History on the Rocks: Gimlet Noir

Date and Time

• Wednesday, May 14, 2025  7pm - 9pm

Location

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Details

Join Atlanta History Center at our Midtown campus on Thursday, May 14 from 7-10 PM for a lecture exploring NYC during its pivotal years in the early 1960s, when rising crime, blight, and dysfunction began menacing the city like never before.

"It's ten o'clock, do you know where your children are?" New Yorkers in the 1960s knew this public service announcement well. Earlier in the 20th century, New York City was known be safe and vibrant. But in the early 1960s, Gotham experienced an alarming uptick in violent, predatory crime. Some of the crimes, such as the Career Girls Murders, and Kitty Genovese's slaying, made for sensational tabloid fodder. Others barely made the newspapers. Regardless, New Yorkers were alarmed. They began reporting feeling suffocated by crime. Criminals would not let them live freely. New Yorkers said they were afraid to go out at night, and they had diminishing confidence in the police to protect. Little did they realize that their forebodings would be paid in full in subsequent decades, as New York became one of the most frightening and dangerous big cities in America.

Doors open at 7 PM, and the lecture starts at 7:30 PM, followed by Q&A. Tickets include lecture admission and one free drink ticket for a cocktail, mocktail, beer, wine, or soft drink. Additional drinks will be available for purchase.