On September 8, 1902, the operetta “Robin Hood” opened at New York’s Academy of Music. The opera was produced by The Bostonians, a touring theater troupe that performed operettas written by America’s foremost composers. “Robin Hood” was the first successful operetta written by Americans—librettist Harry B. Smith and composer Reginald De Koven. On the third […]
Archive for the ‘Animal Attractions’ Category
1893: Wallace, the Lion that Caused an Uproar on the Site of Pete’s Tavern
Posted: 21st April 2013 by The Hatching Cat in Animal AttractionsTags: Animal Tales, Coney Island, Frank Bostock, New York History, Old New York, Pete's Tavern, Wallace the lion
On October 27, 1893, thousands of people gathered on East 18th Street near Gramercy Park for what may – or may not – have been a well-orchestrated publicity stunt for a traveling menagerie. Apparently, a giant circus lion named Wallace had escaped his cage inside the small, 12×20 stable at 129 East 18th Street and was eating a prized trotter horse that he had killed. Today, we know 129 East 18th Street as the site of Pete’s Tavern, the oldest continuously operating restaurant and bar in New York City.
1796: Captain Jacob Crowninshield Brings a Beer-Drinking Elephant to New York
Posted: 24th March 2013 by The Hatching Cat in Animal Attractions, Elephant TalesTags: first elephant in America, Jacob Crowninshield, John Bill Rickets, Nathaniel Hawthorne, New York History
On April 12, 1796, Captain Jacob Crowninshield arrived in New York Harbor on a trading ship called the America. On board was a two-year-old female elephant the captain had purchased in India for $450. She was the first elephant to ever come to America.
