TWO LIVING WHALES TWO LIVING WHALES

May 5, 2012 2:29 PM

Did P.T. Barnum keep live whales in his museum on Broadway? When were penguins stolen from the Coney Island Aquarium? How much horse manure was deposited on the streets of New York City before the automobile, and what happened to it? Answers to these question and more at the New York Historical Society Library's short video series When did the Statue of Liberty Turn Green?

Related...

- the story of the whales' capture and display on Google Books [and in text]
- The Lost Museum and their animals on display archive (previously)
- letters between Barnum and Henry Bergh of the ASPCA
- Montreal newspaper story about stolen penguin
- NY Times on the public health hazard of horse manure

posted by jessamyn (13 comments total)

Didn't know about the penguin theft before, but it sounds like John Patrick Shanley used it as the inspiration for a scene in the movie Five Corners.
posted by jonp72 at 2:44 PM on May 5, 2012

I totally watch all of these programs. I hope when Bloomberg leaves office, the next mayor will keep these programs (and the station!) going.
posted by Yellow at 2:57 PM on May 5, 2012

Yay fun facts! Yay librarians!
posted by a humble nudibranch at 3:03 PM on May 5, 2012

Thanks for this.

I've always wanted to visit NYC but I have a very real fear of bed bugs, and bringing them home with me.
posted by Malice at 3:03 PM on May 5, 2012

Not to look a gift horse in the mouth, bu thy are these interesting videos stranded on a web site with a url no human can remember?

1. they should be a podcast people can subscribe to

2. the videos should be downloadable

3. they should probably also be on YouTube
posted by subpixel at 4:32 PM on May 5, 2012 [2 favorites]

Is there a video in the series "When did the Statue of Liberty Turn Green?" that actually tells us when the Statue of Liberty turned green? I couldn't find one, but that might be the layout of the site.
posted by decathecting at 4:37 PM on May 5, 2012 [5 favorites]

I couldn't find a video either, decathecting, but the answer's on Wikipedia: "Originally, the statue was a dull copper color, but shortly after 1900 a green patina, also called verdigris, caused by the oxidation of the copper skin, began to spread. As early as 1902 it was mentioned in the press; by 1906 it had entirely covered the statue."
posted by Sys Rq at 4:55 PM on May 5, 2012

In the redverse, the Statue of Liberty didn't' turn green.
posted by birdherder at 4:57 PM on May 5, 2012 [2 favorites]

birdherder, I was just about to post that.

Here's the video from the NY Historical Society Site addressing the question, When Did the Statue of Liberty Turn Green?
posted by crossoverman at 5:03 PM on May 5, 2012

decathecting: "Is there a video in the series "When did the Statue of Liberty Turn Green?" that actually tells us when the Statue of Liberty turned green? I couldn't find one, but that might be the layout of the site."

It took me a bit to find it as well. Above the grid of possible videos at the right there is a little scroll triangle, it's on the second page.

These are all great!
posted by Defenestrator at 6:40 PM on May 5, 2012

And here I had this instant vision of the Statue of Liberty being put up as shiny as a freshly-minted penny, ship captains complaining that the reflection at certain hours of the day was causing them to crash their ships into Bayonne or Brooklyn, and thousands of volunteers being lowered on ropes from the crown and torch to rub their hands all over Lady Liberty in order to take the shine off.

...fuck it, I like my version better. Let's start an urban legend!
posted by Halloween Jack at 7:35 PM on May 5, 2012 [4 favorites]

These are great, and addictive. But yeah, the layout is shockingly terrible. Someone needs to overhaul the entire presentation so these little gems get discovered by more people.
posted by the bricabrac man at 8:04 PM on May 5, 2012

Amazing. I've always been curious about the New-York Historical Society, and now I know I have to check it out!
posted by tickingclock at 6:52 AM on May 6, 2012