“Keeping Up With the Joneses”
"Keeping Up With the Joneses" was a popular comic strip by Arthur "Pops" Momand that began in the New York World in 1913. "Jones" is a popular name; Momand almost went…
Archive for 11/2005
Pizza Bagel
The pizza meets the bagel. It had to happen here. August 1952, Chain Store Age, pg. 5:Pizza marries bagel--Klein cafeteria has a hit Cross-breeding has now entered the realm of food preparations.…
“New Yorkers Since 1784” (Bank of New York)
The Bank of New York began in 1784 and is still around today. http://www.bankofny.com/htmlpages/ahi.htmOur history began on February 23, 1784, with a small advertisement featured in The New York…
Tenement House
The "tenement house" is believed to have started in New York City, on Cherry Street in 1838. "Tenement" is from the Latin tenere (to hold). (Oxford English Dictionary)tenement…
Calendar Girl
"I love, I love, I love my calendar girl" sang Brooklyn-born Neil Sedaka. The birth of the "calendar girl" is moderately disputed, but she appears to have been born in New York…
“Eat at Joe’s” (Joe’s Restaurant)
"Eat at Joe's" signs were popular in cartoons and lore of the 1930s and 1940s and 1950s. They symbolized ubiquitous advertising, especially on highways. It probably all began with…
V-J Day Kiss (August 14, 1945)
Life magazine published a photograph by Alfred Eisenstaedt of an American sailor kissing a woman in Times Square to celebrate V-J Day (August 14, 1945). Eisenstaedt never recorded the couple's…
How am I doing?
Ed Koch made "How am I doing?" famous when he ran successfully for mayor in 1977. However, this was a popular line in the 1930s as well. 17 January 1932, Washington Post, pg.…
Jints (Giants)
Ben Zimmer of the American Dialect Society added this "Jints" comment on the ADS listserv in November 2005. One for Barry (surprised it's not already on his site)...Someone on…
“Since 1898” (Entenmann’s)
Entenmann's bakery started in Brooklyn in the 1890s. It is now part of the George Weston Bakeries family. http://entenmanns.gwbakeries.com/history.cfmIn the late 1800s, a young teenager named…
“Your Neighborhood Store And So Much More” (Key Food)
Key Food was founded in 1937 and is headquartered on Staten Island. "Your Neighborhood Store And So Much More" is its slogan, apparently not trademarked.…
“Everything on a Bagel” (Ess-a-Bagel)
The Ess-a-Bagel ("ess"=eat) stores have the slogan "everything on a bagel." They sell more than bagels, however. Ess-a-BagelHistory Ess-a-Bagel, Inc., was established in 1976 on…
Brooklyn born, Brooklyn bred, and when I die I’ll be Brooklyn dead
"Brooklyn born, Brooklyn bred, and when I die I'll be Brooklyn dead" is a new statement of Brooklyn pride. http://www.nynewsday.com/news/local/brooklyn/nyc-fred0728,0,5172852.story…