Images of Modern America

The 1964-1965 New York World's Fair showcases the beauty of this international spectacular through rare color photographs, published here for the first time.

Advertised as the "Billion-Dollar Fair," the 1964-1965 New York World's Fair transformed a sleepy park in the borough of Queens into a fantasy world enjoyed by more than 51 million visitors from around the world. While many countries and states exhibited at the fair, the most memorable pavilions were built by the giants of American industry. Their exhibits took guests backward and forward in time, all the while extolling how marvelous everyday life would be through the use of their products. Many of the techniques used in these shows set the standard for future fairs and theme parks, and the pavilions that housed them remain the most elaborate structures ever built for an American fair.

Track the history of the Florida East Coast Railway from its beginning in 1885-present day.

The benchmark for US railroad operations, the Florida East Coast (FEC) Railway is often referred to by other American railroads as the best-maintained and -operated railroad in the country. The FEC Railway can trace its lineage back to December 31, 1885, the day Henry M. Flagler purchased the Jacksonville, St. Augustine & Halifax River Railway. The FEC was known for its famous passenger trains, and the last scheduled FEC Railway passenger train ran on July 31, 1968, due to the work stoppage by the nonoperating unions that began on January 22, 1963. Although without passenger trains since 1968, the FEC's partner, All Aboard Florida, with its Brightline trains, will soon establish a new standard for privately operated rail passenger service in America. Today, caboose-less, the FEC operates numerous high-speed freight trains between Jacksonville and Miami.

Kings Park Psychiatric Center, or "the Psych Center" as it is known locally, was unique for its time, as its focus was on patient care and making the hospital as "homelike" as possible.

The facility was made up of a series of smaller buildings to give the feeling of community to the patients and staff alike, and both men and women were treated fairly and humanely. Long Island was home to many immigrants, some of whom had difficulty adjusting to life in the United States. This unique population led to interesting personal stories of those who worked at this facility, those who were institutionalized, and their families. The authors took the time to listen to their stories and endeavored to understand their pasts and recognize how these events continue to influence the mental-health industry today. Pictured throughout are the physical relics of the now-abandoned Psych Center, where these stories unfurled.

To demonstrate the special place Italian immigrants hold in the city of New York to this day, readers will experience a visual tour of their traditions and landmarks.

New York City's five boroughs have been home to more Italian immigrants than any other place in America. Over the last 140 years, scores of Italian neighborhoods have spanned Manhattan, Brooklyn, Staten Island, Queens, and the Bronx. These communities preserve their heritage by celebrating special events and feasts, such as Manhattan's 130-year-old Feast of St. Rocco, the Dance of the Giglio in East Harlem and Williamsburg, and saint processions for Padre Pio and Maria Addolorata; maintaining famous Mulberry Street storefronts and the Arthur Avenue Market in Little Italy, as well as popular bakeries and restaurants in Greenwich Village and Queens; and supporting and worshipping at notable Italian churches, like Brooklyn's Our Lady of Mount Carmel Shrine Church and Alba House, a religious bookstore on Staten Island.

Journey through the complicated economic and environmental history of the steel industry in The Mon.Perfect for fans of the history of American industrialization.

Pittsburgh's Monongahela Riveris named after the Lenape Indianword Menaonkihela, meaning where banks cave and erode. The name is fitting: for over a century, these riverbanks were lined with steel plants and railroads that have now caved and erodedaway.

By the 1880s, Carnegie Steelwas the world's largest manufacturer of iron, steel rails, and coke. However, in the 1970s, cheap foreign steel flooded the market. Following the 1981-1982 recession, the plants laid off 153,000 workers. The year 1985 saw the beginning of demolition; by 1990, seven of nine major steel plants had shut down.Duquesne, Homestead, Jones & Laughlin, and Eliza Furnaceare gone; only the Edgar Thomsonplant remains as a producer of steel.

The industry could be said to have built and nearly destroyed the region both economically and environmentally. While these steel plants are lost today, the legacy of their workers is not forgotten.

In the first comprehensive photographic account of the Saturn V, relive the drama of the Space Race through the production of the rocket that would carry Neil Armstrong and crew to the moon.

In 1961, Pres. John F. Kennedy set the challenge of landing a man on the moon by the end of the decade. In order to achieve this, NASA partnered with US industry to build the largest rocket ever produced, the Saturn V. It was designed and tested in record time and made its first flight in 1967. Less than two years later and within the timescales set by the president, the crew of Apollo 11 was launched on a Saturn V and watched live by millions of people on televisions around the world. From this launch, Neil Armstrong made his famous giant leap for mankind, later to be followed by 11 other astronauts who also walked on the moon.

Baseball lives, whether one interprets that as meaning that the country's national pastime is still breathing and well after nearly two centuries or as a reference to the people who work in the "industry."

More than 50 years ago, one young man became employed by the Chicago White Sox and began photographing virtually everybody with whom he worked. His intention was to have pictures of his friends and coworkers for the future. Now, Arcadia Publishing is proud to add Lloyd Rutzky's memories of his "team" experiences to its Images of Modern America series in this volume, a companion to the groundbreaking Wrigley Field's Amazing Vendors, published in 2018.

Skip down the Yellow Brick Road with author and historian Tim Hollis as you uncover the history of this beloved mountaintop attraction.

In 1966, North Carolina tourism moguls Grover, Harry, and Spencer Robbins began exploring ways to utilize their new ski facilities atop Beech Mountain during the summer. They brought in their associate Jack Pentes to come up with an idea. As a long-time fan of The Wizard of Oz, Pentes planned and developed the Land of Oz theme park, opening in June 1970. The park did not resemble the famous 1939 MGM movie or the Oz as depicted in L. Frank Baum's book. Instead, Pentes interpreted his own vision of Oz, with a comical Wicked Witch and a wizard who did not turn out to be a fake. The Land of Oz closed after its 1980 operating season and was left to deteriorate. Since 1990, however, its remnants have been secured and restored. The property is now available for special events, and a giant Oz celebration takes place each autumn.

Freedomland opened on June 19, 1960, in the Baychester section of the Bronx, New York. Historically themed attractions and costumed cast members were located throughout the seven sections.

Designed by Marco Engineering of Los Angeles for International Recreation Corporation, it was the third and largest innovative theme park built across America to mimic Disneyland. Constructed in the shape of the United States and presenting 200 years of American history, Freedomland was intended to be both exciting and educational. In addition, Freedomland offered national and local stars, big bands, and daily entertainment events. Professional character actors also worked throughout the park. Through photographs, Freedomland: 1960-1964 takes a tour of all seven sections of Freedomland and more. Although it was open for just five seasons, the park's guests and cast members were fortunate to have their very own "Disneyland of the East."

Witness a never-before-seen perspective of the personnel who have become legends in their own in the stands of The Friendly Confines.

In 1970, a vendor at Wrigley Field had an amazing idea to turn his personal camera away from the baseball diamond and toward his fellow ballpark hawkers as they went about their daily jobs of selling souvenirs, programs, hot dogs, ice cream, and soft drinks. Along the way, he also captured images of other employees - ushers, security staff, commissary workers, and union officials. The result, Wrigley Field's Amazing Vendors, offers an inside look of Major League Baseball that Arcadia Publishing is proud to include in its Images of Modern America series. The subjects themselves are amazing: a blind Frosty Malt vendor; a singing peanut vendor; a Coca-Cola vendor who went on to become an economic adviser to the president of the United States. Many of the vendors photographed in the 1970s are still in the aisles of Wrigley Field today. Others left for new career opportunities, while a few became legends in vending history.