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13 rare photos from a 1942 New Year's party show what's changed — and what hasn't.

73 years ago, the Di Costanzo family hosted an epic New Year's Eve throw down at their restaurant on Mulberry Street in New York City.

Photo by Marjorie Collins/Farm Security Administration, Office of War Information.

The venue? Marconi's restaurant, in Little Italy, which the Di Costanzo family owned and operated.

There was drinking, eating, dancing, celebrating, ... and more drinking.

These incredible images — featured in Yale University's incredible archive of (largely rarely-seen) photos taken by New Deal photographers in the '30s and '40s — are a fascinating window into how New Year's was celebrated over seven decades ago, at least by one New York family.

The drink selection might have been a bit more limited, and rogue castanet dancers were probably a little more likely to show up back then, but otherwise — if the photos are to be believed — not much has changed.

1. Mrs. Di Costanzo helps her chef cut bread for the party.

Photo by Marjorie Collins/Farm Security Administration, Office of War Information.

Anyone else suddenly hungry?

2. Chef's got something going in the frying pan too...

Photo by Marjorie Collins/Farm Security Administration, Office of War Information.

Is it lunchtime? Dinnertime? My goodness, just please say it's time to eat.

3. ...while simultaneously assembling two giant sausage-and-peppers subs.

Photo by Marjorie Collins/Farm Security Administration, Office of War Information.

This guy is my hero.

4. Mr. and Mrs. Di Costanzo toast the new year at the bar.

Photo by Marjorie Collins/Farm Security Administration, Office of War Information.

Salute!

5. While the couple toast, the man sitting next to them is entranced by ... something off camera.

Photo by Marjorie Collins/Farm Security Administration, Office of War Information.

"Hold on a sec. This play is really important for my fantasy team."

6. Even though there are a few customers in the restaurant, the family gathers around a big table in the back to celebrate.

Photo by Marjorie Collins/Farm Security Administration, Office of War Information.

Not with the family at the table is the Di Costanzo's son. Like many young men at the time — and many American men and women now — he was serving in the military and away from family, possibly overseas. There's a picture of him on the wall to the left, under the small American flag.

7. Another toast, this time with the whole gang!

Photo by Marjorie Collins/Farm Security Administration, Office of War Information.

Once more, with feeling!

8. At the bar, the Di Costanzo daughters (presumably) discuss serious family matters.

Photo by Marjorie Collins/Farm Security Administration, Office of War Information.

"Can you believe cousin Dot is 20 years old and still not married."
"Cousin Dot doesn't have to conform to the rigid patriarchal expectations society imposes on young women!"
"Yes she does. It's the '40s."
"Oh, good point."


9. But ultimately, even they just want to drink.

Photo by Marjorie Collins/Farm Security Administration, Office of War Information.

In all of recorded history, there was never a family more serious about its toasting.

10. Oh, and there was dancing.

Photo by Marjorie Collins/Farm Security Administration, Office of War Information.

This woman came in to grab some food and just decided to start dancing. She's absolutely crushing it with those castanets.

11. And more dancing!

Photo by Marjorie Collins/Farm Security Administration, Office of War Information.

The kid up front is clearly feeling some feelings.

12. Mama looks pleased at the end of the night

Photo by Marjorie Collins/Farm Security Administration, Office of War Information.

She just threw a hell of a party and she clearly knows it. She's earned every sip of that Chianti.

13. The next morning, children blow horns on top of a giant dirt pile on nearby Bleecker Street to ring in the new year.

Photo by Marjorie Collins/Farm Security Administration, Office of War Information.

Can we please get this in Times Square this year? I'm looking at you, CNN.

Happy 2016/1943!

Photo by Marjorie Collins/Farm Security Administration, Office of War Information.

If anyone has a line on where I can get one of those seven-decade-old hoagies, please let me know.

Seriously. Please.

Joy

Dad shares the hilarious conversations he has with 5-year-old daughter and folks are cracking up

"Why do people congratulate you when Mom is making the baby?

via James Breakwell/X

All parents have had similar convos with thier kiddos.

Raising kids is tough, but there's a lot of laughs along the way. Especially when actual conversations start, as kids begin trying to make sense out of the world around them, ask questions, and test mommy and daddy's resolve.

Back in 2018, comedy writer and children's book author James Breakwell, with four daughters who were all under the age of eight at the time, shared their hilarious conversations on X. From these tweets, it looks like comedy runs in the family. Here's a sampling of some Breakwell's funniest kid-inspired tweets.

 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 

While Breakwell's 7-year-old wasn't as heavily featured, when she was quoted, the sarcasm was palpable. Which makes sense, considering that kiddos begin understanding this mechanism around that age.

 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 

Kids really do say the darnedest things, and we love them for it. It one of the many, many ways then bring so much joy to the world. It almost makes up for the headaches and sleepless nights, doesn't it.

This article originally appeared seven years ago.

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Fifth-grade teacher explains why he thinks the classic kid's book 'Rainbow Fish' isn't great

Sorry millennials, we need to rethink your favorite book.

via Amazon

The cover of "Rainbow Fish."

Few children’s books are as deeply ingrained into the collective millennial psyche as “Rainbow Fish.” In addition to selling a gazillion copies, it has spawned counting books, board books of opposites, hand puppets, and sequels such as "Rainbow Fish to the Rescue!" and "Rainbow Fish Finds His Way." What’s not to love about those oh-so sparkling rainbow scales and heartwarming lesson about how sharing leads to happiness far better than selfishness? Only, according to some…that’s not the story’s lesson. In fact, some believe that the book teaches all the wrong lessons.

In a video posted to his TikTok, Fifth-grade teacher Mr. Vương (a.k.a "America's Favorite Teacher") admitted that while the illustrations were, in fact, great, and the author probably had “good intentions, he still didn’t like the story behind this award-winning classic.

For those who never read the book, or perhaps forgot, Vương explains that at the beginning, “Rainbow Fish is full of himself because when all the other fish wanted to play with him, he sort of swam past them and thought he was better. Then one of the fish asked for one of his scales, and he refuses.”

This is where Vương feels the book missed the mark, as it depicts drawing a boundary as a character flaw of Rainbow Fish (more on that later). “In my opinion, I think he has the right to do that because he doesn't have to give up part of himself or anybody,” Vương. The real flaw, Vương argues, “was that he was not humble.”


 
@teamvuong

Poor Rainbow Fish. #teachersoftiktok #teachersfollowteachers #teachertok #literacy #therainbowfish #readaloud

 



Vương goes on to say that in the book, when Rainbow Fish said no, all the other fish decided not to play with him, which “made it more about how all the fish didn't accept him because he didn't give up his scales, rather than them responding to his stuck-up behavior.”

Also in the book—the wise Octopus advises that Rainbow Fish overcome his pride and give up all but one of his scales to the other fish. He might no longer be the most beautiful fish in the sea, but he is finally happy. Thus. bringing in the moral of the story of sacrificing vanity for peace. “So he got acceptance…when he gave up parts of who he was…” Vương declares matter-of-factly.

Vương’s hot take seemed to resonate with a few other adults who thought the Rainbow Fish had lost its luster. “Rereading it as an adult now, it made me angry. Little fish has the audacity to ask for a shiny scale, Rainbow Fish says no, so little fish goes and bad mouths him to all the other fish so they all turn on him and only become his friends when he gives up a part of himself,” one viewer wrote.


“I feel like the book had more of a ‘sharing is caring’ moral and just carried out the message in a weird way with the scales” another said. One person even quipped, “…and now I know where I learned to be a people pleaser from. Thanks FYP.”

But still…the holographic scales are pretty neat…right? *cries in millennial*

It’s worth noting that regardless of his own personal opinion of the book, Mr. Vương still uses it to “teach about how to think critically about themes.”

“I opened up with what the theme was and then I read the story without telling them my opinion,” he says. “Then the kids made all these connections themselves and some of them looked at it through the lens of, ‘Oh it's selfishness.’ And some of them were like, ‘Wait, is he buying his friends?’”

  - YouTube  www.youtube.com  

Not only that, but the class had “really good discussions” about transactional relationships, as well as dissecting what the author's original intent might have been. They will also be creating their own alternate endings, “where the theme is not that you gotta, you know, pay for your friends,” as the last part of their assignment.

While not everyone might share Vương’s opinions on this kid’s book, we can probably all agree on his stance that “just because it has an award-winning sticker on it, it does not make it top-notch.”

This article originally appeared last year.

 
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EducationTeachers
Culture

People from other countries share 14 things that instantly tell them someone's American

Have you ever heard of the "American lean"?

via zoetnet/Flickr, Ewen Roberts/Flickr and Tom Hodgkinson/Flickr
Some American tourists enjoying the sights

Americans have a style and personality all their own, which isn’t a bad thing. It’s just noticeable when they travel aboard. Americans often stand out because of their outgoing personalities. They are friendly and enjoy having casual conversations with strangers.

This is an endearing trait to a lot of people in more reserved cultures, although it can also come off as a little brash.

An American characteristic that isn’t quite endearing to people in other countries is that they can be rather loud. In Europe, one can always notice the Americans in the restaurant because they can be heard from across the room.

One Reddit user wanted to know the specific ways that Americans stand out when traveling abroad, so they asked the AskReddit subreddit: “What’s an obvious sign that someone is an American?”


 american tourists, american culture, americans abroad, americans, USA, tourists, travel, europe, culture It may not be quite this obvious, but Americans do stand out.  Giphy  

The post was popular, receiving nearly 6,000 responses in just 6 days. The most popular ones described how Americans' unique personalities, style of dress, dental hygiene and body language make them easy to spot.

Here are 14 “obvious” signs that someone is an American.

1. Posture

 american tourists, american culture, americans abroad, americans, USA, tourists, travel, europe, culture Americans slouch and lean.  Giphy  

"Apparently, the CIA trains American agents to not lean on things if they go undercover in foreign countries because Americans lean on anything they can while standing around," one user wrote.

"I bet MI6 trains British agents to lean on everything if they go undercover in America because Americans lean on anything they can while standing around," joked another.

Shockingly, this is actually true. The "American lean" is well-documented and, yes, a former CIA chief has said publicly that it's something the agency addresses with its operatives to help them blend in.

2. The date

"MMDDYYYY," a user said.

The way Americans write the date seems normal and commonplace when you're in the US, but around the world, we're practically the only ones who do it that way. Similarly, only a small handful of countries outside of the US use the imperial system of measure.

Writing the date or using feet and inches are a dead giveaway!

3. Distances are different

"Anything under 4 hours is 'close by," someone suggested.

"Everything in Europe is around the corner if you're from the US. I can drive the whole day and not leave my state, but in Europe, I can pass through 4 countries in that same time frame," said another.

The massive geography of the United States has a big affect on how we see distance. It shows up when we travel to other countries that are more densely packed together.

4. They're polite to servers

"In the touristy cafe-restaurant I worked at:

If they asked me for the nicest spot we had

If they asked me my recommendation without seeing the menu first

I would walk to the table, and they would say right away ‘hey, how are you doing?’ This one threw me off a lot at first. Why is this person asking me how I'm doing?? I'm just there to take the order. I got used to it, and I think they found my awkwardness cute.

They would ask my name when I greeted them and took their order.

I'm Northern European.," explained one user.

"It’s under-appreciated just how polite, friendly, and sincere Americans are in general. It blew my mind the first time I came to the US, and I love that my children are growing up with those same values," said another.

You might expect to hear that Americans are rude and entitled when traveling, but that's not necessarily the case! In America, some friendly rapport with your waiter is expected, and Americans tend to be a more outgoing bunch that love to engage. That makes them stand out in European countries, in particular, where restaurant service is meant to be professional and efficient rather than charismatic.


5. The water bottles

 american tourists, american culture, americans abroad, americans, USA, tourists, travel, europe, culture Americans love huge water bottles.  Giphy  

"I was told, 'Americans carry water bottles around like they're worried they'll never have access to clean water ever again," one user said.

"I don't care what anyone says. If you think carrying a water bottle when walking a lot is weird, you're probably slightly dehydrated all the time and are just desensitized to it. You seriously need to drink water frequently if you want to be ideally healthy," said another.

The water bottle fad is uniquely American, for better or worse. Whether it's a Yeti, a Stanley, an Owalla, or something else, you can bet if someone is swinging a massive water bottle wherever they walk, they're an American.

6. Smiling

"I was in Germany this past summer, and I realized smiling at everyone you make eye contact with is very American. When I went to London on the same trip, they seemed less weirded out by it but would awkwardly return the smile. I was taught to always start with a disarming smile. Never realized it was American," said one person.

7. "More ice, please."

 american tourists, american culture, americans abroad, americans, USA, tourists, travel, europe, culture Americans love tons of ice in their drinks.  Giphy  

"I spent a year in Europe completely iceless to the point I forgot that was a thing. I stopped at a bar in Chicago fresh off the plane and not only did I get free tap water, but water with ice. I instantly felt at home," added one person.

There is a long and fascinating history involving someone called "The Ice King" behind why Americans, and so few other cultures, love to put tons of ice in our drinks. Needless to say, it makes us stand out like a sore thumb when traveling.

8. Personal space

"As an American man, I’ve been told repeatedly by European and Asian friends that we simply take up space (not by being fat) as though we’re entitled to it. Men in other countries apparently don’t claim the same personal space we do," one person offered.

You mean manspreading? Apparently, other cultures don't do that.

9. White teeth

 american tourists, american culture, americans abroad, americans, USA, tourists, travel, europe, culture Americans value ultra-white teeth.  Giphy  

"It’s even more bizarre that they assume we have braces or bleach our teeth because they’re straight and white. I have naturally straight white teeth. I brush them twice a day so they stay white. I don’t do anything special to them, but I remember being in London and some similar-aged students literally making fun of me for my teeth… it’s true that they don’t naturally look like headstones in an ancient graveyard, but there’s no need to make fun," someone added.

Imagine getting made fun of for having white teeth! For one reason or another, American culture places high value on having extremely white teeth. We all know the old jokes about British teeth, but some findings show that while Americans' teeth may be whiter, Brits may be healthier overall. Something to think about.

10. Casual dress

"My friend went to Germany recently, and what people said about Americans is you can spot them a mile away because they’re the ones wearing pajamas in public. Apparently, in other countries, at least Germany, they dress a little more formally and in less baggy clothes than we do in America," someone added.

Activewear, sweatpants, pajamas — we love to be comfortable! But it does make us a bit obvious when we're out and about in other countries.

11. Baseball hats

 american tourists, american culture, americans abroad, americans, USA, tourists, travel, europe, culture Americans wear hats... everywhere.  Giphy  

"Baseball cap... even on an infant riding in a pram," a user suggested.

Baseball hats are common in many countries around the world, but most people internationally only wear them outside. If someone's wearing a cap inside or at a restaurant, it's a safe bet that person is American.

12. Shoes

"Americans are shoe snobs (they don’t think they are, but they are). Setting aside wealthier business types, Americans generally wear more on-brand, on-trend, high-quality shoes than others," someone said.

13. They're loud

 american tourists, american culture, americans abroad, americans, USA, tourists, travel, europe, culture Americans' default volume is loud.  Giphy  

"That was my first thought. Americans yell at each other in normal conversation in public. I noticed it years ago in Europe, and now I can’t stand it in the US," another user added.

Now there's an unsurprising revelation! Just like our tendency to take up space, Americans seem to have less awareness of those around them when it comes to conversation volume, as well.

14. Occupation matters

"Immediately asking someone what they do for a living when meeting them. Our jobs and work are our entire identity," one person said.

"I hate that about American culture. I'm an American and recently became a SAHM, so I don't have an answer to 'What do you do for a living?' Half the time, I add the caveat, ‘Oh, my last job was with Apple,’ so that I'm not written off as an unemployed ‘loser.’ But it really is dumb to determine a person's worth by what they do in order to afford food and shelter," added another.

There are huge differences in work culture between America and other countries. They're so big and pervasive that they show up not just while we're working, but in the way we interact with others. For example, in Europe it's far less common to be friends with your coworkers. People value the purpose they find in work and the results, but are happy to keep the majority of their life separate from their career.

This article originally appeared last year. It has been updated.

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America's race to the top in education is likely responsible for the financial illiteracy crisis

We were once chastised for schools focusing "too much" on preparing kids for adulthood.

Photo credit: Canva

America's competition with Russia likely created the U.S. financial literacy crisis

There are often jokes about kids not knowing how to write a check or how to do other basic adulting tasks, though no one really writes checks anymore. But it's not just teens or young adults that lack some of these basic life skills, there are people in their 30s and 40s that don't fully understand how interest works.

Due to economic disparities across the country, all schools don't receive the same standard education. Some schools require students to take classes like life skills, adult skills, career readiness, or financial literacy classes as part of their graduation requirements. In other schools they're there as electives while some schools don't offer those classes at all leaving students underprepared for adulthood.

This wasn't always the case though, at one point in the history of American education, these sorts of classes were the norm. This ensured that students graduating in America had basic financial literacy and adult skills. So what happened?

  man and woman sitting on chairs  Photo by Kenny Eliason on Unsplash  

"Based on old teaching materials, it seems that up until the fifties or sixties, money management was a fixture in the public school curriculum, often as part of home economics class. Alongside, you know, sewing and baking, students were learning how to budget for better living, use consumer credit and save for their weddings. There were also stand along consumer education classes, which seemed to be less gendered." Vox says.

Public schools shifted from this useful norm in 1958 when President Eisenhower signed the National Defense Education Act after feeling America was falling behind Russia. This was during the big race to get into outer space and Russia, then known as the USSR, seemed to be coming out ahead. The bill was designed to focus on core classes like math, science and a foreign language, but after the Department of Education was formed, their first report was scathing.

  grayscale photography of children sitting inside room  Photo by Austrian National Library on Unsplash  

In 1983, the Department of Education released a report titled "The Imperative for Education Reform," which basically blamed the country's "declining educational performance" on schools focus on adulthood.

"Twenty-five percent of the credits earned by general track high school students are in physical and health education, work experience outside the school, remedial English and mathematics, and personal service and development courses, such as training for adulthood and marriage," the report scolds.

This sharp critique resulted in several subsequent presidents to focus on ways to measure educational progress in the areas Eisenhower and the Department of Education originally outlined. Standardized testing became a heavy source of measurement, oftentimes tied to teachers maintaining their employment. For many students this meant their education revolved around the teacher prioritizing items that would be measured on the standardized test.


The shift to strict measurement of growth via standardized testing caused students to fall behind on other much needed skills. Americans have been noticing the shift in not only adult skills, but financial literacy and it's been a multi-decade slide that seems to be changing trajectory in recent years.

In a 2019 National Bureau of Economic Research study, researchers report that 57% of U.S. adults are financially illiterate. Vox reports that over the past decades more students are spending full semesters in financial literacy classes, learning things like budgeting, taxes, student loans and more. Though more states are offering these courses to high school students, only nine states have a stand-alone financial literacy course as a graduation requirement.

Other states offer the lessons within the framework of another class or as a stand-alone elective course, though in 2024 seven additional states introduced legislation to make the course mandatory. Financial literacy not only helps the individual, but their family and eventually the economy, so hopefully we will see these personal finance courses reintroduced nationwide.

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History (Education)

Woman known from Great Depression photo had no idea she was famous until 40 years later

Even though her photo was shared around the world, she was never paid.

Photo by Dorothea Lange via Library of Congress

The woman from the famous Great Depression photo didn't know about her fame for 40 years.

Nearly everyone across the globe knows Florence Owens Thompson's face from newspapers, magazines, and history books. The young, destitute mother was the face of The Great Depression, her worried, suntanned face looking absolutely defeated as several of her children took comfort by resting on her thin frame. Thompson put a human face and emotion behind the very real struggle of the era, but she wasn't even aware of her role in helping to bring awareness to the effects of the Great Depression on families.

It turns out that Dorothea Lange, the photographer responsible for capturing the worry-stricken mother in the now-famous photo titled "Migrant Mother," told Thompson that the photos wouldn't be published. Of course, they subsequently were published in the San Francisco News. At the time the photo was taken, Thompson was supposedly only taking respite at the migrant campsite with her seven children after the family car broke down near the campsite. The photo was taken in March 1936 in Nipomo, California when Lange was concluding a month's long photography excursion documenting migrant farm labor.

 the great depression; Florence Thompson; Mona Lisa of the Great Depression; Mona Lisa; the depression; depression era Worried mother and children during the Great Depression era.Photo by Dorothea Lange via Library of Congress

"Migrant worker" was a term used in the 30s to describe poverty-stricken Americans who moved from town to town harvesting the crops for farmers. The pay was abysmal and not enough to sustain a family, but harvesting was what Thompson knew as she was born and raised in "Indian Territory," (now Oklahoma) on a farm. Her father was Choctaw and her mother was white. After the death of her husband, Thompson supported her children the best way she knew how: working long hours in the field.

"I'd hit that cotton field before daylight and stay out there until it got so dark I couldn't see," Thompson told NBC in 1979 a few years before her death.

 the great depression; Florence Thompson; Mona Lisa of the Great Depression; Mona Lisa; the depression; depression era A mother reflects with her children during the Great Depression.Photo by Dorthea Lange via Library of Congress

When talking about meeting Thompson, Lange wrote in her article titled "The Assignment I'll Never Forget: Migrant Mother," which appeared in Popular Photography, Feb. 1960, "I saw and approached the hungry and desperate mother, as if drawn by a magnet. I do not remember how I explained my presence or my camera to her, but I do remember she asked me no questions. I made five exposures, working closer and closer from the same direction. I did not ask her name or her history. She told me her age, that she was thirty-two. She said that they had been living on frozen vegetables from the surrounding fields, and birds that the children killed."

Lange goes on to surmise that Thompson cooperated because on some level she knew the photos would help, though from Thompson's account she had no idea the photos would make it to print. Without her knowledge, Thompson became known as "The Dustbowl Mona Lisa," which didn't translate into money in the poor family's pocket. In fact, according to a history buff who goes by @baewatch86 on TikTok, Thompson didn't find out she was famous until 40 years later after a journalist tracked her down in 1978 to ask how she felt about being a famous face of the depression.

 
 @baewatch86 Florence Thompson, American Motherhood. #fyppppppppppppppppppppppp #historytok #americanhistory #migrantmother #thegreatdepression #dorthealange #womenshistory ♬ original sound - baewatch 
 
 

It turns out Thompson wished her photo had never been taken since she never received any funds for her likeness being used. Baewatch explains, "because Dorothea Lange's work was funded by the federal government this photo was considered public domain and therefore Mrs. Florence and her family are not entitled to the royalties."

While the photo didn't provide direct financial compensation for Thompson, the virility of it helped to feed migrant farm workers. "When these photos were published, it immediately caught people's attention. The federal government sent food and other resources to those migrant camps to help the people that were there that were starving, they needed resources and this is the catalyst. This photo was the catalyst to the government intercepting and providing aid to people," Baewatch shares.

When Thompson's health declined with age, people rallied around to help pay her medical bills citing the importance of the 1936 photo in their own lives. The "Migrant Mother" passed away in 1983, just over a week after her 80th birthday. She was buried in California.

"Florence Leona Thompson, Migrant Mother. A legend of the strength of American motherhood," her gravestone reads.

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