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sports

Circus Artists and the Flying Trapeze Metaphor

January 3, 2021 by Jaap Harskamp 2 Comments

Ricketts Circus flierEquestrian artist Philip Astley was a pioneering entertainment entrepreneur. His demonstrations of trick horse-riding at London’s Royal Amphitheatre in 1768 constitute the origins of modern circus.

Astley performed his routine in a circular arena which would subsequently be referred to as the ring. He interspersed his displays with a variety of additional acts. Both in Europe and America other producers copied and expanded his new style of entertainment. [Read more…] about Circus Artists and the Flying Trapeze Metaphor

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Arts, Capital-Saratoga, History, Hudson Valley - Catskills, Mohawk Valley, New York City, Western NY Tagged With: art, Cultural History, Performing Arts, Social History, sports, Sports History

Slang, Stirrups, Paris in the 20s, and the Invention of the Bloody Mary

November 9, 2020 by Jaap Harskamp 1 Comment

An American Jockey paintingAlthough much remains unclear about the origins of Cockney rhyming slang, there is a consensus that it stems from London’s East End, dates back to the 1840s, and is alive and thriving. One slang expression reads “on one’s tod,” meaning: on one’s own; all alone. The phrase is a shortened version of the original “on one’s Tod Sloan.”

In full, these four words offer a multi-colored mosaic of socio-cultural events involving Manhattan, London, and Paris. [Read more…] about Slang, Stirrups, Paris in the 20s, and the Invention of the Bloody Mary

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Capital-Saratoga, History, Hudson Valley - Catskills, Mohawk Valley, New York City, Western NY Tagged With: Cultural History, Horses, liquor, Literature, Manhattan, Music, New York Symphony, Social History, sports, Sports History

Baseball’s Satchel Paige on Long Island

August 24, 2020 by Chris Kretz Leave a Comment

long island history project logoBy 1950, Satchel Paige was a star of the Negro Leagues and a World Series winner with the Cleveland Indians. He spent most of that year barnstorming across the United States which is what brought him to Riverhead Stadium on Long Island.

In this episode of the Long Island History Project, librarian and historian Fabio Montella relates his research into Satchel, Riverhead, and the deeper connections between Long Island and Negro League baseball. [Read more…] about Baseball’s Satchel Paige on Long Island

Filed Under: History, New York City Tagged With: Baseball, Black History, Long Island, Major League Baseball, Podcasts, sports, Sports History

Mohawk Valley Baseball History Virtual Talk

August 6, 2020 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Gloves Along the Mohawk FlierThe Oneida County History Center will host a virtual talk by Lou Parrotta, the City of Utica Historian, on the history of baseball in the Mohawk Valley, and the local players who made it to the Major Leagues, set for Wednesday, August 12th. [Read more…] about Mohawk Valley Baseball History Virtual Talk

Filed Under: Events, History, Mohawk Valley Tagged With: Baseball, Major League Baseball, Mohawk Valley, Oneida County History Center, sports, Sports History

Baseball on the Erie Canal Virtual Talk

June 10, 2020 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Early baseball team provided by Erie Canal MuseumSchoharie Crossing State Historic Site has announced a virtual presentation by Derrick Pratt of the Erie Canal Museum, who will discuss the Erie Canal’s many connections to the earliest days of professional baseball. [Read more…] about Baseball on the Erie Canal Virtual Talk

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Events, History, Recreation, Western NY Tagged With: Baseball, Erie Canal, Schoharie Crossing, Schoharie Crossing SHS, sports, Sports History

French Pugilist Georges Carpentier’s Visit To NY

June 3, 2020 by Maury Thompson Leave a Comment

Georges Carpentier and supporters in Monte Carlo in 1912French pugilist Georges Carpentier was traveling with the Seils-Floto Circus from Albany to Montreal in May 1920 when the train stopped briefly at Plattsburgh.

(In an interesting side note, Carpentier was traveling in the same private rail car that President Woodrow Wilson used a few months previous on his trans-continental campaign to gain support for the League of Nations.) [Read more…] about French Pugilist Georges Carpentier’s Visit To NY

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, History Tagged With: boxing, Lake Champlain, sports, Sports History

‘Prince Hal’ Schumacher: A North Country Baseball Legend

April 19, 2020 by Maury Thompson Leave a Comment

Harold Schumacher Goudey cardA celebrity sports delegation attended the Saint Lawrence University commencement on June 12, 1933.

“It was the first occasion that a major league ball team had ever came here to see one of their number receive his degree,” the Ogdensburg Journal reported. “In fact, it was the first time that such a ball team ever came to the village.”

Twenty-two members of the New York Giants were at the university campus at Canton to see standout pitcher Harold Henry “Prince Hal” Schumacher graduate. [Read more…] about ‘Prince Hal’ Schumacher: A North Country Baseball Legend

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Capital-Saratoga, History, Mohawk Valley, New York City Tagged With: Baseball, Hinckley, Major League Baseball, sports, Sports History, St Lawrence University, Utica

40 Years After An Olympic Miracle

March 1, 2020 by Devin Lander Leave a Comment

a new york minute in history podcastThis episode of A New York Minute in History recalls the “Miracle on Ice,” when the U.S. Men’s Hockey team upset the Soviet Union in the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid. [Read more…] about 40 Years After An Olympic Miracle

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, History Tagged With: Adirondacks, Lake Placid, Olympics History, Podcasts, sports, Sports History, winter sports

Buffalo Sports History Chronicled in New Book

November 5, 2019 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

makers moments and memorabiliaAuthor Greg Tranter’s new book Makers, Moments & Memorabilia: A Chronicle of Buffalo Professional Sports (Buffalo History Museum and Western New York Heritage, 2019) explores the origins of Buffalo professional sports history from 1857 through today.

Stories are shared alongside photographs and unique artifacts provided by the Buffalo History Museum and Western New York Heritage. The individuals, figures, and moments were selected by the community through surveys, to reflect the memories that resonate with sports fans and historians alike. [Read more…] about Buffalo Sports History Chronicled in New Book

Filed Under: Books, History, Western NY Tagged With: Books, Buffalo, Buffalo History Museum, sports, Sports History

Buffalo Museum Celebrating 60 Years of Bills Football

October 16, 2019 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Buffalo Bills dolls provided by Bullfalo History MuseumSix decades of Buffalo Bills football stories are set to be told through exhibitions, events, and programming at The Buffalo History Museum in October.

The month features new artifacts in the Icons exhibit, an exhibit of original artwork highlighting Bills artifacts, memories, unique stories, and more. [Read more…] about Buffalo Museum Celebrating 60 Years of Bills Football

Filed Under: Events, History, New Exhibits, Western NY Tagged With: Buffalo, Buffalo History Museum, football, sports, Sports History

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