It’s History

Explore New Jersey's High Point Monument: its origins, construction and engineering, grand opening, preservation efforts, issues related to its location, temporary closure and reopening, and the current state of what remains.

Chapters:

00:00 - High Point Monument: Exploring New Jersey's Tallest Structure

01:26 - Discovering the Origins of New Jersey's High Point Monument

02:43 - Grand Opening of New Jersey's High Point State Park: A Historic Moment

03:22 - High Point Monument Construction: A Marvel of Engineering

04:14 - Unveiling New Jersey's High State Monument: A Celebratory Event

05:16 - The Problem with New Jersey's High Point Monument Explained

07:25 - Why Was the High Point Monument Closed: The Untold Story

08:30 - Saving New Jersey's High Point Monument: A Community Effort

09:03 - A Look at What Remains of High Point Monument Today

Some media elements in this video are used under the fair use provisions of U.S. copyright law (Title 17, Section 107) for purposes of commentary, criticism, and education.

Credits:

Scriptwriter — Neve Brown

Editor — Patrycja Klimczuk

Host — Ryan Socash

NOTICE: Some images may be used for illustrative purposes only, reflecting the accurate time frame and content. Events of factual error, mispronounced words, or spelling mistakes will be retracted in this section.

#HighPointMonument #NewJerseyStatePark #ArchitectureMarvel #HistoricalLandmark #PreservationEfforts

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Florida’s sinkholes, formed by the dissolution of soluble bedrock—particularly limestone—have shaped the state’s landscape for thousands of years. Florida’s porous limestone bedrock and fluctuating water levels make the region especially susceptible to sinkhole formation. Native Americans and early settlers encountered these features, and scientific study intensified in the 20th century. Today sinkholes remain a concern for researchers, engineers, and residents and illustrate the dynamic geological forces at work in the Sunshine State.

IT’S HISTORY — Weekly Tales of American Urban Decay, hosted by Ryan Socash.

Scriptwriter: Gregory Back

Editor: Karolina Szwata

Host: Ryan Socash

Music/Sound Design: Dave Daddario

#Florida #sinkholes #geology #history

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Step into the twisted past of Coney Island, New York, as this episode uncovers the corruption and captivating tales that shaped this legendary amusement hub — from its early days under Native American control to its rise, scandals, and modern revival.

Chapters

00:00 - Introducing Coney Island, New York

00:31 - Coney Island under Native American control

00:51 - The early development of Coney Island

03:11 - Coney Island’s corrupt politician (John "Boss" McKane)

05:15 - Coney Island’s insanely corrupt property laws

05:37 - Sea Lion Park

06:28 - The downfall of John "Boss" McKane

06:58 - Paul Boyton’s Water Chutes

07:13 - The rise of Coney Island rollercoasters | The Fearless Frogman

08:34 - Paul Boyton’s Water Chutes | Coney Island’s first amusement park

09:05 - The Flip-Flap Railway — the first looping rollercoaster

10:07 - The grand opening of Paul Boyton’s Water Chutes

12:02 - Steeplechase Amusement Park

13:19 - Why Coney Island is not an island

13:40 - How Steeplechase Park transformed the amusement park industry

14:23 - Luna Park (formerly Astroland)

15:06 - Why Coney Island amusement parks don’t last

15:47 - When Astro Tower almost collapsed

17:11 - Coney Island during the global shutdown

18:12 - Coney Island in the modern day

Credits

Scriptwriters: Neve Brown, Bex Weinstein, Imana Schoch, Gregory Back

Editors: Piotr Kubiak, Karolina Szwata, Kamil Krawiec, Sebastian Ripoll, Patrycja Klimczuk, Karolina Pleskot, Oliwia Tracz

Host: Ryan Socash

Series

IT’S HISTORY — Weekly tales of American urban decay, presented by host Ryan Socash.

Disclaimer

Some media elements in this video are used under the fair use provisions of U.S. copyright law (Title 17, Section 107) for purposes of commentary, criticism, and education.

Notice

Some images may be used for illustrative purposes only, reflecting the accurate time frame and content. Corrections or retractions for factual errors, mispronunciations, or misspellings will be published in this section.

#ConeyIsland #AmusementParks #History

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IT’S HISTORY — Weekly Tales of American Urban Decay

Host: Ryan Socash

00:00 - What is the Brooklyn Army Terminal?

01:57 - Construction of the Brooklyn Army Terminal

04:55 - Brooklyn Army Terminal’s post‑WWI use

06:03 - The Brooklyn Army Terminal during WWII

08:19 - The Brooklyn Army Terminal post‑WWII

08:55 - The downfall of Brooklyn’s Army Terminal

10:28 - The modernization of Brooklyn’s Army Terminal

11:24 - New York’s other uses of the Brooklyn Army Terminal

13:41 - The legacy of Brooklyn’s Army Terminal

Credits:

Scriptwriter — Brent Sapp

Editor — Karolina Szwata

Host — Ryan Socash

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The North River Tunnels are a pair of rail tunnels carrying Amtrak and New Jersey Transit lines under the Hudson River between Weehawken, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania Station in Manhattan. Constructed in 1910, they remain a critical travel option for commuters on NJ Transit and Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor. The tunnels are active—allowing about 24 crossings per hour each way and operating near capacity during peak hours. The tubes run parallel with centers separated by 37 feet; the two tracks fan out to 21 tracks just west of Penn Station.

Chapters

00:00 - Why the North River Tunnels are a critical travel option for commuters

01:11 - The origin of the name “North River”

02:08 - Why crossing the Hudson River proved to be an obstacle

03:11 - Albert Gallatin’s report of proposed locations for transportation of national importance

04:29 - PRR & The Long Island Rail Road Company develop the New York Tunnel Extension Project

04:52 - The North River Tunnels awarded to O'Rourke Engineering Construction Company

06:16 - The issue of “The Behavior of the Subaqueous Tunnels”

10:17 - Incorporation of additional cast-iron plates in the North River Tunnel

11:26 - The North River Tunnel opening in 1910

12:54 - The ARC program designed to restore public transportation in NYC

14:33 - How Superstorm Sandy damaged the North River Tunnels

15:53 - The Hudson Tunnel Project to rehabilitate the North River Tunnels

Credits

Scriptwriter — Camrin Dekis

Editor — Kamil Krawiec

Host — Ryan Socash

#NorthRiverTunnels #HudsonRiver #PennStation #Amtrak #NewJerseyTransit #InfrastructureHistory

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IT’S HISTORY — Weekly tales of American urban decay, presented by Ryan Socash.

The Embarcadero Freeway (State Route 480) was a double-decked elevated highway in San Francisco built in the 1950s. Running along the waterfront from the Bay Bridge to northern neighborhoods, it was criticized for cutting the city off from its historic waterfront and obstructing views. After the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake damaged the freeway, public sentiment favored demolition rather than repair. Its removal in the early 1990s transformed the Embarcadero into a pedestrian-friendly boulevard, reconnecting the city with the waterfront and sparking redevelopment.

Some media elements in this video are used under the fair use provisions of U.S. copyright law (Title 17, Section 107) for purposes of commentary, criticism, and education. Some images may be used for illustrative purposes only, reflecting the appropriate time frame and content.

Credits

- Scriptwriter: Ryan Socash

- Editor: Karolina Szwata

- Host: Ryan Socash

- Music/Sound Design: Dave Daddario

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Rockefeller Center is one of New York’s most iconic landmarks—but it began as a planned new home for the Metropolitan Opera. After the stock market crash the project collapsed, leaving John D. Rockefeller Jr. with a six‑million‑square‑foot lease. In the depths of the Great Depression he instead built an audacious complex of office towers, broadcast studios, and underground infrastructure that reshaped Midtown Manhattan. This episode of IT’S HISTORY — weekly tales of American urban decay — uncovers how that gamble became a new blueprint for urban America.

Scriptwriter: Ryan Socash

Editor: Karolina Szwata

Host: Ryan Socash

Music / Sound Design: Dave Daddario

#RockefellerCenter #NYChistory #ItsHistory

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Discover the history of Washington, D.C.’s little-known Senate subway — a secret underground rail system connecting the U.S. Capitol to nearby Senate office buildings. Built over a century ago to streamline travel for senators, the system evolved from an open-air electric trolley to modern underground cars. The video explores why the subway was built, how it changed over time, and why it’s still used by senators today despite being rarely seen by the public.

Credits:

Scriptwriter – Wyatt Catucci

Editor – Karolina Szwata

Host – Ryan Socash

Music/Sound Design – Dave Daddario

#SenateSubway #WashingtonDC #USCapitol

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Imagine a place where sunlight barely penetrates and walls isolate souls. ADX Florence, known as "The Alcatraz of the Rockies," is America's most secure supermax prison, designed for near-total isolation and housing terrorists, cartel leaders, and serial killers. This video traces ADX Florence’s history from its inception in 1994, examines its role as a model of extreme incarceration, profiles notorious inmates including Theodore Kaczynski, Ramzi Yousef, and Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, explores the psychological impact of prolonged isolation, and discusses the ethical debates surrounding the facility and why it remains off-limits to the public.

#ADXFlorence #SupermaxPrison #AmericanHistory

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Today we explore the story of how Sing Sing became one of America's most famous prisons.

Chapters:

00:00 - Why Sing Sing is so famous

00:40 - The early history of Sing Sing Prison

02:29 - Why they named the Prison Sing Sing

03:10 - Why Sing Sing was considered “progressive”

05:05 - Sing Sing’s unusual history with baseball

08:06 - The expansion of Sing Sing Prison

08:54 - Notable events at Sing Sing

11:49 - The downfall of “Old Sparky”

13:13 - The future of Sing Sing

IT’S HISTORY — Weekly Tales of American Urban Decay

Host — Ryan Socash

Credits:

Scriptwriter — Neve Brown

Editor — Caroline Borgia

Host — Ryan Socash

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