1.
Tonawanda (city), New York
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Tonawanda is a city in Erie County, New York, United States. The population was 15,130 at the 2010 census and it is located at the northern edge of Erie County, south across the Erie Canal from North Tonawanda, and north of Buffalo, New York. It is part of the Buffalo-Niagara Falls metropolitan area, post-Revolutionary War European-American settlement at Tonawanda began with Henry Anguish, who built a log home in 1808. He added to the hamlet in 1811 with a tavern, both on the side of Tonawanda Creek where it empties into the Niagara River. The hamlet grew slowly until the opening of the Erie Canal, the Town of Tonawanda was incorporated in 1836. The Erie Canal and the railroads that soon followed it provided economic opportunity, by the end of the 19th century, both sides of the canal were devoted to businesses as part of a leading lumber processing center. In the mid-19th century, the center of Tonawanda was incorporated as a village within the town. The village united in a corporation with North Tonawanda across the canal and this corporation fell apart, and in 1904 the village was incorporated as the City of Tonawanda. On September 26,1898, a tornado struck the City of Tonawanda, after crossing over the river from Grand Island, the tornado damaged the old Murray School as well as several homes along Franklin and Kohler streets. Its worst havoc was wreaked along Fuller Avenue, where a dozen homes were severely damaged, no one was killed by the fierce storm, but there were numerous injuries. From the mid-19th century to the early 20th century a section of Tonawanda existed that was known as Goose Island, Goose Island was a manmade island in the Niagara River formed by the Erie Canal. Goose Island was a piece of land bordered on one side by the Niagara River, on the second side by the Tonawanda Creek. It was then famous with seamen the world over as the terminus of the Erie Canal, the Goose Island Section of Tonawanda had numerous cheap boarding houses, cheap hotels, bars, and houses of ill repute. Canalers often wintered over on Goose Island, Goose Island was known as a bad section of Tonawanda, with drunkenness, brawling, and bawdy displays being commonplace. The gentrification of Goose Island began with the decline of the port business in Tonawanda. Then the canal was motorized, eliminating mules and many canal men, next the section of the canal from Tonawanda to Buffalo was abandoned in 1918. That section of the canal was filled in and Goose Island was no longer an island. The establishments in the Goose Island section of Tonawanda came under community pressure in the 1920s and 1930s and were closed, in the 1970s the boxboard mill closed and was razed along with many remaining Goose Island structures
2.
National Football League
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The National Football League is a professional American football league consisting of 32 teams, divided equally between the National Football Conference and the American Football Conference. The NFL is one of the four professional sports leagues in North America. The NFLs 17-week regular season runs from the week after Labor Day to the week after Christmas, with each team playing 16 games, the NFL was formed in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association before renaming itself the National Football League for the 1922 season. The NFL agreed to merge with the American Football League in 1966, and the first Super Bowl was held at the end of that season, the merger was completed in 1970. Today, the NFL has the highest average attendance of any sports league in the world and is the most popular sports league in the United States. S. The NFLs executive officer is the commissioner, who has authority in governing the league. The team with the most NFL championships is the Green Bay Packers with thirteen, the current NFL champions are the New England Patriots, who defeated the Atlanta Falcons 34–28 in Super Bowl LI. Another meeting held on September 17,1920 resulted in the renaming of the league to the American Professional Football Association, the league hired Jim Thorpe as its first president, and consisted of 14 teams. Only two of these teams, the Decatur Staleys and the Chicago Cardinals, remain, the first event occurred on September 26,1920 when the Rock Island Independents defeated the non-league St. Paul Ideals 48–0 at Douglas Park. On October 3,1920, the first full week of league play occurred, the following season resulted in the Chicago Staleys controversially winning the title over the Buffalo All-Americans. In 1922, the APFA changed its name to the National Football League, in 1932, the season ended with the Chicago Bears and the Portsmouth Spartans tied for first in the league standings. This method had used since the leagues creation in 1920. The league quickly determined that a game between Chicago and Portsmouth was needed to decide the leagues champion. Playing with altered rules to accommodate the playing field, the Bears won the game 9–0. Fan interest in the de facto championship game led the NFL, beginning in 1933, the 1934 season also marked the first of 12 seasons in which African Americans were absent from the league. The de facto ban was rescinded in 1946, following public pressure, the NFL was always the foremost professional football league in the United States, it nevertheless faced a large number of rival professional leagues through the 1930s and 1940s. Rival leagues included at least three separate American Football Leagues and the All-America Football Conference, on top of regional leagues of varying caliber. Three NFL teams trace their histories to these leagues, including the Los Angeles Rams
3.
Kardex
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Kardex as a company name was introduced in 1915, subsumed in 1927, and revived in 1978. The term kardex is also a noun, particularly in the medical records field where it is synonymous with Medication Administration Record, especially in Ireland. American Ledger was founded by James H. Rand, Sr. in 1898, Rand had been a banker for many years and had come to see that existing index card systems used by clerks were inefficient. What was needed was a system using dividers, file tabs. Rand Sr. invented an improved filing system based on concepts and founded the Rand Ledger Company to manufacture his index system. James Rand, Jr. joined his fathers company after being graduated from Harvard University in 1908, in 1915 the elder Rand re-assumed control of the company and Rand Jr. unable to reach agreement with his father on business matters, left. James Rand, Jr. formed his own filing and index supply company, American Kardex, within five years, American Kardex grew to be one of the leading office supply companies in the United States. It was roughly equal in revenues to Rand Ledger, and the two companies dominated the American office supply market. In 1920, American Kardex had more than $1 million in gross sales, the companys products were widely used in the health care field, and demand in Europe was so strong that Rand soon built a factory in Germany. As competition between American Kardex and Rand Ledger intensified, Mary Rand brokered a reconciliation between father and son, in 1925, the two men agreed that American Kardex should purchase Rand Ledger. The new company, Rand Kardex, was the largest office supply company in the United States, James Rand, Sr. became the company chairman, while James Rand, Jr. was its president and general manager. James Rand Jr. soon began expanding the company through acquisitions, in its brief existence, the company was first known as Rand Kardex and then, after the acquisition of Library Bureau, as Rand Kardex Bureau. In 1927 Rand Kardex merged with Remington Typewriter, the new company was called Remington Rand, and Kardex was a division and brand of that company. Remington Rand was led by James Rand Jr. for the duration of its independent existence, Company sales grew from $5 million in 1927 to $500 million in 1954, although market share suffered in the face of competition from IBM. In 1955, Sperry Corporation acquired Remington Rand and renamed itself Sperry Rand, Remington Rand remained as a separate brand name and in the name of some divisions. In 1978 Sperry Rand decided to concentrate on the computer business, in 2003 the company was sold to RACK Enterprises and Ronald Miller was made president. Miller established a company, Randex, also selling filing and storage system components. Randex continued to exist as a company under Miller family control after Kardex Systems was sold to Remstar
4.
American football
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The offense must advance at least ten yards in four downs, or plays, or else they turn over the football to the opposing team, if they succeed, they are given a new set of four downs. Points are primarily scored by advancing the ball into the teams end zone for a touchdown or kicking the ball through the opponents goalposts for a field goal. The team with the most points at the end of a game wins, American football evolved in the United States, originating from the sports of association football and rugby football. The first game of American football was played on November 6,1869, during the latter half of the 1870s, colleges playing association football switched to the Rugby Union code, which allowed carrying the ball. American football as a whole is the most popular sport in the United States, Professional football and college football are the most popular forms of the game, with the other major levels being high school and youth football. As of 2012, nearly 1.1 million high school athletes and 70,000 college athletes play the sport in the United States annually, almost all of them men, in the United States, American football is referred to as football. The term football was established in the rulebook for the 1876 college football season. The terms gridiron or American football are favored in English-speaking countries where other codes of football are popular, such as the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, American football evolved from the sports of association football and rugby football. What is considered to be the first American football game was played on November 6,1869 between Rutgers and Princeton, two college teams, the game was played between two teams of 25 players each and used a round ball that could not be picked up or carried. It could, however, be kicked or batted with the feet, hands, head or sides, Rutgers won the game 6 goals to 4. Collegiate play continued for years in which matches were played using the rules of the host school. Representatives of Yale, Columbia, Princeton and Rutgers met on October 19,1873 to create a set of rules for all schools to adhere to. Teams were set at 20 players each, and fields of 400 by 250 feet were specified, Harvard abstained from the conference, as they favored a rugby-style game that allowed running with the ball. An 1875 Harvard-Yale game played under rugby-style rules was observed by two impressed Princeton athletes and these players introduced the sport to Princeton, a feat the Professional Football Researchers Association compared to selling refrigerators to Eskimos. Princeton, Harvard, Yale and Columbia then agreed to play using a form of rugby union rules with a modified scoring system. These schools formed the Intercollegiate Football Association, although Yale did not join until 1879, the introduction of the snap resulted in unexpected consequences. Prior to the snap, the strategy had been to punt if a scrum resulted in bad field position, however, a group of Princeton players realized that, as the snap was uncontested, they now could hold the ball indefinitely to prevent their opponent from scoring. In 1881, both teams in a game between Yale-Princeton used this strategy to maintain their undefeated records, each team held the ball, gaining no ground, for an entire half, resulting in a 0-0 tie
5.
Buffalo, New York
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Buffalo is a city in western New York state and the county seat of Erie County, on the eastern shores of Lake Erie at the head of the Niagara River. As of 2014, Buffalo is New York states 2nd-most populous city after New York City, the metropolitan area has a population of 1.13 million. After an economic downturn in the half of the 20th century, Buffalos economy has transitioned to sectors that include financial services, technology, biomedical engineering. Residents of Buffalo are called Buffalonians, the citys nicknames include The Queen City, The Nickel City and The City of Good Neighbors. The city of Buffalo received its name from a creek called Buffalo Creek. British military engineer Captain John Montresor made reference to Buffalo Creek in his journal of 1764, there are several theories regarding how Buffalo Creek received its name. In 1804, as principal agent opening the area for the Holland Land Company, Joseph Ellicott, designed a radial street and grid system that branches out from downtown like bicycle spokes similar to the street system he used in the nations capital. Although Ellicott named the settlement New Amsterdam, the name did not catch on, during the War of 1812, on December 30,1813, Buffalo was burned by British forces. The George Coit House 1818 and Samuel Schenck House 1823 are currently the oldest houses within the limits of the City of Buffalo, on October 26,1825, the Erie Canal was completed with Buffalo a port-of-call for settlers heading westward. At the time, the population was about 2,400, the Erie Canal brought about a surge in population and commerce, which led Buffalo to incorporate as a city in 1832. In 1845, construction began on the Macedonia Baptist Church, an important meeting place for the abolitionist movement, Buffalo was a terminus point of the Underground Railroad with many fugitive slaves crossing the Niagara River to Fort Erie, Ontario in search of freedom. During the 1840s, Buffalos port continued to develop, both passenger and commercial traffic expanded with some 93,000 passengers heading west from the port of Buffalo. Grain and commercial goods shipments led to repeated expansion of the harbor, in 1843, the worlds first steam-powered grain elevator was constructed by local merchant Joseph Dart and engineer Robert Dunbar. Darts Elevator enabled faster unloading of lake freighters along with the transshipment of grain in bulk from barges, canal boats, by 1850, the citys population was 81,000. At the dawn of the 20th century, local mills were among the first to benefit from hydroelectric power generated by the Niagara River, the city got the nickname City of Light at this time due to the widespread electric lighting. It was also part of the revolution, hosting the brass era car builders Pierce Arrow. President William McKinley was shot and mortally wounded by an anarchist at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo on September 6,1901, McKinley died in the city eight days later and Theodore Roosevelt was sworn in at the Wilcox Mansion as the 26th President of the United States. The Great Depression of 1929–39 saw severe unemployment, especially working class men
6.
North Tonawanda, New York
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North Tonawanda is a city in Niagara County, New York, United States. The population was 31,568 at the 2010 census and it is part of the Buffalo–Niagara Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city is named after Tonawanda Creek, its south border, Tonawanda in the Seneca tongue means Swift Running Water. Tonawanda Creek, which flows into the Niagara River, once had large stretches of rapids until it was tamed with the construction of the Erie Canal. The city also calls itself The Lumber City, due to its past primary industry, along Goundry Street are mansions built for the lumber barons, including 208 Goundry Street, called Kent Place, designed by Stanford White. It is also home to the 2009 Class AA NYS Football Champion Lumberjacks, Street signs on the borders of town welcome visitors to The Home Of The Carousel. After the first settlers arrived in 1809, North Tonawanda became part of the town of Wheatfield, New York in Niagara County, the experiment was abandoned after New York State removed the villages North Tonawanda component. Oral history claims a dispute between merchants was the cause, but the combination of communities in two counties and two towns was unwieldy, after becoming a village on May 8,1865, North Tonawanda was incorporated as a City on April 24,1897. North Tonawanda is on the side of the Erie Canal/Tonawanda Creek, across from Erie County, New York and the communities of the City of Tonawanda. The Town of Wheatfield borders North Tonawanda on the north and east, North Tonawanda is the second largest city in Niagara County. It was the birthplace of the Herschell-Spillman Company/Allan Herschell Co. one of the manufacturers of carousels in America and is now the home of the Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum. In 1888, Herschell attracted expatriate Belgian Eugene de Kleist to North Tonawanda, taken over in 1909 by the Rudolph Wurlitzer Company after De Kleist became mayor of North Tonawanda in 1906, Wurlitzer became one of the largest musical instrument manufacturing plants in the world. The Ray H. Bennett Lumber Co. one of more than 150 lumber companies to have called North Tonawanda home, produced kit homes sold around the nation, the Railroad Museum of the Niagara Frontier occupies a 1923 Erie Railroad station on Oliver Street. The theater is one of only a handful in the United States with projectors capable of showing the film used for silent movies. The Ghostlight Theatre is a community theater in a century-old church, the former Carnegie Library is home to the Carnegie Art Center. An E. B. Green designed building houses the Buffalo Suzuki Strings Musical Arts Center, an active arts community has developed in the downtown area as well. The North Tonawanda History Museum occupies the former G. C. Murphy Co. store building on Webster Street in the heart of the Downtown Historic District. Parks in North Tonawanda include Veterans Park, which has a monument to U. S. Seabees, the Buffalo Norsemen played their home games in North Tonawanda during their existence
