Month: August 2017

The Sphere Returns to WTC Area

The Sphere once graced the middle of Austin Tobin Plaza, nestled between the twin towers of the World Trade Center. On September 11th, as the Twin Towers fell in thunderous collapses, the Sphere emerged from the black dust and ashes, not intact but not destroyed. After being in Battery Park for many years, the Sphere,...

August 21

1680 – Pueblo Indians capture Santa Fe from the Spanish during the Pueblo Revolt. 1831 – Nat Turner leads black slaves and free blacks in a rebellion in Southampton County, Virginia, which will claim the lives of 55 to 65 whites. 1888 – The first successful adding machine in the United States is patented by...
The Mona Lisa was stolen on this day in 1911

Today, August 21, 2017, The Great American Eclipse

At about 1:15pm, go outdoors to check for clear skies and to take a deep breath in recognition that today, Monday the 21st of August 2017, is a rare day under the Sun. We will see an unusual meeting of celestial bodies, which promises to feel like the “music of the spheres.” With eyes shielded...
The total phase of the solar eclipse will not be visible in Manhattan, however, there will be a partial eclipse: The sun will be 73% darkened at peak.

EYES TO THE SKY August 14 – 20, 2017

Daybreak comes late enough these days to avail ourselves of the beauty of planet Venus as the shining Morning Star. This week, by 5:20am, look to the east about 20 degrees above the horizon, still rather high. The goddess planet is visible until about 5:45am if you know where to look. Be aware that sunrise...
Venus, the morning star just before sunrise

Daniel Out of the Lions’ Den

State Senator Daniel Squadron, who has represented Lower Manhattan in Albany since being elected in 2008, suddenly and unexpectedly announced his resignation from the upper house of the State legislature on Wednesday, and stepped down two days later. In an email sent to constituents on the morning of August 9, Mr. Squadron said, “for years,...
Daniel Squadron

Operation Finale

A new exhibition premiering at the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust in New York City reveals the secret history behind the capture, extradition, and trial of one of the world’s most notorious war criminals: Adolf Eichmann. Operation Finale: The Capture & Trial of Adolf Eichmann, featuring recently declassified artifacts...
The bulletproof glass booth in which Adolf Eichmann testified during his trial in Jerusalem District Court is displayed in the "Operation Finale: The Capture & Trial of Adolf Eichmann" exhibit at the Museum of Jewish Heritage, in New York, Friday, July 14, 2017. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)