Articles

History, stories, and deep dives from the Bowery Boys.

The Brooklyn origin of Pfizer and the wild world of 19th century medicine

August 25, 2021

The origin of a true Brooklyn 'start up' -- Charles Pfizer and Co, who went from developing intestinal worm medication in 1849 to being a leader in vaccine distribution in the 21st century. This is story of Pfizer Pharmaceuticals before the 1950s, a tale…

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Bowery Boys Bookshelf 91 Neighborhoods 81 Uncategorized 76 Landmarks 59 Mysterious Stories 57 Amusements and Thrills 51 Gilded Age New York 49 Health and Living 48 American History 48 It's Showtime 45 Writers and Artists 44 Those Were The Days 41 Holidays 40 Brooklyn History 38 Pop Culture 36 Planes Trains and Automobiles 34

Landmarks

Making Music History at the Hotel Pennsylvania

The following article is an excerpt from a new Bowery Boys mini-podcast -- following up on this week's episode on the Hotel Pennsylvania -- which has…

Aug 20, 2021 Read →

Know Your Mayors

Mayor Cadwallader D. Colden: Leading the city over 200 years ago

We’re just months away from a new mayor in New York City so we think it is time that you Know Your Mayors! Become familiar with…

Aug 18, 2021 Read →

Those Were The Days

The New York Monkey Fad of 1907

In an absolutely inhumane and totally unwise moment in New York City history, wild and exotic animals were once considered pets, roaming around the city streets…

Jul 28, 2021 Read →

Neighborhoods

Greenwich Village, through the eyes of Jean Shepherd

Jean Shepherd was born 100 years ago today in Chicago, so I'm bumping up this older post in tribute to this wonderful New Yorker. Jean Shepherd,…

Jul 26, 2021 Read →

Bowery Boys Bookshelf

‘Republic of Detours’: Paying great writers to discover New Deal America

For the hundreds of thousands of people employed by New Deal programs during the Great Depression, it was always infrastructure week. Even for those employed by…

Jul 26, 2021 Read →

Gangs of New York

William Poole, aka Bill the Butcher, was born 200 years ago

William Poole, born 200 years ago today in New Jersey, was one of the most infamous villains in New York City history. As a young man,…

Jul 24, 2021 Read →

Parks and Recreation

New York City loves the Olympics — despite never hosting them

OLYMPICS ROUNDUP Starting today Tokyo, the biggest city in the world, will host the Games of the XXXII Olympiad aka the Tokyo Olympics 2020 (in 2021). The…

Jul 23, 2021 Read →

Know Your Mayors

Meet The Mayors Who First Invited Tammany Hall to City Hall

We're just months away from a new mayor in New York City so we think it is time that you Know Your Mayors! Become familiar with…

Jul 22, 2021 Read →

Health and Living

The hottest day in New York City history

These days of low-to-mid 90s F, high humidity temperatures got you down? Why that's nothing! The hottest day in New York City history was eighty-five years…

Jul 15, 2021 Read →

Know Your Mayors

Meet Mayor Marinus Willett, New York’s Warrior Mayor

With a new mayoral race on the horizon in New York City we think it is time that you Know Your Mayors! Become familiar with other…

Jul 8, 2021 Read →

New York Islands

The strange link between the New York Yankees and South Brother Island

This article is an excerpt of an entire mini-podcast on the history of South Brother Island, available to those who support the Bowery Boys Podcast on…

Jul 7, 2021 Read →