Throughout the years as the weather turned warmer, New Yorkers of all stripes rushed to the shores. Capitalizing on this trend, entrepreneurs began to build attractions to make the journey even more enticing. Take a peek into the history of these historic parks.

In 1926 Europe's famed "Hakoah" (meaning: the strength, in Hebrew) team arrived here from their hometown of Vienna to play local soccer superstars "The Brooklyn Wanderers" well, it was front page news in the Forward..

Group of Socialist leaders including Forward editor in chief Ab Cahan (in center, looking to his right), former Vienna, Austria vice-Mayor Dr. Max Winter, and Frank R. Crosswaith, founder of the Negro Labor Committee

Often thought of as a "concrete jungle," New York City also has a rich history of environmental activism--from the creation of green spaces to confronting climate change. In the decades following the first Earth Day in 1970 and the birth of the environmental movement, New Yorkers sought to make their city greener with recycling centers, community gardens, and bike lanes. Activist groups also called for improved environmental conditions and air quality that disproportionately affected people of color. Though the city is less polluted today, climate change has posed large challenges that have ignited a new generation of environmental activists. Explore key sites of eco-advocacy in the city from the 1960s to today.

Starlight Amusement Park ca. 1940 The first amusement park in the Bronx, Starlight Park opened as Exposition Park in 1918 as part of a trade exposition intended to curry foreign investment after World War I. Following the Exposition's end in 1918, it became Starlight Park. Its main attraction was a gigantic, naturalistic swimming pool, as well as assorted rides and games. Later on it, a stadium known as the Coliseum was built and was home to the New York Giants for the better part of a decade. However, by 1940, the park was closed and systematically demolished.