B
In 1840, Knickerbocker Alleys opened in NYC as the very
first indoor bowling alley.
In 1846, the oldest surviving bowling lanes were built as part of the summer
home (Roseland Cottage) of Henry
Chandler Bowen, businessman, publisher, and founder of New York-based
newspaper The Independent. Roseland
Cottage is preserved today and recognized as a National Historic Landmark.
William Henry McCarty, Jr. – aka Billy the Kid, might have shown a gentler side
had he stayed in New York and joined a bowling league instead of traipsing off
(after the untimely death of his mother) with his younger brother in tow for
outlandish adventures in the great out west. A notorious thief, though he never
once robbed a bank, train, or stagecoach, The Kid gave the natives a run for
their money in the business of Horse-thieving – even if he did make a few
enemies in the process. According to legend and old “Wanted” posters, Billy was
responsible for the deaths of at least 21 people, one for every year The Kid
himself had lived. This was corroborated and put to paper by none other than
Sheriff Pat Garrett, who ended Billy’s short, chaotic life in the summer of
1881.
Founded in 1635, the Boston Latin School is both the first and oldest public school
in America. Considered an educational priority in the 17th century,
Latin proficiency was a requirement of all colonial colleges. Accordingly,
Boston Latin prepared elite students for admission to Harvard, though very few
graduates ever went on to college because businesses and professions did not
require college degrees back then.
If for a moment you forgot to think about the world at large, my work here is done ;-)
Hi, diedre!
ReplyDeleteGosh, I forgot that you mentioned you are doing the A to Z run this year. I look forward to following you through the month.
I enjoyed the trivia in your "B" post. The piece about Knickerbocker Alleys reminds me that bowling establishments were still being called "alleys" when I was a boy. That word was dropped and the more family friendly term "lanes" went into widespread use sometime during the 70s, I believe.
The second topic reminded me of The Tall Man, the TV Western series I watched from 1960 to 1962. It starred Barry Sullivan as Pat Garrett and Clu Gulager as Billy the Kid. Marianna Hill, "Gabby" in Red Line 7000, one of my favorite movies of all time, appeared in five episodes of The Tall Man.
Good work on this "B" post, dear friend diedre. I'll "C" you tomorrow!
Hi Shady!
ReplyDeleteGrandma bowled every Saturday night at a place called Golden Pins. Come to think of it, she never called it an alley.
I don't remember The Tall Man series, though all westerns were welcome on our TV ;-)
Thanks for stopping by!