On this day, April 20th, 1777, New York State adopted its first constitution as a state, in Kingston, NY.

Prior to the state constitution, New York was a Province governed by its colonial charter.  On July 10, 1776, just four days after the Declaration of Independence was published, a convention was assembled in White Plains, NY to draft a state constitution.  There were repeated adjournments, and changes of location.

The constitution was adopted with only one dissenting vote.

The constitution contained the state’s declaration of independence from Great Britain, and created a new government.  The new government would be constituted of a weak bi-cameral (two house) legislature, and a strong executive branch.  It also kept certain provisions from the colonial charter, including a property qualification for voting.  The constitution kept the balance of power in favour of the elite.

The Assembly was allowed a maximum of 70 members, it apportioned  nine for the City and County of New York (which at the time only included Manhattan), seven for Queens County (which also included what is now Nassau County), two for Kings County (Brooklyn), two for Richmond County (Staten Island), and six to Westchester County (which included what is now Bronx County).  It also included 5 members for counties which are now part of the State of Vermont.

The NY State Senate first met in the fall of 1777, in again in Kingston, NY.

Although significantly amended (at times by constitutional conventions) various times since, this document still forms, in the most basic sense, the foundation of the current New York State Constitution (approved by the voters on November 8, 1938).

On this day, April 19th, 1965, New York City radio station WINS, 1010 kHz (AM) changed it’s format from a Rock and Roll station to become the first  news only radio station in the United States.

From the beginning WINS had a template format, with the distinctive teletype sound effect playing in the background.

Prior to this format change, WINS was competing, against three other stations, WMCA, WMGM, and WABC for the rock-and-roll audience, and was losing, with WMCA gaining dominance by 1963.  WINS saw its ratings decline consistently until 1965.

The News format was initially considered a poor choice.  Up to the WINS, all attempts at an all-news format had been failures.  Much to radio industry insiders’ surprise WINS succeeded where the others had failed.  In fact, WINS became the prototype all-news station.

WINS has been owned by Westinghouse Electric since 1962, and in 1995, Westinghouse also purchased CBS, including WINS’s number one rival (since 1970) WCBS, 880 AM.  There was speculation that one of the stations would drop the all-news format, but in the ensuing years the two have co-existed, due primarily to differences in the ratings numbers within and outside the City.  WINS has tended to have better ratings within the City, while WCBS has done better in the suburbs.

It could be said, that within New York City 1010 WINS, won!

On this day, April 18th, 1890, the Federal Government took over Immigrant processing from NY State at Castle Clinton (Then known as Castle Garden).

Castle Clinton, was first re-purposed for the Emigrant Landing Depot on August 1, 1855.  It was the first centralized processing center for immigrants in the country.  At that time, immigrant processing was completed by the states rather than the Federal government.

It is believed that at least 8 million, and possibly as many as 12 million immigrants were processed through Castle Clinton.

Two years after taking over, on January 2, 1892, the Federal government moved immigrant processing to Ellis Island, preferring it for its isolated location, and more room for expansion.  Unfortunately, on June 15, 1897, a fire destroyed the first structures on Ellis Island, destroying most of the immigration records from Castle Clinton.

Among  the notable people processed through Castle Clinton were:
    -Saint Francesca Xavier Cabrini (also known as Mother Cabrini)
    -Harry Houdini and his brother Hardeen
    -Oscar Hammerstein I
    -Vilmos Fried (also known as William Fox, founder of Fox Film Corp, precursor to 20th Century Fox)
    -William Morris (founder of the William Morris Agency)
    -Joseph Pulitzer
    -Nikola Tesla
    -Sophie Tucker
    -Mary Mallon (also known as Typhoid Mary)

    On this day, April 17th, 1524, Giovanni da Verrazzano (also spelled "Verrazano")  became the first European to record the discovery of New York Harbor.  It should be noted that Norse explorers around 1000 AD may have explored the area, but no accounts are known of such exploration.

    The Florentine, (Italian) Verrazzano was comissioned by King Francois of France to find the Northwest Passage to China.  He set sail with four ships, and two were lost shortly after leaving France.  On March 1, 1524, Verrazzano sigted land near what is now Cape Fear, North Carolina.  He sailed south for a time, and then reversed course, and landed near what is now Cape Hattaras on the Outer Banks of North Carolina.  Verrazzano saw this narrow strip of land with the Pamlico Sound beyond it, and believed the sound was the Pacific Ocean.  He was unable to find a passage through what he percieved to be an isthmus, and continued north along the coastline, missing the entrance to both the Chesapeake and Delaware Bays.

    On April 17, he saided into New York Harbour, which he described as follows:
        We found a very pleasant place, situated amongst certain little settp hills; from
        amidst which hills there ran down into the sea a great stream of water [the Hudson River],
        which within the mouth was very deep, and from the sea to the mouth of same, with 
        the tide, which we found to rise 8 foot, any great vessel laden may pass up.

    He anchored in the Narrows, and did some limited exploration.  

    Upon leaving New York Harbor, he sailed further up the coast exploring areas around Rhode Island, Maine, and eventually heading to Nova Scotia and Newfoundland.  He returned to Dieppe on July 8, 1524.

    Verrazano's discovery was largely forgotten until a campaign by the director of the Italian Historical Society of America, John N. LaCorte, undertook a campaign to get the proposed Brooklyn-Staten Island Bridge named for Verrazzano.  Robert Moses, NY State Parks Comissioner, and head of the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Athourity, commented that he had never heard of Verrazano, and as such objected to naming the bridge after him.  This was not surprising, as to that point, Henry Hudson's 1609 voyage was viewed as the de facto start of European exploration of NY.

On this day, April 16th, 1929, the Yankees became the first team to make numbers a permanent part of the Uniform.  The numbers were given out by order in the lineup.

The numbers were given out as follows:

The Numbers 0 and 00 have never been used.  Unlike other teams, who in the 1960s, started putting player names on the backs of the jerseys, the Yankees have never put a name on the official Yankke uniform.  They also have never displayed the logo of the official supplier of uniforms, on the uniforms themselves.

On this day, April 15th, in 1947, Jackie Robinson made his Major League Baseball debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Jackie Robinson was the first black baseball player to play in the Major Leagues.

On this day, April 14th, 1894 the first Kinetoscope Parlor opened in New York City.
Developed by Thomas Edison, the Kinetoscope was the first device that allowed individuals to view motion pictures. The Holland Bros. were the first to capitalize on the "movie going" enigma. Using the space of a converted shoe store at 1155 Broadway on the corner of 27th street, they installed ten Kinetoscopes. Although not quite the 3-D movie going experience we can enjoy today, Kinetoscopes became extremely popular. While twenty-five cents for a short film today may be a deal, in the 1890s a quarter could go a bit further. The Holland Bros. were successful and in the first fifty weeks their records indicate that they made $1400.00 against their $515.00 operating costs.

On this day, April 13th, 1870 the New York State Legislature granted the Metropolitan Museum of Art an Act of Incorporation. The Metropolitan Museum's beginnings were humble though they quickly outgrew their original locations. In 1904 the Met's holdings consisted of 174 European paintings and a Roman stone sarcophogus. The first home of the Met was at 681 5th Avenue in a single building. The second location was at 128 W14th street at the Mrs. Nicholas Cruger Mansion also known as the Douglas Mansion.

After only a year it became apparent that they would need some serious real estate to accomodate the growing collections. In 1871 the City of New York granted the Met the land between East Park Drive, Fifth Ave and the 79th and 86th Street Transverse Roads in Central Park. The building was completed in 1874 and designed by architects Calvert Vaux and Jacob Wrey Mould. Twenty times its original size, the Met encompasses 2,000,000 square feet of floor space. Their permanent collection now houses more than two million works with nineteen curatorial departments.

On this day, April 12, in 1947, late night host, David Letterman was born.
Letterman has hosted two late night talk shows recorded in NY since 1982.

On this day, April 11th, 2007 accomplished writer Kurt Vonnegut dies in New York City after falling down the stairs in his home and suffering severe head trauma. Vonnegut was 84 years old.

Vonnegut is the author of over 200 published works including novels, articles, stories, collections, plays and exactly 1 poem. He is perhaps the most well known for Slaughterhouse Five (1969) a satirical novel about WWII experiences, the Dresden Fire Bombings, the Battle of the Bulge and the Vietnam War. Vonnegut served in WWII as a private and was captured during the Battle of the Bulge and held as a prisoner of war. While being held captive he also witnesssed the Dresden Fire Bombins in Germany. When Vonnegut returned home he received a Purple Heart for what he described as a, "ludicrously negligible wound", after suffering a case of frostbite.

Vonnegut used irony, satire and comedic cynacism to frame discussions around war, life experiences and humanity. One of his great influences was Mark Twain, whom his son is named after. Vonnegut also had a fondness for science fiction on which many of his stories are based.

In addition to being a successful writer, Vonnegut dabbled in the arts, more seriously later in life, although he did illustrate his own novels. Vonnegut was a professor and taught literature as well as writing courses at various colleges including; University of Iowa, University of Albany, Harvard University and the City College of New York where he was a Distinguished Professor. His resume also includes public relations for General Electric in Schenectady, New York after returning home from war. While working for General Electric he was an active volunteer fire-fighter in Glenville, New York where he lived. Another one of his many occupations was as manager of the first Saab dealership in the United States in Barnstable, Massachusetts.

At the time of his death, Vonnegut owned homes in Manahattan and Sagaponack on Long Island, both in New York where he permanently moved to in 1970. He was married to photographer Jill Krementz. Throughout his life he raised seven children. Three children from his previous marriage as well as one daughter from Jill Krementz. He also raised his sister's three children after she lost her battle with cancer.

A man of many talents, Vonnegut's long career earned him a place in American Literature as one of the great modern writers. When news of his death was learned, friend and fans left flowers, notes and other memorabilia at his Manhattan town house. Vonnegut lived on 48th street between 2nd and 3rd aves, the block was also home to writer, E.B. White. Vonnegut was a visible character in the neighborhood and there had been talk of dedicating his favorite bench in his honor.

While Vonnegut may no longer be able to sit on his favorite bench and enjoy his favorite pastime, smoking unfiltered Pall Mall cigarettes, his literature and legacy live on.
In the infamous words of Billy Pilgrim, "And so it goes".