New York Almanack

Vietnam War Oral History Subject of Long Island History Project
Colonel Billy Wilson: A Notable New York Bully
19th Century Tales Of Cabbage Worms
Poetry: Creation

Vietnam War Oral History Subject of Long Island History Project

Posted: 17 Jul 2021 11:00 AM PDT

On the next few episodes of the Long Island History Project, we are revisiting the Vietnam War through the eyes of three local residents, each with their own perspective on the conflict and its devastating aftermath. Today we hear from Oyster Bay resident Jack Parente who was drafted out of college and served in the Army’s 1st Calvary Division. These stories come to us through the work of historian Christopher Verga, who has been recording oral histories with veterans throughout the region.

Colonel Billy Wilson: A Notable New York Bully

Posted: 17 Jul 2021 09:00 AM PDT

Book purchases made through this link support New York Almanack’s mission to report new publications relevant to New York State.

The new book A Notable Bully: Colonel Billy Wilson, Masculinity, and the Pursuit of Violence in the Civil War Era (Kent State University Press, 2021) by Robert E. Cray is the substantial biography of a Civil War scoundrel and streetwise politico.

Largely forgotten by historians, Billy Wilson (1822–1874) was well known throughout New York City, a man shaped by the city's immigrant culture, its harsh voting practices, and its efforts to participate in the War for the Union.

19th Century Tales Of Cabbage Worms

Posted: 17 Jul 2021 06:30 AM PDT

In Ray Bradbury's 1952 science fiction story A Sound of Thunder, Eckels, a time-traveling safari hunter accidentally steps on a butterfly during prehistoric times, which triggers a massive change to the eco-system when Eckels returns to 2055 society.

If it's so that a single action can have consequences centuries later, I wonder about ramifications from the mass extermination of butterflies by a witty, well-meaning, 19th century Hague (on Lake George in Warren County) cabbage farmer.

Poetry: Creation

Posted: 17 Jul 2021 06:00 AM PDT

Creation

Long after the rules of magic,
a lush smoke of pipe tobacco
rises from the dried leaves,
prayers cast in the black and oily birth light.

Read More Poems From the New York Almanack HERE.