The treaty was first started in 1958 by Frank Aiken, the Irish Minister for External Affairs. The treaty was opened for signature in 1968, and became effective in 1970. The original treaty was only given force for 25 years. In 1995, the parties met for a Review Conference in New York City, and decided by consensus to the unconditional, and indefinite extension.
The Soviet Union conducted its first atomic bomb test in 1949. U.S. intelligence gave it the code name Joe-1 (for Joseph Stalin). Samples of the cloud were picked up near the Siberian borders in special filters by high-flying WB-29 planes. Courtesy Los Alamos National Laboratory, http://www.lanl.gov On this day, May 11th, in 1995, 170 countries met in New York City to renew, and extend indefinitely, and without conditions, the Treaty on Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (also the Non-proliferation Treaty). The general premise of this treaty is that member states that do not currently have nuclear weapons agree not to get them, those who do have nuclear weapons will share the benefits of non-weapon nuclear technology, and reduce their cache of nuclear weapons with the ultimate goal of eliminating them completely. The treaty was first started in 1958 by Frank Aiken, the Irish Minister for External Affairs. The treaty was opened for signature in 1968, and became effective in 1970. The original treaty was only given force for 25 years. In 1995, the parties met for a Review Conference in New York City, and decided by consensus to the unconditional, and indefinite extension.
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The Times, New York. Printed and published by H.R. Robinson, 1837.A commentary on the depressed state of the American economy, particularly in New York, during the financial panic of 1837. Again, the blame is laid on the treasury policies of Andrew Jackson, whose hat, spectacles, and clay pipe with the word "Glory" appear in the sky overhead. Clay illustrates some of the effects of the depression in a fanciful street scene, with emphasis on the plight of the working class. A panorama of offices, rooming houses, and shops reflects the hard times. The Customs House, carrying a sign "All Bonds must be paid in Specie," is idle. In contrast, the Mechanics Bank next door, which displays a sign "No specie payments made here," is mobbed by frantic customers. Principal figures are (from left to right): a mother with infant (sprawled on a straw mat), an intoxicated Bowery tough, a militiaman (seated, smoking), a banker or landlord encountering a begging widow with child, a barefoot sailor, a driver or husbandman, a Scotch mason (seated on the ground), and a carpenter. These are in contrast to the prosperous attorney "Peter Pillage," who is collected by an elegant carriage at the far right. In the background are a river, Bridewell debtors prison, and an almshouse. A punctured balloon marked "Safety Fund" falls from the sky. The print was issued in July 1837. A flag flying on the left has the sarcastic words, "July 4th 1837 61st Anniversary of our Independence." Courtesy of Cartoon Prints, American, Library of Congress, LC-USZ62-8844 On this day, May 10th, 1837, began a financial crisis known, quite creatively, as the Panic of 1837. Most believe the roots of the Panic included economic policies of President Andrew Jackson, who did not renew the charter of the Second Bank of the United States and issued an executive order called the Specie Circular, which indicated that after August 15, 1836, the US Government would not accept anything but gold and silver specie (actual gold or silver) or paper notes from banks backed by specie as payment for sale of public lands. Jackson had been convinced that the land was being paid for with stale bank notes of questionable value. Martin Van Buren was inaugurated as the President in March of 1837, and he did not change course. Banks began issuing excessive paper money not backed by bullion reserves, and inflation was rampant. There are others who blame the non-renewal of the Charter of the Second bank, with a series of other issues. These issues increased money and credit supplies, while decreasing interest rates, coupled with improper investment decisions. Regardless of the exact causes, New York City banks began to accept payment in only gold and silver, which resulted in significant and sudden deflation. Within two months, the bank failures in New York alone aggregated nearly $100 million. It took five years for the American economy to pull itself out of the depression. The Panic caused unprecedented unemployment as well. The US economy was helped out of this depression, at least in part by the Tariff of 1842, also known as the Black Tariff. This tariff was a protectionist tariff raising average tariff rates to almost 40%. On this day, May 9th, St. Mark's Church-in-the Bowery is completed and consecrated in 1799. It is New York's oldest site of continuous religious worship and the second oldest church in Manhattan. In 1650 Petrus Stuyvesant, governor of New Amsterdam, built a family chapel on the present day site of St. Mark's. In 1793, Stuyvesant's great grandson sold the chapel property to the Episcopal Church for $1 in order to build a church for the community. On this day, May 8th, 1877, the first Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show was held at Gilmore's Gardens, also known as the Hippodrome (not to be confused with Franconi's Hippodrome), and eventually known as Madison Square Garden. The Westminster Kennel Club had been founded approximately one year earlier, when a group of sporting gentlemen would meet in the bar of the Westminster Hotel in Manhattan. It has been said by Maxwell Riddle, (in a newspaper article quoted by William Stiefel in, "The Dog Show, 125 Years of Westminster.") they met to "drink and lie about their shooting accomplishments." The gentlemen however, eventually formed a formal club, and purchased a training area and kennel where they could keep their dogs (primarily hunting dogs). The club even hired a trainer. They named the club for the hotel they had so enjoyed drinking in. Within a year, those same gentlemen decided they needed a setting to compare their dogs, not in the field. It was decided to hold the, "First Annual New York Bench Show of Dogs," in 1877. The show was scheduled to last for three days, but wound up going for four days, with proceeds from the extra day going to the ASPCA to create a home for "stray and disabled dogs." On this day May 7th, in 1950 Levitt and Sons, Builders, announce 2,000 home rental community at Island Trees, later becoming Levittown. They used new construction (prefab) in order to build as many as 30 houses a day. Designed for GI’s returning home from war this debut was such a success they contracted 4,000 more homes to be built only this time they would be for sale not for rent. New home owners were not required to put anything down and were given 30 year mortgages with the same monthly cost as renting. Thus began Urban Flight and suburbanisation. On this day, May 6th, 1987, William Joseph Casey died. Casey was Director of Central Intelligence under President Ronald Reagan from January 28, 1981 to January 29, 1987. Casey was born in Elmhurst Queens, on March 13, 1913. He graduated from Fordham University in 1934, and in 1937, earned a law degree from St. Johns University School of Law. In 1943, Casey was Comissioned into the US Naval Reserve, and in the same year started working for the Office of Strategic Services (OSS). This was the direct predecessor to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) during World War II. He eventually became head of the Secret Intelligence Branch in Europe, and was awarded the Bronze Star for meritorious achievement. After the war, he practiced corporate law in New York City, and eventually served as Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) from 1971 to 1973. His next post was Under Secretary of State for Economic affairs from 1973 to 1974. HE served as President and Chairman of the US Export-Import bank, from 1974 to 1976, and then as a member of the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board from 1976 to 1977. In 1978, Casey co-founded the conservative, market oriented think-tank, the Manhattan Institute (originally called, until 1981, the International Center for Economic Policy Studies). Casey was the campaign manager for Ronald Reagan's 1980 Presidential run, and obviously was very successful. In 1987, just hours before he was scheduled to testify before Congress regarding the Iran-Contra affair, it was reported that Casey was incapable of speech, and was subsequently Hospitalized. Casey died of a brain tumor, his Requiem Mass was in his home town of Roslyn, NY, and he was buried in the Cemetery of the Holy Rood in Westbury, NY. On this day, May 5th, 1891, the Music Hall opened in New York City. The hall later became known as Carnegie Hall.
On this day, May 4th, 1626, Peter Minuit arrived in North America for the first time.
In December 1625, Minuet, a Walloon, was appointed the third director of New Netherland, for the Dutch West India Company. The Dutch had originally settled at Governor's Island in May 1624. Originally a different location, on the Delaware River (then the South River) was to be the capital of what was now a Province of the Netherlands. It was discovered that the original location was subject to mosquito infestation in the summer and freezing of its waterways in the winters. Minuit determined that Manhattan was the better location and made the bargain of all time, he purchased the island of Manhattan from the native population for goods valued at 60 Guilders. This has been variously calculated to $24 in the 1800s, $72 in 1992, and roughly $1,000 in 2006 money. The actual trade took place on May 24, 1626, a different day, in Old New York. On this day, May 3rd, 1936 Joe DiMaggio, the "Yankee Clipper," made his Major League Baseball debut with the New York Yankees. DiMaggio played his entire career with the New York Yankees. On his first day he batted ahead of another Yankee legend, Lou Gehrig. As of the 1936 season, the Yankees had not been to a World Series since 1932. They won the next four, and during DiMaggio's 13 year career, the Yankees won 9 World Series. DiMaggio was the first baseball player to make more than $100,000 (roughly equivalent to $977,000 now) in 1949.
On This day, May 2, in 1853, Franconi's Hippodrome opened (not to be confused with the later venue the Hippodrome Theatre or New York Hippodrome, built in 1905 in the Theater District).
"What is a Hippodrome?," you might ask. Franconi's Hippodrome was a elliptical shaped structure 338 feet by 196.5 feet, with a seating capacity of 10,000 people. The structure was covered with a patriotic red, white and blue canvas supported by a 70 foot center pole, and a series of 40 foot smaller polls surrounding the central pole. It was located at Madison Square, on Fifth Avenue between 23rd and 24th Streets. The structure was in many ways the precursor to the modern circus, especially those with a "Big Top" and multiple rings. The Hippodrome, which was based upon a roman structure, the "Roman Circus" of similar purpose, included, and could be said to highlight a track for animal, and chariot races. Animal acts and other circus-like acts would take place inside the track. The Hippodrome only lasted 2 years, with its final performance on November 12, 1855, featuring General Tom Thumb (made famous by P.T. Barnum) and a menagerie. The structure was closed 5 days later, on November 17, with the Animals and fixtures auctioned off thereafter. Demolition of the remains of the Hippodrome began in March of 1856, with newspapers noting that the "neighbours are not sorry" to see it removed. The papers, specifically the New York Daily Times, had noted upon its opening that the attendees, "...were blacklegs, gamblers, rowdies, and the miscellanea of polite roguery and blackgurdism." It was apparently so bad, PT. Barnum wrote a letter to the editor of the New York Daily Times, stating: To the Editor of the New-York Daily Times: Notwithstanding I have some half-dozen times contradicted in the public prints the reports of my being interested in the Hippodrome, I observe that your Correspondent from New-Haven reiterates the old story, and insists that Franconi and Barnum in this country are synonymous terms. Will you permit me once more to state that I have not the slightest interest, nor never had, in any Hippodrome in this or any other country; and that I am not interested to the amount of a farthing, nor never was, in the Crystal Palace, The Tower, or in any lot or lots, building or buildings in the vicinity of either. Yours Truly, P.T. Barnum." New York Times, May 26, 1853, Page 2 It is not without irony, that Mr. Barnum, in 1871, established, "P.T. Barnum's Grand Traveling Museum, Menagerie, Caravan & Hippodrome." |
On this day in Old New York
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