Today in 1903 Coney Island's Luna Park opens to the illumination of 122,000 bulbs; upscale Luna offers "electro-scenic mechanical illusions" and allows weary mothers to check their babies along with their parcels.
This Day in History
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Huffington Post
Blog Entries by N-YHS President & CEO Louise Mirrer
Brewing New York's History
Beer has been integral to the city's history since the earliest days of European settlement, when it was generally safer to drink than the water.
Louise Mirrer
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/louise-mirrer/
What "Liberty/Liberté" Tells Us About Slavery, Black History, and Raw Nerves
Why has a work by the African-American artist Fred Wilson -- an installation piece that riffs on the topic by assembling authentic slave shackles, slave chains and Revolutionary-era icons -- been such a sore point with critics? We must have struck...
What to Do When America Gets an F on Its History Report Card
Can you identify a photograph of Abraham Lincoln and give two reasons why he was important? If so, you are doing better than 91 percent of American fourth graders.
Louise Mirrer
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/louise-mirrer/
Reading a Mother's Day Card From 300 Years Ago
As we celebrate Mother's Day 2011, let's be grateful for the mementos we have from our own mothers, and for the love they keep alive.
Louise Mirrer
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/louise-mirrer/
How to Spread Revolution Without the Internet
Two centuries ago, news of revolution -- and revolution itself -- reverberated back and forth across the Atlantic at astonishing speed. The social media of the day? Word-of-mouth information, rumor, and opinion.
Louise Mirrer...
How the Past Changes When It's Seen Through a Child's Eyes
Think for a moment about a young boy in 1870s New York, born into an impoverished immigrant family, who is swept up in...
Louise Mirrer
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/louise-mirrer/
How a Little History Sweetens the Immigration Debate
According to historian Mike Wallace, Spanish-speaking people have until now been written out of the story of New York and its immigrants:
Louise Mirrer
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/louise-mirrer/
Be Grateful History Is Not Dead
The Grateful Dead began their long, strange trip in San Francisco, but the road has now taken them to an unexpected new East Coast destination: the New-York Historical Society.
Louise Mirrer
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/louise-...
The Invention of Santa Claus
The modern image of Santa Claus was invented in the 19th century by New Yorkers, as a secular myth meant to unite the city's diverse and growing population.
Louise Mirrer
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/louise-mirrer/
In Search of Men of Principle
Had Eugene and Stanley of Brighton Beach Memoirs been living in New York during the Civil War years, they might not have thought so highly of Abraham Lincoln's principles.
Louise Mirrer
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/louise-...
Following Unconventional Wisdom Toward the American Dream
For people today who wonder whether the American Dream is still viable -- or if it is, how to achieve it -- The Education of an American Dreamer offers a fascinating and complex answer.
Louise Mirrer
http://www.huffingtonpost....
Scanning the Latest Blog Posts, 233 Years Ago
The American Revolution had its own bloggers. They were called pamphleteers and their opinions were pointed, their language was colorful, and their sense of urgency was compelling.
Louise Mirrer
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...
Cleaning up the American Eden: How Environmentalism Was Born on the Hudson River
The Hudson River has played a decisive role, not only as the birthplace of New York City and State, but also as the cradle of today's environmental movement.
Louise Mirrer
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/louise-mirrer/
West Side Story: The Original Spanish Version
The opening of the current hit revival of West Side Story so close to Easter and Passover is a good reminder of the twists and turns of both theatrical and world history.
Louise Mirrer
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/louise-mirrer/
Beyond Wives and Widows: Looking for the Second Acts in Women's Lives
No one has yet suggested that First Lady Michelle Obama might someday run for president, but neither would anyone...
Louise Mirrer
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/louise-mirrer/
A Valentine for President's Day
I've been thinking about an old letter we just put into a display case at the New-York Historical Society--a fragile bit of ink...
Louise Mirrer
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/louise-mirrer/
How President Obama Can Find a 21st Century Agenda in a 19th Century Painting
But what does "American greatness" require of us? View of the Yosemite Valley offers at least two answers.
Louise Mirrer
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/louise-mirrer/
We Need Action
Make no mistake: those famous black-and-white photographs of breadlines and Dust Bowl migrants have been vividly brought back to life by CNN and Fox.
Louise Mirrer
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/louise-mirrer/
