The Astor Place Riot of 1849 (Episode 60)

05/23/22 • 51 min

On May 10, 1849, wealthy New Yorkers set out for a night at the Astor Place Opera House to enjoy English actor William Macready's performance in "Macbeth". A few streets away, however, fans of rival American actor Edwin Forrest were preparing to 'express their opinion' at the urging of inflammatory press pieces and Tammany Hall. Before the night was out, Astor Place would be the scene of chaos, rioting, and the deaths and injuries of dozens of New Yorkers, police, and soldiers.

On this episode, we're discussing theater hooliganism, William Shakespeare, English vs. American acting styles, and how the New York State militia came to be firing cannons at unarmed American citizens in the middle of Manhattan.

Love the show? Support us on Patreon, at ⁠www.patreon.com/RelativeDisastersPodcast⁠.

Sources:

"Account of the terrific and fatal riot at the New-York Astor Place Opera House, on the night of May 10th, 1849; with the quarrels of Forrest and Macready, including all the causes which led to that awful tragedy! Wherein an infuriated mob was quelled by the public authorities and military, with its mournful termination in the sudden death or mutilation of more than fifty citizens, with full and authentic particulars" by H.M. Ranney, 1849

"Remembering New York City's Opera Riots", S. Simon (host), Weekend Edition, 2006

"When New York City Rioted Over Hamlet Being Too British", by B. G. Kellem for Smithsonian Magazine, 2017

Love the show? Support us on Patreon, at ⁠www.patreon.com/RelativeDisastersPodcast⁠.

Sources:

"Remembering New York City's Opera Riots", S. Simon (host), Weekend Edition, 2006

"When New York City Rioted Over Hamlet Being Too British", by B. G. Kellem for Smithsonian Magazine, 2017

Previous Episode

The 1904 Wreck of the Paddle Steamer General Slocum (Episode 59)

On a sunny June day in 1904, well over a thousand German-American residents of Manhattan set out for a picnic and river cruise aboard the stately P.S. General Slocum. Fourteen years old, freshly painted and polished, and enjoying a reputation as one of New York's largest and most comfortable excursion steamships, the General Slocum was also a master class in maritime safety violations, with lifeboats that couldn't be launched, life preservers that couldn't float, and a fire suppression system that relied on rotten hoses and an untrained crew. Two hours after her launch that day, the vast majority of her passengers would be dead; the remainder would spend years trying to come to terms with New York's worst maritime disaster.

On this episode, we're discussing fake safety inspections, imaginary fire drills, what makes cork float, swimming in Hell Gate, life in New York City's Little Germany, and some theories on why some disasters are remembered far longer than others.

Love the show? Support us on Patreon, at ⁠www.patreon.com/RelativeDisastersPodcast⁠.

Sources for this episode include:

New York’s Awful Steamboat Horror, HD Northrup, 1905

The General Slocum, by J. Kalafus for Gare Maritime, 2007

"The General Slocum Disaster of June 15, 1904", by V Wingfield for the New York Public Library Blog, 2011

"Thousands Sob as Baby Unveils Slocum Statue" NY Times, 1905

“Fearful Visitation, The Steamship Fire of the General Slocum, 1904” documentary by PBS, 2004

Next Episode

The 1920 Collapse of Charles Ponzi's Scheme (Episode 61)

In 1903, a young Italian man emigrated to America in hopes of finding work, love, and money. Over the following thirty years, Charles Ponzi would work dozens of jobs, form several companies, marry a very nice stenographer, and become an important (and notorious) member of the immigrant Italian-American communities he landed in.

On this episode, we're taking a deep dive into Ponzi's background and the dozens of smaller scams that informed the financial scheme he's best known for - the wild success and inevitable collapse of his Securities and Exchange Company, a fraud which caused the collapse of six banks and removed 20 million dollars from the local economy.

Love the show? Support us on Patreon, at ⁠www.patreon.com/RelativeDisastersPodcast⁠.

Sources for this article include:

"Charles Ponzi - Biography (1882–1949)", Staff writer, Biography.Com, 2014

"In Ponzi We Trust", by M. Darby for Smithsonian Magazine, 1998

"The Rise of Mr. Ponzi", by C. Ponzi, 1935

"Charles Ponzi, The Financial Idiot Who Drove Boston Money Mad in 1920", Staff writer, New England Historical Society, 2021