On this day, April 8th, 1730, the First Synagogue in NYC, and in what is now the US, was consecrated.  It was the Congregation Shearith Israel, which was founded in 1654.  Until 1730, the Congregation met in rented quarters.

The first location was on Mill Street, now South William Street.  A second Mill Street location, followed, after over 100 years on Mill Street, they moved to Crosby Street.

The Congregation is now on Central Park West, since 1896.

On this day, April 7th in 1927, AT&T demonstrates Television in New York City. This was the first distance transmission in the United States. From Washington, D.C. to New York, an image of Secretary of State, Herbert Hoover was transmitted. The picture was described as being quite good, and was 2X3". When the picture was enlarged to 2X3' it was not very clear. Later that day, other people were shown on television including a vaudeville comedian, A. Dolan.

On this day, April 6 in 1957, was the last stop for trolley cars in New York City. 
The last trolley line to run in New York crossed over the Queensboro Bridge and connected passengers to Roosevelt Island. This interesting trolley ride ended in the middle of the bridge where passengers would take an elevator down to the island. While trolleys were an effective way to travel for decades, the use of cars, buses and of course, the subway system, by 1957 most trolley lines had already been put to rest.

Always looking for a faster way to get around town, public transportation has changed quite a bit since the city's first efforts in the 1820s.

Using horsepower, in the most traditional sense, Omnibuses were the first mode of transportation. Oversized stagecoaches, Omnibuses were were meant to seat 12 to 15 people although often times there were many more passengers inside and top as well. To request a stop, a passenger would tug at a string that, unlike our buses today thankfully, was attached to the driver's ankle.

The next stop for future straphangers were Horsecars. Similar in design to the Omnibus, Horsecars were much larger and rode on embedded iron or steel tracks. The tracks were the greatest difference and were installed throughout the 1850's. Although still horse drawn as the name suggests, Horsecars could accommodate many more passengers and offered a much smoother ride due to the tracks. A conductor would signal a passenger's stop to the driver by ringing a bell. 

As time went on and city streets became increasingly congested and more complications emerged, other methods of powering the cars were more seriously considered. Since there was no regulation at the time, horse drawn vehicles caused immense "traffic" jams. Horses tended to move slowly and had difficulty with hills. Also, in 1872, equine influenza (horse flu) became an epidemic and caused the death of many horses.

As a result, the wave of the future emerged in 1883 with New York City's first Cable Car. The Cable Cars were steam driven and were certainly an improvement. There was much more power to the cars and allowed for expansion of the lines. Cable Cars ran from 1882 until 1909 when there
was yet another economical and practical replacement.

With the availability of electricity, the Cable Cars were replaced by trolleys that ran on electricity after 1909. Trolleys were much more energy efficient than the Cable Cars. Electricity was delivered through wires that ran either underground or overhead. The trolleys also ran on fixed tracks as did the earlier Horsecars. Very similar in style to the Cable Cars, trolleys became part of the urban scene. In Brooklyn, The Dodgers were dubbed, "The Trolley Dodgers" because of
the tracks fans had to cross to get to the stadium. 

With the increased ownership of cars and the presence of delivery trucks, trolleys, similar to the Horsecars, became outdated and often times caused traffic jams. It also became increasingly difficult, and often times dangerous, for passengers to get on and off the trolleys.
As early as the 1920's and 1930's buses, often double-decker, replaced the trolley. While many of the lines in Manhattan were replaced early on, in the outer boroughs trolleys remained the a large part of transportation until the 1940's and 1950's. 
In fact, there is plenty of Trolley history hidden in plain sight. Many of the attempts to cover the Trolley tracks with pavement have proved to be unsuccessful and the original tracks eventually resurface. Although this can make for a bit of a bumpy ride, it just goes to show that you can't bury history.

On this day, April 5, in 1937, Colin Luther Powell was born.

Powell was born in Harlem, New York, New York.  He was raised in the South Bronx, Graduating from Morris High School in 1954.  He attended City College of New York, graduating with a BS in Geology in 1958.  While in college, Powell joined the Reserve Officers' Training Corps(ROTC), and "found himself."

Powell's military career spanned 35 years, rising from Second Lieutenant, upon commission when he graduated college, to four Star General.

Powell was appointed National Security Advisor by Ronald Reagan, and held the post from 1987 to 1989.  In 1989, President H. W. Bush selected Powell as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

After retiring from the Army, Powell was considered a possible candidate for President.  People on both sides of the aisle respected him, and he was considered for the Vice Presidential nominee for both parties in the 1992 Presidential Election.  Powell eventually declared himself a Republican, but declined to run in the 1996 Presidential election in spite of polls indicating that Powell could defeat Clinton 50-38.

In 2000, Powell was appointed Secretary of State by President George W. Bush, confirmed with a unanimous vote of the United States Senate.

Powell eventually came into conflict with the administration over the 2003 invasion of Iraq and the lead up to the invasion.  By 2004, there were calls for him to resign by President Bush's chief of staff, and Powell announced that he would remain until his replacement was confirmed.

Powell was seen as a moderate in Bush's administration, but his influence was limited.

Since resigning as Secretary of State, he has held a number of roles in various private firms, relating to venture capital, health care, and speaking engagements.

On this day, April 4th, 1883, Peter Cooper died.

Cooper was Born in New York City on February 12, 1791.  He was a dedicated tinkerer, and industrialist.

His first business was a glue factory on Sunfish Pond in Kips Bay.  It was successful, showing a profit of $10,000 within 2 years.  Unfortunately the effluent from this factory eventually polluted the pond so badly that in 1839, it was drained and filled.

In 1828, Cooper started investing in 3000 acres in Maryland.  He had previously been informed of the proposed Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O Railroad for Monopoly enthusiasts) and expected that the land prices would be driven up.  He drained swampland, and flattened hills, in the process discovering iron ore.  With this fortuitous find, he saw another opportunity, with a market for iron rails in the B&O.  The B&O was having technical problems, and Cooper saw yet another opportunity.

In 1830, Cooper cobbled together a locomotive, the Tom Thumb, using various old parts, such as, musket barrels, and small-scale steam engines.  The locomotive was successful, and prompted investors to buy stock in B&O, giving the company the ability to buy Cooper's iron rails.  This gave Cooper his first fortune.

Cooper continued to produce iron, being the first person to successfully use anthracite coal to puddle iron in 1836.  He moved his iron rolling mill from New York to Trenton, NJ on the Delaware river later to be close to the raw materials.

Around this time, Cooper started investing in real estate and insurance, becoming one of the richest men in New York City.  In spite of his wealth, he lived modestly, limiting his household staff to two servants, and when his wife bought an expensive carriage, he brought it back, to buy a cheaper, less ostentatious carriage.

In 1854, Cooper was one of the founders of the New York, Newfoundland, and London Telegraph Company, and a year later helped found the American Telegraph Company.  In 1858, he helped supervise the laying of the first Transatlantic telegraph cable.

Cooper had an active political life.  In 1840, he became an alderman of New York City.  He was active in the anti-slavery movement in the years leading up to the Civil War.

Cooper was also a critic of the debt-based monetary system of bank currency, and the gold standard.  During the Depression of 1873-1878, he argued that usury was the most significant political problem of the day.  He advocated for a credit-based, government issued currency.

In 1876, Cooper ran for president on the Greenback Party Ticket.  He is, to date, the oldest person ever nominated by any political party as a candidate for the US Presidency.

Cooper's political legacy extended to his family, Cooper's son, Edward, and his son-in-law Abram S. Hewitt, both served as Mayor of New York City.

In 1853, Cooper began what may be his greatest legacy.  He conceived of a free institute in NY, which would offer free practical education to adults in the mechanical arts and sciences.  This was similar to the École Polytechnique in Paris, France.  In that year, ground was broken for  the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, a private college which continues to be recognized as a top American college in the fields of architecture, art, and engineering, and still awards ALL of its students full scholarships.

Cooper died at the age of 92, and is buried in Greenwood Cemetery, in Brooklyn.

On this day, April 3, in 1783, Washington Irving was born.

Irving was born in Manhattan the same week that city residents learned of the ceasefire ending the American Revolution.

Irving is considered the first truly American writer by some, and was among the first American writers to earn acclaim in Europe.

He is best known for his short stories "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," and "Rip Van Winkle."  Both of these stories appeared in his book, "The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent.  Irving also wrote historical books, and a series about the "west."

Irving contributed the nickname "Gotham" for New York City, and may have coined the expression, "The almighty dollar."  He also created the association between the name "Knickerbocker" and New York with his Dutch-Historian Pseudonym, Diderich Knickerbocker.  He also was inspired to feature a dream sequence of St. Nicholas soaring over the treetops in a flying wagon, as would later be used for Santa Claus.

After achieving success, Irving encouraged American authors who came after him such as Hawthorne, Melville, Longfellow, and Poe. 

Irving also served as a diplomat, appointed Secretary to the American Legation in London in July, 1829.  In 1842, Irving was appointed Minister to Spain.

Irving returned from Spain and took up permanent residence in his home, Sunnyside, in Tarrytown, NY.  When John Jacob Astor died in 1848, Irving was hired as an executor of Astor's estate, and was appointed by Astor's will, as the first chairman of the Astor Library, which eventually was part of the formation of what is now the New York Public Library.

Irving died in his beloved Sunnyside at 76 years old, on November 28, 1859, and was buried in the Sleepy Hollow cemetary on December 1, 1859.

On this day, April 2, in 1992 John Gotti was convicted after 14 hours of deliberation.  The charges included racketeering, murder, conspiracy to commit murder, loansharking, illegal gambling, obstruction of justice, briber, and tax evasion.

He was eventually sentenced to life imprisonment without possibility of parole.

On this day, April 1st, in 1789, the United States House of Representatives held it's first quorum and elected the first Speaker of the House in New York City.  They elected Frederick Muhlenberg of Pennsylvania to be speaker.  He held that position until March, 1791, and then regained it from December, 1793 to March, 1795.

On this day, March 31st, in 1945, Tennessee Williams's play, the Glass Menagerie opened at the Playhouse Theatre.  The play initially opened in Chicago, IL in 1944, where Chicago critics enthusiasm with the play helped build audiences, and thus revenue for the show to be moved to Broadway.  In 1945, the play won the New York Drama Critics Circle Award.

On this day, March 30, in 1986, James Cagney died.

James Francis Cagney, Jr. Was born July 17th, 1899 on the Lower East side of Manhattan.  Cagney graduated from Stuyvesant High School in 1918, and attended Columbia College of Columbia University, but dropped out after one semester.

He started working in Vaudeville in 1919, initially dancing dressed as a woman in the chorus line. 

In September of 1922, Cagney married Frances Willard “Billie” Vernon.

He continued as a hoofer and comedian, and eventually obtained his first major acting part in 1925.  After rave reviews in the 1929 play Penny Arcade, Warner Bros. Signed him for a $500 per week, three week contract, which was soon extended to a seven year contract.

Cagney, made many significant movies, including The Public Enemy, an influential gangster movie, with its famous grapefruit scene.  This movie ushered Cagney into the spotlight, and made him one of Hollywood’s biggest stars.

Cagney’s film credits included Angels with Dirty Faces, and his Oscar winning portrayal of George M. Cohan in Yankee Doodle Dandy.

Cagney was one of the first actors to win a law-suit against a major movie studio, and Jack Warner called him “The Professional Againster” due to Cagney’s unwillingness to be pushed around.

In 1961, Cagney retired for 20 years, returning to the Screen in 1981 for a small role in Ragtime.  He then made a few other small appearances on TV and on the stage.

In 1986, on Easter Sunday, Cagney died at his Stanfordville, NY farm in Dutchess County.  He had suffered a few strokes, and at least two years before his death was confined to a wheelchair.  He was interred in the Cemetery of the Gate of Heaven in Hawthorne, NY.  His eulogy was given by the then incumbent President Ronald Reagan, a close friend of Cagney. 

Cagney was survived by his wife, and an adopted daughter.  His adopted son died two years before Cagney.

It should be noted, he never actually said, “You dirty rat!” in any of his movies, though in 1974, at his American Film Institute Lifetime Achievement award ceremony, he noted to a noted impressionist, Frank Gorshin, “Oh, Frank, just in passing, I never said ‘MMmmm, you dirty rat!’ What I actually did say was ‘Judy, Judy, Judy!”  A reference to another trademark quote that was never said by Cary Grant.