This Day in New Haven History Allan Appel and Jason Bischoff-Wurstle

Welcome to This Day In Erector Set History as your host Allan Appel and Jason Bischoff-Wurstle of the New Haven Museum time-travel back to Christmas in 1916 when the A.C. Gilbert Company of Erector Set fame was pitching "Brik-tor," a new toy that they were marketing by trying to organize engineering clubs for boys to rival the Boy Scouts. Meanwhile, over at Shartenberg's Department store, they're selling Jordans, not the sneakers, but Ned Jordan's new auto-mobile where the trick was he manufactured nothing but assembled the vehicle from parts bought from other companies.

Welcome to This Day In Appliance-Buying History as Allan Appel and Jason Bischoff-Wurstle of the New Haven Museum time travel you back to Christmas time 1916 when the United Illuminating Company was eager for the housewives of New Haven to put away their washboards and instead invest big time in their whole array of new electrical appliances, including a washing machine that put clothes through the wringer, and, yes, an electric vibrator to relax with after the wash is done.

Welcome to This Day In Christmas-At-The-Front History as your time-traveling host Allan Appel and Jason Bischoff-Wurstle of the New Haven Museum go back to 1917. America had just entered the war in Europe and the writers of a Saturday Chronicle article declare that the gifts Connecticut boys on the front lines in France are receiving are a darn sight better than what they experienced as young young soldiers in the Civil War.

Welcome to This Day In Christmas Shopping History as your host Allan Appel and co-pilot Jason Bischoff-Wurstle of the New Haven Museum travel back to when all the action was not at the tree on the Green, but at Toyland and Toyville and the great displays put on by Malley's, Shartenberg's, and the fabled and long gone department stores of mid-20th century Chapel Street, the epicenter for gift-buying in the Elm City.

Hide that wreath! Don't give that present! And for God's sake go to work and don't make merry. Such pagan and "Pope-ish" thngs were frowned upon and legislated against by our Puritan forbears in ye olde New Haven. Why, Christmas is not mentioned anywhere in Scripture, so why celebrate it? Such now Scroogie insights emerged in the first of our holiday week of broadcasts with your host Allan Appel and Jason Bischoff-Wurstle of the New Haven Museum on This Day In New Haven History.

Hosts Allan Appel and Jason Bischoff-Wurstle of the New Haven Museum chat with Center Church's acting minister, Kevin Ewing; church historian Michelle Georgevich; church clerk Nancy Mellone; and one of the church's deacons Demeka Anderson about Thanksgiving at Center Church.