to have adequate fire escapes. Libertarians of that time protested and shouted that the City of New York should allow the ‘market’ to decide if fire escapes were needed. They said that if you allowed the … Continue reading →

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January 9. 1902

Posted on January 9, 2020 by Joel Byers

On January 9, 1902, New York state assemblyman Francis G. Landon introduced a bill that would outlaw flirting in public. On January 8, 1902 he previously introduced and had passed a bill that outlawed “looking at women in that certain way”. The flirting bill didn’t pass, but one does wonder what happened in Francis Landon’s … Continue reading →

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January 8, 1902

Posted on January 8, 2020 by Joel Byers

On January 8, 1902, the state of New York passed a law that criminalized the act of men turning around on a street and “looking at a woman in that way.” Assemblyman Francis G. Landon, the lawmaker who championed the bill, also put in penalties for offenders. First time offenders would be fined $25. Repeat … Continue reading →

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December 29. 1813

Posted on December 29, 2019 by Joel Byers

On December 29, 1813, during the War of 1812, the British burned Buffalo, New York. The natives barely even noticed.

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August 4, 1735

Posted on August 4, 2019 by Joel Byers

On August 4, 1735, John Peter Zenger was acquitted of seditious libel. The royal governor of New York had brought the charges from an article written by Mr. Zenger in the New York Weekly Journal. His jury stated that “the truth is not libelous” and helped establish the concept of freedom of the press in … Continue reading →

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June 18, 1861

Posted on June 18, 2019 by Joel Byers

On June 18, 1861 the first American fly-casting tournament was held in Utica, NY. Stranded southern businessman, Gaston Guidry, formerly of Thibadaux, Louisiana, was disqualified when he started fly-fishing with dynamite. Mr. Guidry was quoted as saying, “If you’re not willing to cheat, you’re not really trying, are you.”

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June 15, 1907

Posted on June 15, 2019 by Joel Byers

On June 15, 1907 researcher, George Soper, published the results of his investigation in the typhoid outbreaks in the New York area. He announced that Mary Mallon, a cook, was the likely source. It very rapidly became clear that Ms. Mallon was a carrier of the disease and became known as Typhoid Mary. Anti-vaxxers years … Continue reading →

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May 30, 1896

Posted on May 30, 2019 by Joel Byers

On May 30, 1896, the first automobile accident occurred in New York City. Automobilist Henry Wells of Springfield, Massachusetts struck cyclist Ebeling Thomas with his horseless carriage. Witnesses said that Wells appeared to lose control of his noisy contraption and began zigzagging along the road. This apparently confused Thomas, who rode straight into the path … Continue reading →

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March 8, 1894

Posted on March 8, 2019 by Joel Byers

On March 8, 1894, the first dog license law was enacted in the state of New York. This was a tiered statute, with different types of licensing for the various classes of dogs. Small dogs, such as a terrier were a Class A, medium dogs like beagles were a Class B, and large dogs like … Continue reading →

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