Month: January 2014

Joan Rivers: A Green-Wood Fan

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I have been writing the Green-Wood Historian’s Blog for almost 3 years now. I have thought about writing many stories related to Green-Wood. But, I must admit, I never thought I would be writing a blog post about comedian Joan Rivers. Now, I must admit, Joan Rivers is one of my secret pleasures. Though I … Read more

January 29: Polly Platt

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January 29: Polly Platt, Hollywood producer, screenwriter, and production designer, who wrote the screenplay for “Pretty Baby” and was the production designer for “The Last Picture Show,” “Paper Moon,” and “What’s Up Doc,” was born on this date in 1939.

Where in the World is Anthony Berger?

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Where has Anthony Berger gone? In the 1860s, Anthony Berger ran Mathew Brady’s Washington D.C. National Photographic Art Gallery. It was Berger who, during the Civil War, took some of the most famous portraits of President Abraham Lincoln. But, as noted in Mathew Brady and His World, “[c]amera operators came and went . . .” … Read more

January 28: Samuel Chester Reid

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January 28: Samuel Chester Reid, whose idea for changes to the American flag as new states were admitted to the Union (change the number of stars but maintain the 13 stripes) was adopted into law in 1818, died on this date in 1861.

January 25: George Francis Train

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January 25: On this date in 1904, George Francis Train, a character if there ever was one, who went around the world in 90 days and became the model for Phineas Fogg, and who charged admission to his rallies during his 1872 presidential campaign (in which he got few votes but made much money), died.