1578 – England grants Sir Humphrey Gilbert a patent to explore and colonize North America 1644 – Florentine scientists describe invention of the barometer 1742 – Benjamin Franklin invents his Franklin stove, a metal lined fireplace with a hollow baffle and inverted siphon. The stove serves to produce more heat but less smoke than an ordinary stove....
Elected officials representing Lower Manhattan are casting a skeptical eye on proposed changes to the admissions process for New York City’s specialized high schools, a group of eight selective secondary schools, where students are admitted on the basis of a competitive examination. Mayor Bill de Blasio has proposed scrapping this exam in favor of a...
Lower Manhattan resident Richard Stratton is an award-winning writer and filmmaker whose fiction and journalism have appeared in GQ, Esquire, Details, Newsweek, Rolling Stone, Spin, Playboy and Story Magazine. Nation Books published his collection of journalism, Altered States of America: Outlaws and Icons, Hitmakers and Hitmen. Mr. Stratton’s article, Godfather and Son published in Playboy, won the 2011 New York Press Club Award...
1099 – First Crusade: The Siege of Jerusalem begins. 1628 – The Petition of Right, a major English constitutional document, is granted the Royal Assent by Charles I and becomes law. It was passed by the House of Commons in 1628 in response to years of abuse by the King regarding forced billeting of soldiers,...
Governor Andrew Cuomo has signed the amended version of the bill (enacted in December, 2017) that requires residents be appointed to the board of the Battery Park City Authority (BCPA). In its revised form, the bill now imposes limits and criteria that will narrow which residents could be appointed to the Authority’s board. The language...
The Battery Park City Authority (BPCA) will host an “Open Community Meeting” tonight (Wednesday, June 6), from 6:00 to 7:30 pm, at Six River Terrace (opposite the Irish Hunger Memorial and next to Le Pain Quotidien restaurant). Residents are urged to attend, hear a presentation from Authority staff on their vision for the community, and...