Behind The Scenes

In the months leading up to the 1952 presidential election, the campaigns were having a vigorous debate—about television. President Harry Truman had declined to run for another term, and the contest was shaping up between Illinois Governor Adlai Stevenson for the Democrats and Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower for the Republicans. At this point in history,…

In an age of constant photo-ops and perpetual press releases, American presidents must cultivate public approval through the channels of ever-changing communication and technology. In this audio recording of a 2016 Public Program, history scholar David Greenberg and CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin provide an in-depth look at how the American presidency has evolved over the…

Gracie Mansion has been the official residence of New York City’s mayor since the 1940s, but its history goes back much farther than that. It was named for Archibald Gracie, the wealthy merchant who built the house in 1799 as his private residence at what is now East End Ave. and East 88th St. New-York Historical has its…

The internment of Japanese Americans during World War II is one of the ugliest chapters in U.S. history. Starting in 1942, 120,000 citizens of Japanese descent on the Pacific coast were forced to abandon their homes and businesses and relocate to distant concentrations camps. Below, listen to two audio recordings of Public Programs that explore this era: the first, with…

In honor of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, we’re revisiting some of the touching human stories we collected from our 2014 exhibition Chinese American: Exclusion/Inclusion. The exhibition explored the complex history of the Chinese in America and the themes of immigration, citizenship, and belonging that shaped the Chinese American experience. To complement the exhibition, we highlighted…

As the famous saying goes, journalism is the first rough draft of history. Over the years, our Public Programs have touched on the world of newspapers, reporting, and media, and how it has helped shape the momentous events in American history. Enjoy two audio recordings with diverse views of the news: first, an exploration of the…

In 2010, our Public Program series welcomed an all-star lineup: journalist and then-New York Times columnist Bob Herbert, The New Yorker‘s Adam Gopnik, and boxing writer and sports historian Bert Sugar (who sadly, passed away in 2012). The subject of their talk was an irresistible one for any sports fan who’s missing the action during lockdown: longshots, underdogs,…

Our Public Programs have long explored the rich history of Jewish life in America from the colonial era to the present day. They’ve also, not surprisingly, grappled with the ongoing scourge of anti-Semitism and its pernicious hold on world affairs. Listen to two audio programs below that tackle two very different facets of Jewish life: first, a fascinating…

People around the world are stuck at home and socially distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. So, we want to bring the outdoors inside. The New-York Historical Society partnered with the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C., to send virtual rays of #MuseumSunshine to lighten moods and brighten social media feeds. Dear @metmuseum, we…