April Fool's Day, also known as All Fool's Day is an internationally celebrated unofficial holiday nearly as old as trickery itself. Celebrated on April 1st, this mischievous holiday encourages playful pranks and practical jokes. The exact origins of April Fool's Day are unknown. However, there is indication that the tradition became popular in many parts of the world such as Iran and much of Europe where New Year's festivities were celebrated between March 25th and April 1st throughout the Middle Ages.
The earliest written reference to April Fool's Day is in Chauncer's Canterbury Tales in 1392. 
The Roman Festival of Hilaria which was held on March 25th and the Festival of Fools held on December 28th are also precursors to April Fool's Day. In Spanish speaking countries pranks are still played on December 28th.

Not So Humble Hoaxes
While many enjoy pranking those closest to them, some pranks have been played on a much larger scale. Right here in New York City, comedian and satirist, Joey Skaggs began his annual April Fool's Day Parade advertisements in 1985. The "parade" is scheduled at 12:00 p.m., beginning at 59th street and Fifth avenue in Manhattan and is said to include floats, banners, bands and a competition for April Fool's Day King and Queen. Skaggs uses the advertisements to parody political events that have taken place throughout the year. As late as 2000, CNN and Fox's WNYW sent camera crews to the location in anticipation of this illustrious event. One would imagine that they must have been feeling quite foolish upon realizing that they had in fact, "been had".
Although the parade is advertised annual, no such parade actually exists and is a quite fitting "event" for April's Fools Day.

On April 1st In 1957, the BBC aired a special on their news show Panorama. The special was titled, The Swiss Spaghetti Harvest. Including "footage", a news reporter told viewers that the Swiss spaghetti harvest was unusually plentiful that year and showed peasants pulling spaghetti from trees. 
As you might imagine this prompted many callers. Those who called asking how they, too, could grow a spaghetti tree were told to, "place a sprig of spaghetti in a tin of tomato sauce and hope for the best." 

Also in Britain beginning in 1698, many have been tricked into visiting The Tower of London on April 1st. Tickets were given out with an invitation to the ticket holder and a friend to the annual 
"Washing of the Lions". 
Needless to say, the lions were not bathing at The Tower of London that day.

Something's Fishy...
Poisson d'avril, literally meaning April's Fish is quite the April Fool's tradition in France, Romandy, and French speaking Canada. Also in Italy, Pesce d'aprile, meaning April's Fish as well, is the tradition where a paper cut out of a fish is tacked to the back of an unsuspecting victim. 
To complete the tradition, the prankster is to yell, Poisson d'avril after this fishy folly.

It's All About Timing
For some it's about the scale and skill of the prank. For others, timing is very important.
In many countries, April Fool's Day is not for sleeping in. In Canada, New Zealand, the UK, Australia, Cyprus and South Africa pranks are only acceptable before noon. It is common to become the April Fool with a joke played after hours, "April Fool's Day's past and gone. You're the fool for making one" would be the appropriate response to an afternoon prankster. 

However, in many other places you can go right ahead, tack a fish to the back of your loved ones and prank away without any time restraints!

So, what is the correct spelling of this national holiday?
Okay, that's a trick question.
They are all correct. While some spellings are deemed more correct than others, since "Presidents' day" in not the official holiday, there has never been an official spelling determined.
In fact, the holiday that we generally celebrate as Presidents' Day is officially Washington's Birthday. 
After an Act of Congress, Washington's Birthday was made a federal holiday in 1879 for federal offices in Washington, D.C. and was celebrated on February 22nd, Washington's actual birthday.
Six years later in 1885, the holiday celebrating The United States'  first president was expanded to include all federal offices. It wasn't until January 1st, 1971 with the passing of the Uniform Monday Holiday Act that changed Washington's Birthday to a fixed Monday. Part of the Uniform Monday Holiday Act was the suggestion that the holiday be renamed to President's Day and also include the celebration of Lincoln's birthday which was February 12th. While the inclusive Presidents' Day was not voted into effect, it did change the date it is celebrated, generally the holiday falls between Lincoln's and Washington's birthdays. Other holidays effected by this act were Memorial Day, Columbus Day and Veterans Day. Even though about a dozen states have changed Washington's Birthday to Presidents' Day, the official federal holiday remains Washington's Birthday. It was a push from advertisers in the mid 1980's that popularized Presidents' Day as it is more commonly known now. (Now, who doesn't enjoy a good Presidents' Day Sale?)

Washington's Birthday
 As the name suggests, this holiday celebrates The United States' first founding father and president, George Washington. Washington was seen as a unifying force for the country and was unanimously 
 chosen by The Electoral College. The holiday also acknowledges veterans, in particular those who are awarded the Purple Heart Medal. Washington established this medal of honor while he was commander-in-chief of the Continental Army on August 7th, 1782 from his Newburgh, New York headquarters. Originally called The Badge of Military Merit, it was a heart made of purple cloth awarded to those wounded or killed in action. It is the highest medal that can be awarded and is the oldest still in existence. Today, The Purple Heart medal bears the profile of George Washington as well as a shield of the coat of arms of George Washington. It has also been a long standing tradition to honor Washington's Birthday in the United States Senate by reading George Washington's Farewell Address on his birthday. Beginning in 1862, this practice continues today. 


Federal Hall
What better way to celebrate this year then to visit 26 Wall Street right here in New York City. 
Now the Federal Hall National Memorial, (built in 1842 as the New York Customs House) this was the original site of Federal hall. Built in 1700 as New York City's Hall, Federal Hall served as the first capitol building of the United States of America under the constitution. With many uses over time, Federal Hall also served as the first Congress, Supreme Court and Executive Branch Offices. 
Federal hall was also the site of George Washington's inauguration as the first president. To commemorate this historical event, a bronze statue of George Washington stands on a pedestal on the steps of Federal Hall at the approximate site of his inauguration. The statue was created by American sculptor John Quincy Adams Ward in 1882, looking over Wall Street across the street from the New York Stock Exchange. 


Hey, what about Lincoln?
Although Lincoln's birthday has never been an official federal holiday, this president is also widely celebrated and during this week in 1861, Lincoln also had a momentous visit to New York.
Travelling from Springfield to Washington, D.C. via train on the way to his first inauguration on March 4th,  president-elect Abraham Lincoln met with supporters along the way. 
The trip began in the beginning of February with stops in Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey and Maryland before arriving in Washington, D.C. for the inauguration.
Beginning their visit to New York, the Lincoln's first stop was in Upstate New York, travelling on the Hudson River Railroad Company, arriving in New York City on February 19th. 
Their stay in New York City began with accommodations at the Astor House and a meeting with William Cullen Bryant, then editor of the New York Evening Post. The Lincoln's were well received in The Big Apple. An estimated 250,000 people watched the eleven car procession arrive at the Astor House, located on the west side of Broadway between Vesey Barclay Streets. Opening in 1836, originally named the Park Hotel, the Astor House was designed by Isaiah Rogers, who had designed the first luxury hotel in the United States. The following day while at The Academy of Music enjoying a new Verdi Opera, the entire cast and audience broke into "The Star Spangled Banner" in honor of their prominent guest. The Lincoln's were also hosted at City Hall's Governor's Room during their stay.


Happy Washington's Birthday!
No matter how you spend this holiday we hope you enjoy your day!
As another important part of the day, be sure not forget to thank and acknowledge our servicemen and women for all they have done and continue to do for our country.
Whether you visit Federal Hall, simply enjoy the three day weekend or perhaps a good sale, we hope we have shed some light on this apostrophe'd holiday!

As always, please share any thoughts, comments or ideas!
Don't forget to Like us and Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

While New York prepares for Superbowl Sunday in a particularly special way this year, here at Old New York we’ve been doing a little bit of “tackling” ourselves. Football, as we know it or American Football as it is more commonly known throughout the world, has a history all its own. Although Football had gained popularity in the Midwest as early as the 1800s there was one game in particular, a precursor to The Superbowl, that skyrocketed its fan base. Where was that game played, you might ask? Well folks, it was New York City!


“The Greatest Game Ever Played”
 This 26th annual NFL championship game (not yet quite the Superbowl) was the first championship game to go into sudden death overtime. The Baltimore vs. New York game played at Yankee Stadium in 1958 marked the beginning of NFL’s infamy. Televised via NBC this championship game gave football the spike it needed to peak widespread interest. By 1965 football was carrying the ball and became the most popular televised sport in America. The star studded, big bucks Superbowl that we enjoy today has deep roots competing in a difficult field.

American Football
American Football is a culmination of rugby, association football (soccer) and Walter Camp, who is considered the “Father of American Football”. The innovative game changers that Camp introduced, such as the now-standard offensive line up and the points system, are just two unique aspects of football that Camp has been accredited with. A medical student at Yale, Camp played college football from 1876 to 1882, although he graduated in 1880. Even though it was not his primary trade, which was running his family’s business, he remained active and served as a head coach first at Yale and then at Stamford from 1892 until 1895. Not quite the  sport it is today, Camp began the development of what has become a global interest.  Inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1951, Camp remained on various football rules committees until his death in 1925 helping to develop this truly American Sport.


Football Fumbles
Although professional baseball had already taken off with soaring popularity within the 1800s, football initially lacked the coordination and financial backing of the major leagues. Early on, college football was the main venue for the unique sport. That slowly began to change in 1920 with the founding of the American Professional Football Conference.  Soon after its creation the APFC changed its name to the National Football League in 1922. The NFL was comprised of representatives of professional American football leagues and independent teams. It wasn’t until 1933 that an official tradition of a championship game ending the season began. The “blue laws” had also put a damper on football earlier on. Prohibiting alcohol specifically but also commerce on Sundays due to religious observation, the blue laws included football games in the ban, which baseball games had been excused from. It would take some time but football has emerged as a sport as well as an industry.

“We’ve Come a Long Way Baby”
The New York Brickley Giants, only a namesake to the New York Giants of today, were one of the first 17 professional teams to represent NYC at one time or another. Founded in 1919 by Charles Brickley, also known as The Brickley Giants or Brickley’s Brooklyn Giants, this team was, unfortunately, not destined for greatness. Created in 1919, the team played only one season in 1921 and lost their only two games 55-0 and 17-0. Brickley was considered quite the college football player and owned a baseball team, also called The New York Giants. The second shortest lived franchise in NFL history, The Brickley Giants could not compare to The New York Giants we know today. Joining the NFL in 1925, The New York Giants are the only team admitted that year to still exist. With seven NFL titles, the teams ranks third among all NFL franchises. In December of 1930, The New York Giants played against the Notre Dame All Stars at the Polo Grounds in New York City to fund-raise money for the unemployed and also to help the image of the sport. With two touchdowns and Notre Dame failing to score it was a hands down win, raising $100,000.00 (remember it’s 1930) for charity and scoring credibility for the sport itself.


“History Hidden in Plain Sight”
The Polo Grounds where the Giants won the infamous game against Notre Dame were comprised of four stadiums located between 110th street and 112th streets between 5th and Lenox Avenues in Upper Manhattan. The original stadium built in 1876 was originally intended for Polo games which were short lived. The following three stadiums enjoyed  many baseball and football games from 1880 until 1963. Although the Polo Grounds, as they were collectively named, are long gone there is still a part that remains. The “John T. Brush Stairway” which runs between Edgecombe Avenue and Harlem River Drive at 158th Street is still visible. Named for the one time owner of The Giants (the original baseball team), it is a (partially) buried treasure. Opened in 1913 the stairway led to a ticket booth overlooking the stadium. It is said that the ticket booth offered a clear view of the stadium for fans that had not purchased tickets, perhaps even the best in the house! Gone to disrepair this historic stairway is undergoing renovation with monies donated from The New York Football Giants, Jets, Yankees, Mets, San Francisco Giants and Major League Baseball. It is scheduled to be re-opened as an historic site September of this year.
As the New York Giants take part in the spotlight this year it is worthy to note all of the game changers, players and events that have brought us to the Superbowl XVLI!
Go New York Giants!
Forgive us, New Englanders, after all we are New Yorkers.

Over this past weekend  we took advantage of the mild January weather and took a trip over to Battery Park. We got some great photos (at least we think so) and  took the opportunity to revisit this relatively small area packed with some big history. The birthplace of New York, Lower Manhattan is full of monuments, landmarks and stories. Standing in almost any given place it is easy to become caught between the past and present. Amid the more well known sites are numerous, more discreet historical remainders,  small reminders of the rich history to explore.
Below are some highlights. With so many sites to choose from it was hard to narrow it down but here are some of Old New York’s favorites!

Castle Clinton
Now a National Monument and New York City Landmark, Castle Clinton is a sandstone fort. It was completed in 1811 in preparation for the War of 1812. Although Castle Clinton has had a wide range of uses, as well as names, the circular walls you see today are the real deal. Having been previously modified for different purposes, it is now back to its original look and one of its earlier names.

Bowling Green Park
This small, quiet park doesn’t readily reveal its secrets.  Bowling Green Park is the oldest public park in New York City, predating the city’s name itself. One of its original uses, a cattle market, dates back as early as 1698 when the island was known as New Amsterdam or perhaps more accurately, Nieuw-Amsterdam.

James Watson House
Located at 7 State Street, directly across the street from Battery Park is the James Watson House. It is the only surviving building of its day located in the area. Built in 1793 this elegant Federal Style home belonged to, you guessed it, James Watson, who was the first Speaker of the New York State Assembly. A Federalist member of the New York and Federal Senates, Watson was also a successful importer-exporter. This stoic New York City Landmark is an example of a typical row house, many of which lined the streets of Lower Manhattan throughout the late 1700s and early 1800s. The James Watson House currently serves as the rectory to Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Church, home to the Elizabeth Ann Seton Shrine.

Popular Spots
Of course we couldn’t visit Battery Park and forget to mention our appreciation for The Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and let us not forget the Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House, also home to the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian. There is so much to take in and explore, we are very excited to tell all the stories that make up this great city.

Let Us Know
We can’t wait to share more with you and would love for you to share your thoughts with us!
Please feel free to share your ideas, thoughts, questions or comments with Old New York Tours.
Let us know if there is “history hidden in plain sight” that you have noticed and would like to know more about.

Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
Tell your friends, heck go ahead, tell your friend’s friends!

_Today marks the first day of Chinese New Year also known as Spring Festival. The Dragon, holding the 5th position in the Chinese Zodiac is powerful and symbolizes ambition and dominance. Typically beginning in January or February, Chinese New Year is a fifteen day celebration filled with family, friends and fireworks to usher in the new year and promote good fortune, wealth and longevity. Although customs vary the use of red envelopes to exchange gifts, paper-cuts, couplets and lanterns add to the festive spirit. In New York City you can experience the festivities of Chinese New Year beginning with the Firecracker Ceremony and Cultural Festival. Taking place in Roosevelt Park this festival is to ward off evil spirits. Did you know a decades long ban on fireworks in New York City was lifted in 2007 allowing this annual ceremony to take place. Another important festival is the Lantern Festival which takes place on the last day of Chinese New Year. Throughout this festival families walk the streets carrying lighted lanterns and candles are placed outside of homes as a way to guide any wayward spirits away from the house. This year the Lantern Festival will take place on Sunday January 29th beginning at 1:00pm on Canal Street South and the main streets of Lower Chinatown/Manhattan.
For more information you can check out: http://betterchinatown.com/LUNAR-NEW-YEAR-PARADE.phpBetter Chinatown Society betterchinatown.com