People used to dress so modestly when they visited tar beach.  By Martin Lewis, 1935, via Ephemeral New York.

New York in 1922.  So little has changed, really.  From Cine-Mundial, 1922.

"It's a big berg, but I'll risk it!"  From The Judge, 1916.

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(Photos originally scanned by the SMU Central University Libraries).

"The New-York Anti-Orange-Peel and Banana-Skin Association, as they appear in their great humanitarian feat of clearing the side-walks."  From Punchinello, April 9, 1870.  [Notice all those hyphens in the caption.  Under a microscope, each hyphen is, in turn, a miniature orange peel and banana skin.]

Q: Why does it seem to take forever to drive across New York State?

A: Because of the shape and geographical orientation of New York State, time actually slows down north of New York City and makes all travel seem incredibly monotonous. Einstein called this the Upstate Temporal Distortion Effect, which he discovered during a trip from Princeton to Cornell. Note that it also explains the phenomenon of the "New York Minute."

Recent studies have suggested that the magnetic field of the earth has a slight "bulge" around New York State, now thought to be related to the type of metal reinforcements used in the structural mass of the Erie Canal locks, and this could explain the time-dilation effect.