Here’s a short little ditty about Mr. and Mrs. Payne Whitney that you can add to your New York City history trivia collection. It will give you a fun story to tell as you walk past the Whitney mansion on Fifth Avenue at 79th Street…
Archive for the ‘Animal Stories’ Category
1916: The Kittens, Puppies, Chickens, and Pig That Adorned the Payne Whitney Mansion
Posted: 6th October 2020 by The Hatching Cat in Animal StoriesTags: 972 Fifth Avenue, Helen Hay Whitney, New York City History, New-York-Presbyterian Hospital, Payne Whitney
0
1931: Sir Galahad, The Lion Cub Who Refused to Be a Lions Club Mascot
Posted: 15th July 2020 by The Hatching Cat in Animal StoriesTags: Central Park Lion House, Central Park Zoo, Hotel McAlpin, Lions Club of New York, New York City History, Vernon H. Galloway
In the summer of 1931, the Lions Club of New York attempted to purchase an 8-month-old, 125-pound lion cub from the Central Park Zoo. Their intention was to take the cub to the club’s monthly luncheon at the Hotel McAlpin and to the Lions International convention in Toronto. Lots of luck with that…
1901: Rough Rider, the Brooklyn Goat Who Ate His Way Through Sheepshead Bay
Posted: 6th July 2020 by The Hatching Cat in Animal StoriesTags: Animals of Old Brooklyn, Billy goat, Brooklyn History, Jeremiah Tappen, Sheepshead Bay
Rough Rider, a “spotlessly white and clean” billy goat, about 3 years old, showed up in Sheepshead Bay in 1900. For the next year, he ate his way through gardens and clotheslines along Sheepshead Bay Road.
True and Unusual Animal Tales of Old Brooklyn: Virtual Zoom Presentation, July 1, 2020; 7 p.m. (ET)
Posted: 27th June 2020 by The Hatching Cat in Animal StoriesTags: Animals of Old Brooklyn, Brooklyn Historical Society, Brooklyn History, Virtual Presentation
Join me and the Brooklyn Historical Society as we travel back in time to explore the history of Brooklyn via amazing stories about Brooklyn cats, dogs, horses, and other animals that made the newspaper headlines in the late 1800s and early 1900s. July 1, 2020, 7-8 p.m. (ET). Free. Register today.
1916 and 2020: The Fate of Pets During the Polio Epidemic vs COVID-19 Pandemic
Posted: 19th April 2020 by The Hatching Cat in Animal StoriesTags: 1916 polio epidemic, COVID-19, New York City History, Pets and Coronavirus, Pets and COVID-19
During the 1916 polio epidemic, 80,000 New York City pets died in the ASPCA gas chambers because people were misinformed and thought that pets caused polio. Now, COVID is causing similar irrational fears among pet owners, who worry their cats and dogs could spread the virus.
