The Baha’i Faith is a religion that was founded in Persia (now Iran) in the 19th century.  The Baháʼí Faith teaches the essential worth of the fundamental unity of all religions and the essential harmony of all people.  Baha’is regard Jesus, Muhammad, Lord Krishna, Buddha, Jewish prophets, and other prophets as manifestations of the oneness …
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A National Historic Landmark is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior for its outstanding historical significance.  As such, these historic properties illustrate the great heritage of the U.S.  There are over 2,600 of these historically important cultural sites in the country.  Designedly, National …
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Nestled on a hill overlooking the Hudson River, Yonkers’ Untermyer Gardens has been described as  America’s greatest forgotten estate garden.  This property was originally built in 1865 for hat manufacturer John Waring as “Greystone,” a 99-room granite mansion.  Prominent lawyer and civic leader Samuel Untermyer purchased the estate of Greystone in 1899.  16 years later, …
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Genealogy is the tracing of the lines of your ancestors and their descendants.  It is the story of family origins and history.  The study of the history of families, especially through historical documents, allows genealogists to uncover relationships between particular people and families. Learning the history of your ancestors helps you connect more deeply with a …
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America has never known a royal family, but the Vanderbilts came closer to it than any family ever has.  Told by CNN news anchor and journalist Anderson Cooper, and novelist Katherine Howe, Vanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty is the tale of the frittering away of the greatest American fortune.  Cooper and Howe share the …
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In Diamonds and Deadlines: A Tale of Greed, Deceit, and a Female Tycoon in the Gilded Age, Betsy Prioleau opens up the life of media giant and Woodlawn resident Miriam Leslie.  Well-written and researched, Diamonds and Deadlines pores over the legacy of the Gilded Age author, publisher, and suffragette, much of which remains unknown.  The head of a …
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In his Grinnell: America’s Environmental Pioneer and His Restless Drive to Save the West, John Taliaferro tells the story of one of America’s first conservationists George Bird Grinnell.  The son of a New York merchant, Grinell saw a new vision for a nation in the tumult of the Industrial Age.  This biography details Grinell’s prolific life …
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In his Satan’s Circus: Murder, Vice, Police Corruption, and New York’s Trial of the Century, writer and historian Mike Dash brings to life the personalities of one of the city’s most debauched, vice-ridden areas during the 19th and early 20th centuries.  Extremely well-researched, Satan’s Circus gives the wide-angle lens of a square mile of Manhattan between 24th & 40th Streets, …
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Author and historian Hampton Sides’ In the Kingdom of Ice: The Grand and Terrible Polar Voyage of the USS Jeannette is a harrowing tale of polar exploration in the Gilded Age.  Reading like an epic adventure story, In the Kingdom of Ice is a fantastic book about the hurried American attempt to sail to the North Pole via the Bering …
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While we take it for granted, the electric light bulb has been called the most important invention since man-made fire.  Graham Moore’s The Last Days of Light is historical fiction about the fight to spread electricity.  This brilliant journey into the past reignites the feud between prolific inventors and fathers of the electrical industry Thomas Edison and …
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