Food History
Dancing with the Green Fairy: The Mysteries of Absinthe
Everything you've ever wanted to know about one of the most mysterious alcoholic spirits in the world. This week we're running one of our favorite shows…
Articles
History, stories, and deep dives from the Bowery Boys.
Latest Article
ChristmasSacred Santa: How a self-proclaimed Messiah became a popular Santa Claus model
December 18, 2022
Early one spring day in 1922, while dutifully posing at the Art Students League on West 57th Street, Santa Claus had a fatal heart attack in front of a classroom of students. Above -- He knows when you've been bad or good: A Christmas issue of…
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More Articles
Holidays
Celebrate the season with these Bowery Boys Holiday Podcasts
Whether you're baking, wrapping presents or just staring in wonder at your Christmas tree decorations, take a break from the Christmas music and dive into these…
Holidays
‘Twas The Night: A New York Christmas tradition in an uptown cemetery
Clement Clarke Moore, the lord of Chelsea (the manor for which the neighborhood is named), lived a long and distinguished life as an educator and land developer,…
Holidays
The Sparkling History of Champagne: A Festive Month of Podcasts
This year it's going to be a very merry holiday season in the podcasting world -- courtesy The Gilded Gentleman, the Bowery Boys spin-off podcast hosted…
Neighborhoods
Finding Pietro
One of you may be related to Pietro, the boy in the picture. He was one of thousands of Italian immigrants who arrived in New York in…
Bowery Boys Bookshelf
The 2022 Bowery Boys History Book Holiday Gift Guide
The best gifts in the world are books and history lovers, in particular, want nothing more than more books than they possibly have time to read.…
The Gilded Gentleman
Emily Post and 100 Years of Etiquette: The Simple Art of Getting Along
Have you listened to The Gilded Gentleman's recent episode on the story of Emily Post. No? Where are your manners?! In July of 1922, an unassuming…
Revolutionary History
Richmond Hill: West Village’s former Vice Presidential mansion and the lonely refuge of Aaron Burr
Richmond Hill, the spacious mansion and 26-acre estate on the outskirts of town that had once been George Washington's headquarters and later the home of John…
Religious History
The Yom Kippur Riot of 1898: Lower East Side in Turmoil
When I hear of so-called "riots" on the Lower East Side during the late 19th century, my mind goes to disgruntled newsies or agitated garment workers,…
American History
Insanity: Congressman Daniel Sickles shot and killed the son of Francis Scott Key
On the 160th anniversary of the killing of Phillip Barton Key, I’m reposting this article from 2014 which originally ran on the 100th anniversary of Daniel…
Gilded Age New York
The Fifth Avenue Hotel: Opulence, glamour and power on Madison Square
The double-breasted, cigar-chewing gentlemen who gathered in the sumptuous rooms of the Fifth Avenue Hotel were occasional connoisseurs of New York City history, and in particular,…
Holidays
How New York newspapers covered the first Labor Day — September 5, 1882
Clothing cutters, horseshoers, shoemakers, upholsterers, printers, house painters, freight handlers, cabinet makers, varnishers, cigar makers, bricklayers and piano makers. The first American Labor Day began on…