Parkway
Thanks to Prospect Park in Brooklyn, we drive on a "parkway." We also park on a "driveway," but that's another story. Merriam-Webster's dictionary has 1887 for…
Archive for 11/2004
Wigstock
"Wigstock" is an annual drag festival. http://www.wigstock.nu/history/history.htmlHISTORY OF WIGSTOCK Late one night in the spring of '84 a drunken group of friends, seeking more…
Millionaires’ Row (Fifth Avenue)
Fifth Avenue was called "Millionaires' Row" by around the year 1900 because many rich people lived there. Nowadays, however, the average price of a home in Manhattan is a million…
Double Dutch
The jump-rope game of "Double Dutch" was probably invented in New York City, cited from at least 1895. "Double Dutch" tournaments were re-introduced in New York City in 1974.…
PSAL (Public Schools Athletic League)
The Public Schools Athletic League (PSAL, at www.psal.org) was formed over 100 years ago. It still holds school athletic competitions, but it now also includes girls. 25 November 1903, New York…
PAL (Police Athletic League)
"PAL" (the Police Athletic League) started in the Depression and is still going. Supposedly, it all began in Tuckahoe, New York?…
Big Brothers (Big Sisters)
The "Big Brother" organization got its start in New York City in 1904. The organization now includes "Big Sisters." The honorary street sign on East 30th Street and Third Avenue…
Golden Gloves (boxing)
The "Golden Gloves" amateur boxing competitions began in New York City in 1927. The competition has been long associated with the Daily News (sponsor) and Madison Square Garden…
Big Apple Circus
The Big Apple Circus began in 1977, during the 1970s revival of the "Big Apple" name. It is still going. Wikipedia: Big Apple CircusThe Big Apple Circus is a circus based in New York…
Setters (Pace University teams)
Pace University has a campus on the Manhattan side of the Brooklyn Bridge, although the athletic teams are mostly from Pace's Westchester campus. The team nickname is the Pace Setters. Too bad…
Maccabees (Yeshiva University teams)
Yes, Yeshiva University has a sports team. It's called the Maccabees. 16 November 1975, New York Times, pg. 242:YESHIVAThe return of all five starters gives Yeshiva hope for bettering 5-14…
Seahawks (Wagner College teams)
Wagner College of Staten Island calls its teams the Seahawks. No one knows why it's the "Seahawks." Actually, most people don't even know Wagner College. It's a hidden gem.…
Knights (Queens College teams)
Queens College uses "Knights"as its team nickname. Queens Knights? New York City is has queens and kings and knights, but is short on rooks, bishops, and pawns. 12 December 1940, New York…
Kingsmen, Bridges (Brooklyn College teams)
Brooklyn College is in Kings County. The team nickname was "Kingsmen." But what do you call the women's teams? In the 1990s, the nickname was changed to "Bridges." 22…
Rams (Fordham University teams)
Many Fordham people think that the ram that died in 1927 was the origin of the Fordham "ram." That ram had been the football team's popular mascot. However, the Fordham…
Jaspers (Manhattan College teams)
The Manhattan College teams (that play in the Bronx, of course) are called the Jaspers. It's one of New York's oldest sports team nicknames -arguably the oldest continuing one. Brother…
Manhattan College (in the Bronx)
Manhattan College is in the Bronx? Well, it used to be in Manhattan. Look: "The Big Apple" doesn't have apple orchards. An "egg cream" contains neither egg nor cream.…
Redmen, Red Storm (St. John’s teams)
St. John's teams wore red. Many teams were known for the color of their uniforms: Harvard Crimson, Syracuse Orangemen, Columbia Blue and White, NYU Violets. In the 1920s, the St. John's…
Blue and White, Cubs, Lions (Columbia teams)
There are the Princeton Tigers and the Harvard Crimson. Columbia's nicknames would have both an animal (lion) and a color (blue and white). "Blue and White" came first, around 1900.…
Violets, Bobcats (NYU teams)
NYU has a sports symbol from...a library catalog? http://www.nyu.edu/athletics/clubs/mascots/history.htmlHistory of the BobcatFor more than 100 years, New York University athletes have worn the…