Posts in “a-history-minute” (44)
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On February 3, 1958, Dwight D. Eisenhower issued a proclamation to designate May 1 as Law Day . This year marks its 60th anniversary. Eisenhower declared it to be a day for us to… continue reading In Commemoration of Law Day, the Free Library Offers Legal Advice Live!
By written by Marija G. April 30, 2018
If you don't know the name Amalie Emmy Noether, you're not alone . Suffice to say, she was and remains one of the greatest minds of the 20th century. Read on to learn more about this… continue reading A Science Minute: 13 Things You Should Know About Emmy Noether
By written by Sally F. March 29, 2018
William Penn was a dreamer. Like many attracted to the New World, he was a member of a persecuted religious minority—the Quakers. But unlike the Puritans and Catholics who founded religious… continue reading A History Minute: The 1844 Nativist Riots in Philadelphia
By written by Sally F. March 16, 2018
Daylight Saving Time , abbreviated DST, begins again this Sunday, March 11 at 2:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time, when we will set our clocks forward one hour and gain more sunlight in the evenings.… continue reading Friday Five: Daylight Saving Time Springs Ahead This Sunday
By written by Christina P. March 9, 2018
As Head Designer of Horace Trumbauer’s architecture firm, Julian Abele designed the Free Library and the Philadelphia Art Museum and set the tone for the entire parkway. He designed… continue reading A History Minute: 11 Things You Didn't Know About Julian Abele, Architect of the Parkway
By written by Sally F. February 7, 2018 9
The Fish It all started with the fish. Like salmon, shad are born in fresh water, spend several years growing in the ocean, then return to their birthplace to spawn. The largest breeding… continue reading A History Minute: Neighborhood Beginnings - Fishtown
By written by Sally F. January 10, 2018 2
Gladys Jamison couldn’t know this, but she was a girl coming of age in an exodus. Thirteen years old when her father moved her and her siblings to Brooklyn, she’d lost her mother five… continue reading #OneBookWednesday: Brooklyn, Black Girlhood, and the Great Migration
By written by Kalela W. November 22, 2017 3
Chances are you have driven, biked, run, walked, or partied on Kelly Drive, but have you ever wondered where it got its name? No, it’s not named for Grace Kelly , movie star and princess.… continue reading A History Minute: The Fortunes of Philadelphia - The Kellys
By written by Sally F. November 16, 2017
Election Day is Tuesday, November 7th throughout the state of Pennsylvania. During this general election, Philadelphians will elect both a new District Attorney and City Controller, as well as:… continue reading November 7th is Election Day
By written by Christina P. November 6, 2017
In the beginning Philadelphia was a river town. William’s Penn’s plan stretched from river to river, but the population clung to the shores of the Delaware and the docks and ships that… continue reading A History Minute: Neighborhood Beginnings - Moyamensing (aka Evergreen, Schuylkill, Graduate Hospital, South of South)
By written by Sally F. October 26, 2017
There are many things associated with Friday the 13th, including horror films, bad luck, phobias ( paraskevidekatriaphobia ). Historians believe that Friday the 13th comes from the number 13 being… continue reading Friday the 13th
By written by Christina P. October 13, 2017
On Sept. 26, 2017, the fence will come down and a new statue will be unveiled: the first new City Hall statue since 1923 and the first of an African American on any city-owned public… continue reading A History Minute: Octavius V. Catto - Philadelphia's Forgotten Freedom Fighter
By written by Sally F. September 22, 2017
Overbrook gets its name from a train station built over a brook. This is quite appropriate, as it was the Pennsylvania Railroad that bought trolley rights to Lancaster Avenue from 52nd… continue reading A History Minute: Neighborhood Beginnings - Overbrook
By written by Sally F. August 21, 2017 9
Almost 100 years before Ellis Island, Philadelphia established The Lazaretto Station. It became the point of entry for all ships and passengers arriving during the quarantine season of June… continue reading A History Minute: What is The Lazaretto?
By written by Sally F. August 7, 2017 5
Philadelphia is a city of neighborhoods and Olney is a neighborhood of cultures. Today Olney is the most diverse of Philadelphia’s neighborhoods and its 5th Street business corridor… continue reading A History Minute: Neighborhood Beginnings - Olney
By written by Sally F. July 26, 2017 7
18th century Philadelphia was primarily a port city, its wealth based on imports and exports from all over the world. At the time of the American Revolution, the city’s major trading… continue reading A History Minute: Latinos and the American Revolution
By written by Sally F. July 18, 2017
By 1800, Philadelphia was not only the Cradle of Liberty but the center of American manufacturing and innovation. It was the kind of place a young man of vision who was not afraid to get his hands… continue reading A History Minute: The Fortunes of Philadelphia - The Engineers
By written by Sally F. July 10, 2017 7
Mid-19th century Philadelphia was booming. Its factories produced iron and steel, locomotives and textiles, and finished goods of all kinds. Immigrants and citizens alike flowed into the city to… continue reading A History Minute: The Fortunes of Philadelphia - The Trolley Kings
By written by Sally F. June 21, 2017 1
Church bells ring incessantly throughout deserted streets. Homes are abandoned and those that are not are barricaded against strangers and friends alike. Formerly bustling markets stand empty… continue reading A History Minute: The "Philadelphia Apocalypse" a.k.a. Yellow Fever
By written by Sally F. June 6, 2017 15
In the spring of 1776 , the British began a blockade of American ports, throwing coastal shipping into disarray and sending many captains back to the more secure European routes. But a young… continue reading The Richest Man in America
By written by Sally F. April 27, 2017