September 4, 2020 • 10 mins
A series of events known as the Peekskill Riots ended on this day in 1949. / On this day in 1882, Edison's Pearl Street Station in Manhattan began generating electricity.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey, y'all, We're rerunning two episodes today, which means you
might hear two hosts. Enjoy the show. Welcome to this
Day in History Class from how Stuff Works dot Com
and from the desk of Stuff you Missed in History Class.
It's the show where we explore the past, one day
at a time with a quick look at what happened
today in history. Hello, and welcome to the podcast. I'm
(00:24):
Tracy V. Wilson, and it's September four. The Peak Skill
Riots ended on this day in nineteen forty nine. This
was a series of ongoing violence, but it had two
key moments, effectively two different riots that are connected together.
The first one followed an open air concert that was
scheduled in Peak Skill, New York on August nine to
(00:47):
be there were Paul Robeson, Woody Guthrie, Lee Hayes, and Pizza.
Here they were raising money for the Civil Rights Congress. Actor, singer,
and activist Paul Robeson had really been out spoken on
the issue of racism and four civil rights and against fascism,
and in the months leading up to this planned appearance,
(01:08):
he had made a statement at the Paris Peace Conference
about being determined to fight for peace and not wishing
to fight the Soviet Union. But what was reported as
what he had said was something else entirely and something
that is still attributed to him, which was quote, is
unthinkable that the Negro people of America or elsewhere would
(01:29):
be drawn into war with the Soviet Union. People took
this statement to mean that Paul Robeson was pro Soviet
Union and that all black people were pro Soviet Union.
It became a talking point that he was a communist
and that he was anti American, that he was loyal
to the U s s R. Even though he had
(01:50):
appeared in Peak Skill three summers in a row before
nineteen forty nine. This Paris Peace Conference statement and the
way it was reported really solidified and people minds that
this should not be allowed. Reporting in the Evening Star
in Peaks Ciel also made it clear that Robeson was
to be considered a communist and a subversive. There was
(02:11):
a lot of press leading up to this appearance about
how it should not be allowed to happen. So the
night of the concert, a mob tried to block the area.
They yelled white supremacist slogans, they burned across and they
tried to set the picnic area at the park where
this is happening on fire. Meanwhile, the performance tried to
go on. The people in attendance were largely black and Jewish,
(02:33):
and people who were attending the concert linked their arms
up to try to keep the mob away from the
concert site. The police eventually arrived and dispersed everyone, and
there were no fatalities, but there were a lot of
injuries and the concert had to be rescheduled for September four.
Leading up to that rescheduled concert, the American Legion and
the Veterans of Foreign Wars planned to protest. The Joint
(02:56):
Veterans Council held a meeting to discuss a plan for
what to do you, and organizations like the Chamber of
Commerce and the j c's publicly issued statements opposing the
rescheduled concert. They were also labor and civil rights organization
on the other side who supported the performance and who
criticized the reporting in the Evening Star for stoking violence
(03:18):
and racist sentiments. Trade unions also made a plan to
try to defend the concert site, and the concert came
on September four that started with classical music and then
folk music by those original performers and Paul Robeson. After
the concert, law enforcement routed the people who had been
there down a back road where men and boys were
(03:39):
waiting to throw rocks and bricks at their cars. Cars
were overturned, windows were smashed. There were bus drivers who
fled the scene and left their passengers stranded in this melee.
Later on it was alleged that the Ku Klux Klan
was involved with this. There was an active chapter of
the Ku Klux Klan near Peak Skill, and the police
(04:00):
had coordinated with the assailants by radio. Racism, anti Semitism,
and anti communist sentiments were all tied up in this.
This was a precursor to the Second Red Scare. At
Joseph McCarthy's investigation of Communist infiltration into the government in
nine fifty the U. S. State Department refused to renew
(04:20):
Robeson's passport so that he could no longer travel internationally
for performances, and then he was blacklisted within the industry
for his views and for his civil rights work. He
died in nineteen seventy six of a stroke. Thanks to
Eve's Jeff Code for her research work today on this episode,
and thanks to Tari Harrison for her audio work on
this show. You can subscribe to the Stay in History
(04:41):
Class on Apple podcast, Google podcast, nor else to get
your podcast. And tomorrow we'll have a word with a
very clear meaning, but that meaning has shifted a lot
over the years. Hi, I'm Eve's and welcome to This
Day in History Class, a show that uncovers a little
(05:04):
bit more about history every day. Yeah, the day was
September four, two Pearl Street Station, the first commercial central
power plant in the United States, started generating electricity. Building
(05:28):
on the work of other inventors, Edison created an incandescent
lighting system. He had already constructed experimental power installations. He
used a dynamo now known as a generator to deliver
power to each of these small installations, but incandescent lighting
in homes and indoors was becoming more popular and a
(05:50):
substantial source of power was needed. In eighteen eighty, the
same year he received the patent for his incandescent lamp,
Thomas Edison Estable was the Edison Electric Illuminating Company of
New York to build power stations in New York City.
Edison decided to build the first permanent central power stations
(06:10):
for supplying incandescent lighting in New York's Financial District in
Lower Manhattan. Construction of the station began in one The
mechanical and electrical part of the plant was at two
fifty seven Pearl Street. Since the building was constructed for
commercial use, the structure had to be strengthened to hold
all of the necessary equipment. The flooring was replaced with
(06:34):
a floor of girders supported by columns. The building used
for storage, sleeping, and offices was at two fifty five
Pearl Streets. Each building had four floors. Edison chose this
location because it provided a good mix of commercial and
residential business and was home to many major newspapers. It
(06:58):
was also close to the Western Union, tell Aography Company,
and City Hall. The company paid around three hundred thousand
dollars to buy the properties and build the station and
distribution system. Constructing the network of wires and conduits that
delivered energy to customers was one of the most expensive
parts of the project. After administrative expenses, canvasing, and patent
(07:23):
license fees, the cost came to about five hundred thousand dollars.
Four two hundred and forty horsepower. Babcock and Wilcox boilers
were in the basement of two fifty seven Pearl Streets.
Six engine and dynamo assemblies were on the floor above that.
The dynamos were driven by reciprocating steam engines supplied by
(07:46):
coal fired boilers. Each assembly weighed about thirty tons and
was rated for around twelve hundred lamps. The third floor
housed wooden frames wrapped with copper wire resistances that were
used for manually regulating the dynamo fields. The fourth floor
was home to a thousand lamps that were used to
(08:06):
test dynamos that needed inspection or repair. The first engine
and generator assembly was tested on July five, eight two.
The station went into service on September four. Pearl Street
station used direct current, which is an electric current that
flows in one direction with alternating current. On the other hand,
(08:27):
the electric current changes direction periodically. Customers were not charged
for current until eighteen eighty three, after the system for
accurately recording the flow of current had proven reliable. The
first bill was to the Antonia Brass and Copper Company
for fifty dollars and forty four cents. The New York
(08:48):
Times Offices were one of Edison's first customers. Pearl Street
station did not become profitable until eighteen eighty four. Other
direct current, low voltage central State Asian electric systems were
later built around New York City. In January of eight
ninety a fire destroyed some of the station, but it
(09:09):
was back up and running not long after and stayed
in operation until Though Edison defended the use of direct current,
the rest of the world was gravitating towards alternating current
by the time at Pearl Street stations shut down. Other
power plants have been designed to service larger areas. Edison
(09:30):
sold the buildings and they were later torn down. I'm
Eves Jeff Code, and hopefully you know a little more
about history today than you did yesterday. If there's something
that I missed in an episode, you can share it
on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook at t D I h
C podcast. Thank you for joining me today. See you
(09:54):
same place, same time tomorrow. For more podcasts from iHeart Radio,
visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you
listen to your favorite shows.
Hey, y'all, We're rerunning two episodes today, which means you
might hear two hosts. Enjoy the show. Welcome to this
Day in History Class from how Stuff Works dot Com
and from the desk of Stuff you Missed in History Class.
It's the show where we explore the past, one day
at a time with a quick look at what happened
today in history. Hello, and welcome to the podcast. I'm
(00:24):
Tracy V. Wilson, and it's September four. The Peak Skill
Riots ended on this day in nineteen forty nine. This
was a series of ongoing violence, but it had two
key moments, effectively two different riots that are connected together.
The first one followed an open air concert that was
scheduled in Peak Skill, New York on August nine to
(00:47):
be there were Paul Robeson, Woody Guthrie, Lee Hayes, and Pizza.
Here they were raising money for the Civil Rights Congress. Actor, singer,
and activist Paul Robeson had really been out spoken on
the issue of racism and four civil rights and against fascism,
and in the months leading up to this planned appearance,
(01:08):
he had made a statement at the Paris Peace Conference
about being determined to fight for peace and not wishing
to fight the Soviet Union. But what was reported as
what he had said was something else entirely and something
that is still attributed to him, which was quote, is
unthinkable that the Negro people of America or elsewhere would
(01:29):
be drawn into war with the Soviet Union. People took
this statement to mean that Paul Robeson was pro Soviet
Union and that all black people were pro Soviet Union.
It became a talking point that he was a communist
and that he was anti American, that he was loyal
to the U s s R. Even though he had
(01:50):
appeared in Peak Skill three summers in a row before
nineteen forty nine. This Paris Peace Conference statement and the
way it was reported really solidified and people minds that
this should not be allowed. Reporting in the Evening Star
in Peaks Ciel also made it clear that Robeson was
to be considered a communist and a subversive. There was
(02:11):
a lot of press leading up to this appearance about
how it should not be allowed to happen. So the
night of the concert, a mob tried to block the area.
They yelled white supremacist slogans, they burned across and they
tried to set the picnic area at the park where
this is happening on fire. Meanwhile, the performance tried to
go on. The people in attendance were largely black and Jewish,
(02:33):
and people who were attending the concert linked their arms
up to try to keep the mob away from the
concert site. The police eventually arrived and dispersed everyone, and
there were no fatalities, but there were a lot of
injuries and the concert had to be rescheduled for September four.
Leading up to that rescheduled concert, the American Legion and
the Veterans of Foreign Wars planned to protest. The Joint
(02:56):
Veterans Council held a meeting to discuss a plan for
what to do you, and organizations like the Chamber of
Commerce and the j c's publicly issued statements opposing the
rescheduled concert. They were also labor and civil rights organization
on the other side who supported the performance and who
criticized the reporting in the Evening Star for stoking violence
(03:18):
and racist sentiments. Trade unions also made a plan to
try to defend the concert site, and the concert came
on September four that started with classical music and then
folk music by those original performers and Paul Robeson. After
the concert, law enforcement routed the people who had been
there down a back road where men and boys were
(03:39):
waiting to throw rocks and bricks at their cars. Cars
were overturned, windows were smashed. There were bus drivers who
fled the scene and left their passengers stranded in this melee.
Later on it was alleged that the Ku Klux Klan
was involved with this. There was an active chapter of
the Ku Klux Klan near Peak Skill, and the police
(04:00):
had coordinated with the assailants by radio. Racism, anti Semitism,
and anti communist sentiments were all tied up in this.
This was a precursor to the Second Red Scare. At
Joseph McCarthy's investigation of Communist infiltration into the government in
nine fifty the U. S. State Department refused to renew
(04:20):
Robeson's passport so that he could no longer travel internationally
for performances, and then he was blacklisted within the industry
for his views and for his civil rights work. He
died in nineteen seventy six of a stroke. Thanks to
Eve's Jeff Code for her research work today on this episode,
and thanks to Tari Harrison for her audio work on
this show. You can subscribe to the Stay in History
(04:41):
Class on Apple podcast, Google podcast, nor else to get
your podcast. And tomorrow we'll have a word with a
very clear meaning, but that meaning has shifted a lot
over the years. Hi, I'm Eve's and welcome to This
Day in History Class, a show that uncovers a little
(05:04):
bit more about history every day. Yeah, the day was
September four, two Pearl Street Station, the first commercial central
power plant in the United States, started generating electricity. Building
(05:28):
on the work of other inventors, Edison created an incandescent
lighting system. He had already constructed experimental power installations. He
used a dynamo now known as a generator to deliver
power to each of these small installations, but incandescent lighting
in homes and indoors was becoming more popular and a
(05:50):
substantial source of power was needed. In eighteen eighty, the
same year he received the patent for his incandescent lamp,
Thomas Edison Estable was the Edison Electric Illuminating Company of
New York to build power stations in New York City.
Edison decided to build the first permanent central power stations
(06:10):
for supplying incandescent lighting in New York's Financial District in
Lower Manhattan. Construction of the station began in one The
mechanical and electrical part of the plant was at two
fifty seven Pearl Street. Since the building was constructed for
commercial use, the structure had to be strengthened to hold
all of the necessary equipment. The flooring was replaced with
(06:34):
a floor of girders supported by columns. The building used
for storage, sleeping, and offices was at two fifty five
Pearl Streets. Each building had four floors. Edison chose this
location because it provided a good mix of commercial and
residential business and was home to many major newspapers. It
(06:58):
was also close to the Western Union, tell Aography Company,
and City Hall. The company paid around three hundred thousand
dollars to buy the properties and build the station and
distribution system. Constructing the network of wires and conduits that
delivered energy to customers was one of the most expensive
parts of the project. After administrative expenses, canvasing, and patent
(07:23):
license fees, the cost came to about five hundred thousand dollars.
Four two hundred and forty horsepower. Babcock and Wilcox boilers
were in the basement of two fifty seven Pearl Streets.
Six engine and dynamo assemblies were on the floor above that.
The dynamos were driven by reciprocating steam engines supplied by
(07:46):
coal fired boilers. Each assembly weighed about thirty tons and
was rated for around twelve hundred lamps. The third floor
housed wooden frames wrapped with copper wire resistances that were
used for manually regulating the dynamo fields. The fourth floor
was home to a thousand lamps that were used to
(08:06):
test dynamos that needed inspection or repair. The first engine
and generator assembly was tested on July five, eight two.
The station went into service on September four. Pearl Street
station used direct current, which is an electric current that
flows in one direction with alternating current. On the other hand,
(08:27):
the electric current changes direction periodically. Customers were not charged
for current until eighteen eighty three, after the system for
accurately recording the flow of current had proven reliable. The
first bill was to the Antonia Brass and Copper Company
for fifty dollars and forty four cents. The New York
(08:48):
Times Offices were one of Edison's first customers. Pearl Street
station did not become profitable until eighteen eighty four. Other
direct current, low voltage central State Asian electric systems were
later built around New York City. In January of eight
ninety a fire destroyed some of the station, but it
(09:09):
was back up and running not long after and stayed
in operation until Though Edison defended the use of direct current,
the rest of the world was gravitating towards alternating current
by the time at Pearl Street stations shut down. Other
power plants have been designed to service larger areas. Edison
(09:30):
sold the buildings and they were later torn down. I'm
Eves Jeff Code, and hopefully you know a little more
about history today than you did yesterday. If there's something
that I missed in an episode, you can share it
on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook at t D I h
C podcast. Thank you for joining me today. See you
(09:54):
same place, same time tomorrow. For more podcasts from iHeart Radio,
visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you
listen to your favorite shows.
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