William "Bill The Butcher" Poole, the inspiration for the character portrayed by Daniel Day-Lewis in Gangs of New York, 1875. The anti-foreign, anti-Catholic, and anti-immigrant “Native American” political party was formed in 1843. (At the time, the phrase “Native American” referred to people born in the U.S. and NOT to the indigenous people of the country.) William Poole (the basis for the character “William Cutting” in the movie “Gangs of New York”) was a member of the New York branch of that organization (which was often called the “Know Nothing” Party). He was also the head of his own West Side gang. The Native Americans used Poole as their chief “enforcer.” As a butcher in real life, Poole (wielding the knife of his trade) could accurately hit a target from 20 feet. He had served an “apprenticeship” with the Bowery Boys, was known to gouge out the eyes of his foes, stood more than six feet and weighed more than 200 pounds. He, and members of his gang, had special jobs to do for the Nativists on election days: commandeer votes. It is said that they stood outside polling places with bludgeons in their hands. Sometimes they forced people to vote more than once. They sought to elect candidates who would guard against “foreigners” getting jobs they believed should go to native-born Americans.

Julia Child on the set of her TV show ‘The French Chef’, 1963

Wilt Chamberlain demonstrates his reach to Muhammad Ali – 1967

Cabinet ministers lined up for execution after a coup d’état in Liberia, 1980

Teddy Roosevelt as a young man making 3 thieves he captured pose for his box camera, 1886

Adam West donning the cowl on the set of Batman 1966

Exhausted contestants try to keep moving during a grueling dance marathon that began March 31, more than 900 hours earlier, in the Bronx, 1932

Lumberjacks pose by a large Douglas fir ready for felling Oregon 1918

British Airship R33 preparing for launch at an aerodrome in Barlow, Yorkshire. 1919

Butcher shop on Water Street, Santa Fe, New Mexico 1905

Grand Central, New York City 1941

A portrait of a British war veteran and his wife, circa 1855. His medal indicates that he fought in five battles during the Napoleonic Wars

Civil Rights protesters standing up to fire hoses aimed at them by the authorities in Birmingham, Alabama. 1963

In the ’50s black musicians were often limited to small nightclubs. The Mocambo wouldn’t book Ella Fitzgerald until Marilyn Monroe said she would take a front table every night Ella played. The owner said yes, and Marilyn was true to her word.

The last bare-knuckle heavyweight championship fight at Richburg, Mississippi, in which John L. Sullivan (left) defeated Jake Kilrain in 75 rounds. It was one of the first American sporting events to receive national press coverage. 1889

Getting cooled air piped into the car while enjoying a meal at a drive-in restaurant in Houston, Texas 1957

A teenager at an Elvis Presley concert at the Philadelphia Arena on April 6, 1957

Clyde Barrow, of Bonnie & Clyde fame, poses with his car and guns in Joplin, Missouri 1933

Grandmaster Ip Man with his student Bruce Lee practicing Wing Chun during the 1960s

The Beatles step onstage in Tokyo, Japan. 1966

John F. Kennedy was inaugurated as the 35th President of the United States 56 years ago, Jan. 20, 1961. He is pictured here with his wife Jackie Kennedy in the Presidential Box overlooking the crowd during his Inaugural Ball.