In the early 20th Century, a gentleman was naked without his hat, and tradition held that he switched from straw hats to felt ones on September 15th. If he wore “the taboo headgear” after that date, hooligans were free to smash it to bits. This was all in good fun until 1922, when some kids from Five Points sparked a bizarre riot that shook New York City from the Battery to the Bronx.
Many listeners have asked to know more about McSorley’s Old Ale House, the inspiration for the conversations that make up our show. So one summer afternoon, we pulled out a chair for you, Dear Listener, and ticked through some of the artifacts in New York City’s oldest bar. It’s a tour from 1854 to the present (unbroken even by Prohibition), this week on the Angry History Show.
Author Esther Crain of Ephemeral New York discusses her new book, New York City in the Gilded Age, featuring photos compiled with the New York Historical Society and stories that bring them to life. There’s also a stereoscope for viewing 50 rare 3D images. It’s an era of ragtime, poverty and power — brought to you from the Museum at Eldridge Street, a 126-year-old synagogue in Chinatown — this week on Angry History.
New York City, June 1904. When flames consumed the paddleboat General Slocum, it claimed over 1,000 lives, mostly mothers and children – the city’s largest loss of life until 9/11. Join us in McSorley’s Old Ale House, a 160-year-old bar that sits next to 11 East 7th Street, one of many homes devastated by the tragedy. It’s a tale of corporate greed and government incompetence that killed the neighborhood once known as Little Germany.
