History on the Rocks: Gimlet Noir

Join Atlanta History Center at our Midtown campus on Thursday, May 14 from 7-10 PM for a lecture exploring NYC during its pivotal years in the early 1960s, when rising crime, blight, and dysfunction began menacing the city like never before.

"It's ten o'clock, do you know where your children are?" New Yorkers in the 1960s knew this public service announcement well. Earlier in the 20th century, New York City was known be safe and vibrant. But in the early 1960s, Gotham experienced an alarming uptick in violent, predatory crime. Some of the crimes, such as the Career Girls Murders, and Kitty Genovese's slaying, made for sensational tabloid fodder. Others barely made the newspapers. Regardless, New Yorkers were alarmed. They began reporting feeling suffocated by crime. Criminals would not let them live freely. New Yorkers said they were afraid to go out at night, and they had diminishing confidence in the police to protect. Little did they realize that their forebodings would be paid in full in subsequent decades, as New York became one of the most frightening and dangerous big cities in America.

Doors open at 7 PM, and the lecture starts at 7:30 PM, followed by Q&A. Tickets include lecture admission and one free drink ticket for a cocktail, mocktail, beer, wine, or soft drink. Additional drinks will be available for purchase. 

Parking and Transportation

When visiting our Midtown campus, walking, rideshare, and MARTA are highly encouraged! The Midtown MARTA station is only one block away. There is a small amount of complimentary parking available in the parking lot across Crescent Avenue from the entrance to Margaret Mitchell House. Once these spots are full, there are a number of paid offsite parking spots and decks in the area, including:  

• On-street parking via ParkMobile
• 999 Peachtree Street building parking deck
• 930 Juniper Street/Metropolis  parking deck 

John McMillian is an associate professor of American history at Georgia State University, in Atlanta. Previously, he taught in the Committee on Degrees in History and Literature at Harvad University. He is the author of Smoking Typewriters: The Sixties Underground Press and the Rise of Alternative Media in America (Oxford, 2011), and Beatles Vs Stones (Simon & Schuster, 2013), which has been published in eight foreign language editions. He is also an editor of several books, including, most recently, American Epidemic: Reporting from the Front Lines of the Opioid Crisis (New Press, 2019). He is a member of the Heterodox Academy, and he writes periodically for major magazines and newspapers.