In this enthralling new book, Richard Panchyk has compiled a collection of true stories from Long Islands history sure to befuddle, baffle and bemuse even lifelong residents. Who knew that Plum Island was bought with a barrel of biscuits and a few fishhooks? Or that an Oyster Bay woman accused of being a witch was instead found guilty of being a Quaker? Little-known tales of snake-eyed horses, naked ghosts, swamp serpents and cats riding horses offer a fresh look at Long Islands past. Culled from numerous period sources, including newspapers, books and historical records, these little stories are notable both as entertaining anecdotes and as forgotten history.
German New York City celebrates the rich cultural heritage of the hundreds of thousands of German immigrants who left the poverty and turmoil of 19th- and 20th-century Europe for the promise of a better life in the bustling American metropolis. German immigration to New York peaked during the 1850s and again during the 1880s, and by the end of the 19th century New York had the third-largest German-born population of any city worldwide. German immigrants established their new community in a downtown Manhattan neighborhood that became known as Kleindeutschland or Little Germany. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, much of the German population moved north to the Upper East Side's Yorkville and subsequently spread out to the other boroughs of the city.
&&LDIV&&R&&LP style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"&&RUnlock and explore American history firsthand though this nation’s most important documents. Much more than a reference book, &&LI&&RThe Keys to American History&&L/I&&R tells the story of a growing, vibrant democracy through its laws, Supreme Court rulings, treaties, and presidential speeches, from colonial times to the present. Organized chronologically, each document includes a brief introduction and excerpts, and often an image of the original. Most are followed by interesting and relevant historical quotes from books, newspapers, and speeches of their eras, providing a rich and varied framework to understand each document’s significance.&&L/P&&R&&LP style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"&&R &&L/P&&R&&LP style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"&&RThe more than 60 entries include:&&L/P&&R Mayflower Compact Declaration of Independence Washington’s Farewell Address Missouri Compromise Seneca Falls Declaration of Sentiments Emancipation Proclamation Homestead Act Wilson’s Fourteen Points &&LI&&RBrown v. Board of Education&&L/I&&R Voting Rights Act Resignation Speech of Richard Nixon ...and more &&LP style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"&&RBy reading the essential documents of American government, and the viewpoints of the leaders and citizens who wrote them, you will gain a profound understanding of the United States and the men and women who built it. &&L/P&&R&&L/DIV&&R
This lively and comprehensive activity book teaches young readers everything they need to know about the nation's highest court. Organized around keystones of the Constitution—including free speech, freedom of religion, civil rights, criminal justice, and property rights—the book juxtaposes historical cases with similar current cases. Presented with opinions from both sides of the court cases, readers can make up their own minds on where they stand on the important issues that have evolved in the Court over the past 200 years. Interviews with prominent politicians, high-court lawyers, and those involved with landmark decisions—including Ralph Nader, Rudolph Giuliani, Mario Cuomo, and Arlen Specter—show the personal impact and far-reaching consequences of the decisions. Fourteen engaging classroom-oriented activities involving violations of civil rights, exercises of free speech, and selecting a classroom Supreme Court bring the issues and cases to life. The first 15 amendments to the Constitution and a glossary of legal terms are also included.
Manhattan Churches celebrates the wonderful diversity of churches in New York City's oldest borough. The book takes an in-depth look at a wide array of awe-inspiring structures, from Lower Manhattan and Midtown to the Upper East Side, Upper West Side, and Harlem. From Trinity Church and St. Patrick's Cathedral to the Little Church Around the Corner and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, the city's churches are a fascinating part of New York's religious, cultural, and architectural history.
The Long Island community of Westbury was once a small town farming neighborhood . While Brooklyn and other boroughs mushroomed into urban giants, the population of peaceful Westbury hovered at less than one thousand. Then the Wall Street tycoons arrived and everything changed. In this new book, author Richard Panchyk narrates the dramatic transformation of this once-agricultural hamlet, founded in 1670 by Quakers. Little more than a country town until the first two decades of the twentieth century, Westbury changed overnight as Manhattan s financial titans embarked on a frenzied pace of building and development mansions, resorts, even a racetrack and an airport catapulting the community into modern times. Westbury was the site of one of the country s first auto races, the 1904 Vanderbilt Cup. Its train stop witnessed the nation s first ever train-car collision. And in 1927, Charles Lindbergh bedded down in Westbury before taking off on his flight into history. Let Panchyk whisk you through the region s occasionally contentious, frequently dramatic, and always entertaining growth and development in A History of Westbury, Long Island.
In 1790, after seven years of heated debate, the Continental Congress approved a plan to establish the nation's offical capital in a barely populated swamp straddling the Potomac River. Ten years later, in November 1800, Congress gaveled in its first session in the federal city—Washington—in what was then called the Territory of Columbia. Washington, DC, History for Kids chronicles the rich and fascinating history of our nation's capital. Its first years were difficult—in 1814 the British invaded and burned the White House, the Treasury Building, and the Half-built Capitol Building—yet the city survived and flourished. During the next two centuries, District residents endured the Civil War at the front lines, witnessed the assassinations of two presidents, erected national monuments, and strove to overcome the city's shameful racial segregation. This lively history also includes a time line, a list of online resources, and 21 engaging hands-on activities. Kids will: gather items for a cornerstone time capsule, take a walking tour of the national mall, research family history through the National Archives, design a memorial for a favorite president, plant a cherry tree, and more.
Garden City: Pictures From a Pandemic documents life in one of Long Island's most popular destinations between February and July of 2020, capturing its dramatic transformation from a shut-down ghost town back to a thriving (but forever changed) locale in more than 200 chronological color photographs. The book's haunting images offer a fascinating journey through the four phases of reopening in New York during a harrowing time in our history.
This activity book features 25 projects such as making a surface survey of a site, building a screen for sifting dirt and debris at a dig, tracking soil age by color, and counting tree rings to date a find, teaches kids the techniques that unearthed Neanderthal caves, Tutankhamun’s tomb, the city of Pompeii, and Tenochtitlan, capital of the Aztec empire. Kids will delight in fashioning a stone-age tool, playing a seriation game with old photographs of cars, “reading” objects excavated in their own backyards, and using patent numbers to date modern artifacts as they gain an overview of human history and the science that brings it back to life.
Drawing on the natural folk art tendencies of children, who love to collect buttons, bottle caps, shells, and Popsicle sticks to create beautiful, imperfect art, this activity guide teaches kids about the history of this organic art and offers inspiration for them to create their own masterpieces. The full breadth of American folk art is surveyed, including painting, sculpture, decorative arts, and textiles from the 17th century through today. Making bubblegum wrapper chains, rag dolls, bottle cap sculptures, decoupage boxes, and folk paintings are just a few of the activities designed to bring out the artist in every child. Along the way kids learn about the lives of Americans throughout history and their casual relationships to everyday art as they cut stencils, sew needlepoint samplers, draw calligraphy birds, and design quilts. Important folk artists such as the last surviving Shakers, the legendary Grandma Moses, and the Reverend Howard Finster are also explored in sidebars throughout the book.
Midtown Trash is a unique book that takes a closer look at mid-Manhattan's garbage--the small and the large, the beautiful and the disgusting, the mundane and the bizarre. The photos in this book are snapshots of Midtown life as seen through its garbage. Author Richard Panchyk presents a photographic history of the discards of Midtown's residents, workers, and tourists, all of whom coexist and contribute to the landscape of urban refuse, the many tons of trash generated every single day. From tattered sneakers to wrecked umbrellas, from fallen gloves to forlorn chairs, Midtown Trash presents a groundbreaking and ground-dirtying look at the wide variety of objects we leave behind.
New York City Skyscrapers celebrates the numerous awe-inspiring buildings that have made New York the skyscraper capital of the world. This book traces the history of New Yorks tallest structures from the late 19th century, when church spires ruled the skyline, through the 20th century, when a succession of amazing buildings soared to new heights. From the Flatiron and Woolworth Buildings to the Chrysler and Empire State Buildings, the skyscrapers of New York have long captured the imagination of people around the world.
Catholic New York City celebrates the religious and cultural life f one of the largest Catholic populations in the world. The first Catholic church was founded in the 1780s, and the diocese was subsequently founded in 1808, when there were only a few priests in the entire state. The 1879 completion of the country's best-known Catholic church, St. Patrick's Cathedral, was a crowning moment in New York City's Catholic history. Between 1850 and 1900, the Catholic population of New York City grew from 200,000 to more than 1.2 million due to a tremendous influx of Irish, German, Italian, Polish, and other European immigrants. Throughout the last 200 years, the city has been home to a wide range of fascinating Catholic personalities, places, and events.
Few American cities are as steeped in history as Boston. Starting with its Native American and Puritan roots, through its pivotal role in the Revolutionary War and its many contributions to art and literature, Boston has earned its reputation as a modern, cultural metropolis. This mix of old and new makes Boston a fascinating place to learn about and explore. Boston History for Kids spans 400 years of history, covering many of the major events that have occurred, from witch hunts to an unexpected earthquake, from the Tea Party to the Great Fire, from the Civil War to the Boston Marathon attack. Author Richard Panchyk chronicles the lives of Bostonians both famous and infamous—and many colorful characters that readers may not yet know. This lively history also includes a time line, a list of online resources, and 21 engaging hands-on activities to better appreciate this Massachusetts city. Kids will: Take a tour along the Freedom Trail Write a poem in the style of Ralph Waldo Emerson Create a nautical chart like those of Boston Harbor Bake a Boston cream pie Design a museum display of historic items Draw the facade of a Federal style mansion And more!
True stories, fun facts, and photos that reveal the little-known secrets of New York’s Long Island. Long Island’s history is filled with fascinating firsts, magnificent mansions, and colorful characters. From Glenn Curtiss, the first pilot to fly a plane on the island, to Earle Ovington, who carried the country’s first airmail, the area has been known as the cradle of aviation. Millionaire William K. Vanderbilt’s Long Island Motor Parkway, remnants of which still remain, was the nation's first highway. The desolate ruins of an exiled Albanian king’s estate lie in the midst of the woods of the Muttontown Preserve. Captain William Kidd, pirate chaser turned pirate, is rumored to have buried treasure on the island. With these stories and more, Richard Panchyk reveals the rapidly vanishing traces of Long Island’s intriguing history. “Amazing and unknown historical gems.”—Queens Gazette
A dramatic historical novel of escape during occupation and wartime and of starting life over in a new country. Escape ’56 is a novel based on the life of young Elizabeth Molnár (the author’s mother) and her family as they lived through the harrowing days of the Hungarian Revolution. The book recounts the story of the inspiring student-led uprising and the shocking Soviet invasion that followed, leading to Elizabeth’s perilous nighttime escape from Hungary through the border woods in November, 1956. Weaving historical fact with the accounts of his relatives’ dramatic experiences, Panchyk’s cinematic, fictional narrative feels both personal and universal. When the Hungarian Revolution failed, more than 200,0000 Hungarians (two percent of the population) fled the country, fearing for their lives and an even more oppressive regime than they’d already endured. Elizabeth’s adventure continues, first as a refugee in Austria, and then in the United States where she and her family start a new life with little money, few possessions, and almost no understanding of English. Escape ’56 is a gripping novel, filled with historical detail and incorporating recollections from the author’s mother, aunt, and grandmother.
True stories and vintage photos of this bustling New York City borough, covering everything from crime and corruption to a beloved Christmas poem. Queens has a history filled with fascinating firsts, cool characters and ramshackle ruins. From the nation’s first modern highway to the first-ever transatlantic flight, the borough has long been at the forefront of modern transportation. Poet Clement Clarke Moore was inspired by childhood memories of Elmhurst when he wrote the poem “’Twas the Night before Christmas.” The infamous William “Boss” Tweed once fled jail to a secret hideout in a Bayside hotel. The remains of the old Creedmoor Hospital complex in Queens Village are haunting, as are the eerie remnants of Fort Tilden in the Rockaways. In this fascinating book, Richard Panchyk reveals glimpses of the hidden history of Queens.
A fascinating journey through the history of America's favorite pastime With this interactive book, kids will discover how the game of baseball has changed over the years by reading about topics such as the dead ball era, World War II, segregation and integration, free agency, and the designated hitter. Along the way, young readers will enjoy quotes, stories, and amusing anecdotes from more than 175 former major leaguers and get an intimate look at the game's greatest legends—including Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Jackie Robinson, and Willie Mays. With the 21 included activities, children will learn how to calculate a player's batting average and ERA, throw a palmball, design a logo for their favorite team, cook a bowl of Cracker Jack, and more. A time line of the sport's history and lists of books, websites, and places to visit are also included.
Biography of one of the best-loved presidents who had an impact on history, culture, politics, economics, and art of this country with activities based on FDR's experiences in the times in which he lived.
Now more than ever, kids want to know about our country's great struggles during World War II. This book is packed with information that kids will find fascinating, from Hitler's rise to power in 1933 to the surrender of the Japanese in 1945. Much more than an ordinary history book, it is filled with excerpts from actual wartime letters written to and by American and German troops, personal anecdotes from people who lived through the war in the United States, Germany, Britain, Russia, Hungary, and Japan, and gripping stories from Holocaust survivors—all add a humanizing global perspective to the war. This collection of 21 activities shows kids how it felt to live through this monumental period in history. They will play a rationing game or try the butter extender recipe to understand the everyday sacrifices made by wartime families. They will try their hands at military strategy in coastal defense, break a code, and play a latitude and longitude tracking game. Whether growing a victory garden or staging an adventure radio program, kids will appreciate the hardships and joys experienced on the home front.
An important and empowering history of and guide to the battle for our right to safe products and conditions--for younger readers. Corporations enter our daily lives from the moment we wake up until we turn off the lights at night. Large Internet companies, health insurance companies, fuel and transportation companies--all play a role in our lives every moment of every single day. And yet what power do we have over their actions or intentions? None, except through redress in a court of law for any harm they may have done. This area of the law is known as torts, from the French word for wrongs. Power to the People! offers a deep understanding of how civil actions work, through many examples and straightforward language for the middle-grade student reader. From Ralph Nader's 1966 law-changing address to Congress on automobile safety (it's thanks to Nader that we wear seat belts) to the decades-long battle to raise awareness of the risks of smoking (cigarette and cigar smoke contains over 7,000 chemicals, and has caused the deaths of more than 2.5 million nonsmokers in the last half-century), readers will learn how we must fight to protect ourselves from corporations that are more concerned with profit than our safety. Corporate America will listen, Panchyk argues, but only if we make ourselves heard. Power to the People! explores all the ways we the people can be powerful, too.
As soon as early humans began to scratch images on cave walls, they began to create maps. And while these first drawings were used to find hunting grounds or avoid danger, they later developed into far more complex navigational tools. Charting the World tells the fascinating history of maps and mapmaking, navigators and explorers, and the ways that technology has enhanced our ability to understand the world around us. Richly illustrated with full-color maps and diagrams, it gives children an in-depth appreciation of geographical concepts and principles and shows them how to unlock the wealth of information maps contain. It also features 21 hands-on activities for readers to put their new skills to the test. Children will: build a three-dimensional island model using a contour map, engrave a simple map on an aluminum &“printing plate,&” determine the elevation of hills in their neighborhood, draw a treasure map and have a friend search for the hidden stash, create a nautical chart of a small puddle, survey their backyard or local park, navigate a course using a compass, and much more. Now more than ever, the study of geography is crucial to understanding our ever-changing planet, from political change and warfare to environmental conservation and population growth.
Galileo, one of history's best-known scientists, is introduced in this illuminating activity book. Children will learn how Galileo's revolutionary discoveries and sometimes controversial theories changed his world and laid the groundwork for modern astronomy and physics. This book will inspire kids to be stargazers and future astronauts or scientists as they discover Galileo's life and work. Activities allow children to try some of his theories on their own, with experiments that include playing with gravity and motion, making a pendulum, observing the moon, and painting with light and shadow. Along with the scientific aspects of Galileo's life, his passion for music and art are discussed and exemplified by period engravings, maps, and prints. A time line, glossary, and listings of major science museums, planetariums, and web sites for further exploration complement this activity book.
How does a city obtain water, gas, and electricity? Where do these services come from? How are they transported? The answer is infrastructure, or the inner, and sometimes invisible, workings of the city. Roads, railroads, bridges, telephone wires, and power lines are visible elements of the infrastructure; sewers, plumbing pipes, wires, tunnels, cables, and sometimes rails are usually buried underground or hidden behind walls. Engineering the City tells the fascinating story of infrastructure as it developed through history along with the growth of cities. Experiments, games, and construction diagrams show how these structures are built, how they work, and how they affect the environment of the city and the land outside it.
If there's one county in the United States that deserves its own cemetery book, it's New York's Queens County. With millions of burials in a stunning array of cemeteries of all faiths and sizes dating from the seventeenth to the twentieth centuries, Queens' burial grounds reflect the diversity and indeed the very story of New York City itself. Dead Queens is a visual journey through more than thirty of the borough's cemeteries in 220 fascinating photographs.
Lower Manhattan began as a tiny Dutch settlement in 1626 at the very southern tip of Manhattan Island. From the 1650s through to the end of the century, Wall Street marked the northernmost limits. Though there are various interpretations of the northern boundary of Lower Manhattan, this book takes a broader definition that includes everything south of 14th Street-a length of a little more than two-and-a-half miles. Though all traces of the Dutch era have been obliterated, lower Manhattan has some of the city's finest surviving early nineteenth century buildings." -- From cover.
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