Category: Recreation
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Polite Masque of Pageantry and Prohibition
How were the first parties after Prohibition? According to this 1919 article, the NYC parties were not nearly as fun as before. In New Jersey, on the other hand… First, in New York City: Even the parties that evaded the mighty hand of the law were afraid to act as if they were having too good…
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Sobriety Just Grew, Without Awaiting Dry Laws
Yes, there was once a time when Atlantic City was the poster child for good behavior. In 1919, Prohibition went into effect. But Atlantic City had already embraced the anti-alcohol ethos long before. “There was a time,” said Sam again as the boom swung toward Spain, “when seven out of ten men got on my boat…
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Outlook for Touring in Europe Next Autumn
WWI caused more than a slight decline in tourism to Europe. Now that the war was over in late 1918, would summer 1919 return tourism to normal levels? It would probably take until spring 1920 for tourism to Europe to return to normal levels, predicted Gilbert E. Fuller, President of the American Association of Tourist and Ticket Agents.…
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Entirely New Social Life in Washington
America’s entering of World War I impacted the social scene in Washington: “There will be no formal dinner for the Cabinet officers and their wives at the White House this year. That affair, as well as the three other important dinners and the four receptions ordinarily given in the course of the three Winter months, is…
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Your Pet Cat May Have to Have a License Soon
This is notable for being by far the most “clickbait” style headline the New York Times Sunday Magazine ever featured on this blog. This is perhaps the only headline yet featured that would be written word-for-word the exact same way today. A New York state bill was debated in 1917 that would license all pet…
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Princeton’s Anti-Club Fight Stirs the University
Princeton is known for their “eating clubs,” private institutions not officially affiliated with the university, which are something of a hybrid between a dining hall and a social organization, where most juniors and seniors eat the majority of their meals. There are 11 eating clubs, for which six involve a selection process and four which…
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‘Movies’ and ‘War Game’ as Aids to Our Navy
Unlike any other century-old article that I’ve come across when running this website, this 1916 piece started off as though the writer figured it might be read a century subsequently: “Historians of tomorrow may award the honor of having developed great American naval strategists to the “movies.” That sounds improbable now, but the improbability will…
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New System of Physical Training in Schools
Instituting physical education requirements was all the rage around 1916, with 97 percent of four-year universities having a physical education requirement in 1920. By 2013, according to Oregon State University researcher Brad Cardinal, that number had declined to an all-time low of 39 percent. New System of Physical Training in Schools: Not Merely Gymnastics and Athletics,…
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Nation to Honor Lafayette Next Wednesday
How would people in 1916 have reacted if told that, a century later, Daveed Diggs — a black man — would win the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his rapping role as Marquis de Lafayette? Nation to Honor Lafayette Next Wednesday: 159th Anniversary of Birthday of French Hero of American…
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America’s Switzerland; Three Days From New York
The Canadian Rockies remain a great place to go on vacation. I went last year, spending a week or so in and around Banff, Alberta. A Google Image Search for Banff will show you some of its beauty. There’s a lot of great hiking, it’s easy to reach, not very expensive, and not too crowded.…
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