Oscar Hammerstein I (left) was a businessman, theater manager and composer
in New York City. His passion for opera led him to open several opera houses,
and he rekindled opera’s popularity in America. In 1883 Oscar Hammerstein
patented the first cigar-rolling machine and began to make a fortune that he
promptly reinvested in theaters and concert halls. He was the grandfather
of lyricist Oscar Hammerstein ll.

A cigar ad from the 1940s featuring Ronald Reagan

Austrian immigrant Leo Hirshfield brought his recipe for a chocolaty, chewy candy
to America and produced it in a small store in New York City.The candy was named
after his five-year-old daughter (nickname of "Tootsie"). It was delivered by wagon
until 1915 (above). In 1917 the name changed to Sweets Company of America and
on June 16, 1925 was registered under the "Tootsie Rolls" trademark.

The F.W. Woolworth Co. was among the first five-and-dime stores, which sold discounted general merchandise at fixed prices, undercutting the prices of other local merchants. As  the stores popularly became known, it was one of the first American retailers to put merchandise out for the shopping public to handle and select without the assistance
of a sales clerk. After working in a dry goods store, Frank Winfield Woolworth (shown below) opened his first Woolworth’s store  in Utica, New York (pictured above).  

Frank W. Woolworth

The New Yorker is a magazine of commentary, criticism, essays, fiction,
satire, cartoons and poetry. It was founded by Harold Ross and his wife,
Jane Grant, a New York Times reporter. The New Yorker started as a
weekly and is now published 47 times per year, with five of these issues
covering two-week spans. The magazine has a wide audience outside of
New York. 
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Edwin Land,above, demonstrated the Polaroid Land Camera to the Optical
Society of America in New York City. It was the first camera to take, develop
and print a picture on photo paper all in about 60 seconds.The photos were
in black and  white. The new camera went on sale the following year.

 
Pictured is the Polaroid model 95