Early 20th Century in East Yankeedom
Starting from 1900, Yankeedom struggled a lot in terms of living conditions, disasters, economy, and much more. Alongside these struggles, institutions, banks, and companies and more were established to make the lives of the Americans a bit more bearable. All these happened all the way to World War 1.
The Spuyten Duyvil BridgeThe Spuyten Duyvil Bridge spans Spuyten Duyvil Creek which happens to be from the Bronx and Manhattan. In the late 1800s, it was built and reconstructed. Unfortunately, it was constructed with wood, making the railroad unreliable and more susceptible to damage. This squashed any hope of the railroad to carry out long term. To bypass this, Robert Giles rebuilt the railroad in 1899 using steel, a strong and effective material.
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Figure 3 - Spuyten Duyvil Bridge (Edited Image) #
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Figure 4 - Poor living conditions #
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Poor Living Conditions and AccidentsOn January 8th, 1902, a tragic train collision took place in Park Avenue tunnel. Unfortunately, the express train that came from White Plains, did not see the signals, making it crash at full speed with another commuter train. Countless people had been injured and fifteen people died from this tragic crash. It made its reputation as one of the worst tragedies of New York history. In General, people had a rough time in the early 1900s. living conditions were at an all-time low. It was before the Progressive Era where people lived in one room that had no or at least one window. The smell of the streets and apartments were atrocious since proper hygiene practices were not carried out properly. It was not until after the Progressive Era where living conditions improved.
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Other Historical EventsStanford White, an American architect, was shot and killed during a musical performance. His death on June 25th, 1906, had a lot of news agencies and people talk about him. The killer of White, Harry Kendall Thaw, had an infamous trial and was called ‘The Trial of The Century’. The trial had the names of wealthy people, sex scandals and to top it off a killing in a public setting, made it the talk of the people of a while.
The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory caught fire on March 25th, 1911. The factory was in Manhattan in Greenwich Village. The factory’s fire had a reputation of being the worst industrial disaster. The fire was so deadly that it left 146 dead and 78 severely. Injured. On July 14th, 1914, an apartment in Lexington Avenue was bombed. The dynamite exploded prematurely in an anarchist bomb factory. The explosion ended up killing 4 people and injured dozens. The explosion made its way to become of the worst tragedies in New York history. On November 16th, 1914, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York was established. It promoted effective cooperation of the world’s central banks. |
Figure 5 - Picture of Stanford White #
Figure 6 - Lexington Avenue Bombing 1914 #
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Sources for this page
1) Washington Heights NYC, Spuyten Duyvil Swing Bridge, accessed April 15th 2023, www.washington-heights.us/spuyten-duyvil-swing-bridge/
2) PBS, American Experience, Park Avenue Tunnel Crash, 1902, accessed April 15th 2023, www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/grandcentral-parkave/
3) Urban Archive, Education: The Progressive Era, accessed April 15th 2023, www.urbanarchive.org/stories/j2Gw1s2bup3
4) Library Of Congress, Murder of Stanford White and the First "Trial of the Century": Topics in Chronicling America, accessed April 15th 2023, guides.loc.gov/chronicling-america-stanford-white-murder
5) History, Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, last updated March 23rd 2021, accessed April 15th 2023, www.history.com/topics/early-20th-century-us/triangle-shirtwaist-fire
6) The New York Times, 100 Years Later, Scar Remains From a Strike's Fatal Legacy in Manhattan, accessed April 15th 2023, www.nytimes.com/2014/07/04/nyregion/scar-on-lexington-ave-nyc-building-recalls-fatal-explosion-100-years-ago.html
7) Federal Reserve History, Federal Reserve Bank of New York, accessed April 15th 2023, www.federalreservehistory.org/essays/new-york-fed
2) PBS, American Experience, Park Avenue Tunnel Crash, 1902, accessed April 15th 2023, www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/grandcentral-parkave/
3) Urban Archive, Education: The Progressive Era, accessed April 15th 2023, www.urbanarchive.org/stories/j2Gw1s2bup3
4) Library Of Congress, Murder of Stanford White and the First "Trial of the Century": Topics in Chronicling America, accessed April 15th 2023, guides.loc.gov/chronicling-america-stanford-white-murder
5) History, Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, last updated March 23rd 2021, accessed April 15th 2023, www.history.com/topics/early-20th-century-us/triangle-shirtwaist-fire
6) The New York Times, 100 Years Later, Scar Remains From a Strike's Fatal Legacy in Manhattan, accessed April 15th 2023, www.nytimes.com/2014/07/04/nyregion/scar-on-lexington-ave-nyc-building-recalls-fatal-explosion-100-years-ago.html
7) Federal Reserve History, Federal Reserve Bank of New York, accessed April 15th 2023, www.federalreservehistory.org/essays/new-york-fed