On this day, February 4th, 1999, Amadou Diallo, a West African immigrant is shot and killed by four undercover New York City police officers. It was later found that Diallo was unarmed leading to heightened racial tensions in the city.
 Eileen Collins Photograph courtesy of NASA On this day, February 3rd, 1995 astronaut Eileen Collins becomes the first woman to pilot a Space Shuttle. Collins was born in Palmira, New York and was a former military instructor and test pilot. It was Collins' first spaceflight. The Space Shuttle she piloted left from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.  The original en:Castello Plan. Full size photograph of manuscript map in the Biblioteca Medicea-Laurenziana of Florence, Italy. The Castello plan is the earliest known plan of New Amsterdam, and the only one dating from the Dutch period. The text at the top of the image states: "Image of the city Amsterdam in New Netherland". Date 1660 Source New York Public Library, Digital Gallery. Digital ID: 54682, Digital Record ID: 118555. Author Jacques Cortelyou, General Governor of Nieuw Amsterdam at that time. On this day, February 2nd, 1653, New Amsterdam is incorporated. New Amsterdam was a Dutch colonial settlement and would later be renamed New York in 1667 after the Duke of York.  Kraxler This is a drawing of the Old Royal Exchange building in New York City, formerly located in Broad Street near the intersection with Water Street. On this day, February 1st, 1790 the Supreme Court of the United States convenes for the first time in New York City. They met at the Old Royal Exchange Building which was located on Broad Street near the intersection of Water Street. The Supreme Court is the highest court in the United States and was created through the implementation of the Judiciary Act of 1789. The Act created the entire judiciary system. The Supreme Court was originally supposed to have six justices although there have been nine throughout its history.
On this day, January 31st, 1752, Gouvernur Morris was born in New York City. Morris was a Statesman and a Found Father of the United States. Although a native of New York City he representedPennsylvania in the Constitutional Convention of 1787. He was also a signatory to the Article of Confederation. Morris is also credit was writing large portions of the Constitution including the preamble, he was also a signer. Morris was exceptionally intelligent and enrolled in King’s College, now Columbia University at the age of 12. He graduated in 1768 and earned his master’s degree in 1771. An advocate of a strong central government, an unpopular idea after the American Revolution, Morris lost the re-election for Congress inNew York in 1779. Shortly thereafter he moved to Philadelphia where he worked as a lawyer and merchant.  Carole King at a ceremony to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. December 3rd, 2012 Image e-mailed from author to uploader Author-Angela George On this day, January 30th, 1971, New York artist Carole King’s album Tapestry is released. One of her 25 solo albums, Tapestry held the longest charting album by a female solo artist and sold 24 million copies worldwide. King was born in Manhattan and raised in Brooklyn. She began playing the piano and singing by the time she was eight years old. King would go on to write and perform dozens of chart hits throughout the 1960’s with her former husband, Gerry Goffin. Among the hits they co wrote together are, “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow” and “Pleasant Valley Sunday”. Goffin and King met while attendingQueens College where she also befriended Neil Sedaka and Paul Simon.  On this day, January 29th, 1845, “The Raven” is published in the New York Evening Mirror. It is the first publication with the name of the author, Edgar Allan Poe. The New York Evening Mirror was a weekly publication that concentrated on arts and literature in addition to local news. Poe worked for the paper as a critic until February, 1845 a month after “The Raven”is published. On this day, January 28th, the Great Lakes Blizzard of 1977 buries New York State. Upstate New York,Buffalo, Syracuse, and Watertown are the most affected with 10 feet of snow accumulated in some areas. On this day, January 27th, 1895, songwriter and screenwriter, Harry Ruby is born in New York City. Ruby became a writer after an unsuccessful career in baseball. He then toured the vaudeville circuit and met writing partner Bert Kalmar. They went on to write music and screenplays for Broadway musicals and films. Ruby’s best friend was Groucho Marx and appeared several times on Marx’s television show, You Bet Your Life. On this day, January 26th, 1934, the Apollo Theater reopens in Harlem, New York City. Upon reopening, the Apollo began its well known amateur nights, promoting itself as a place, “where stars are born and legends are made”. Just a few of the artists who got their start at the Apollo are Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Diana Ross & The Supremes and Mariah Carey among many others. |
On this day in Old New York
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