New York in 101 Objects

This segment originally aired live on September 23, 2014. An edited version was included in a best-of episode of The Brian Lehrer Show on December 24, 2014. The unedited audio can be found here. 

From water tanks to public school door knobs, from the Anthora coffee cup to the black and white cookie, Sam Roberts, urban affairs correspondent for The New York Times, and now author of A History of New York in 101 Objects  presents a history of the five boroughs through intriguing artifacts.

Follow along as we talk about upcoming exhibitions and events.

Number 1: Fordham Gneiss 

(Niko Koppel/via Simon and Schuster,)

Number 10: Guidebook

(Collection of The New-York Historical Society/via Simon and Schuster)

Number 15: Burial Beads

(General Services Administration/via Simon and Schuster)

Number 23: Sewing Machine

(Harris & Ewing Collection, The Library of Congress/via Simon and Schuster)

Number 37: School Doorknob

(Tony Cenicola/The New York Times/Redux, Courtesy of The Demolition Depot/via Simon and Schuster)

Number 79: Here's Johnny

(Courtesy of Carson Entertainment Group/via Simon and Schuster)

Number 91: AIDS Button

(Courtesy of William Dobbs/via Simon and Schuster)

Number 87: "Drop Dead"

(Bill Stahl Jr./New York Daily News Archive, via Getty Images/Simon and Shuster)

Number 50: The Automat

(Neal Boenzi/The New York Times/Redux/Simon and Shuster)