Author Archives
Harry Karapalides
This Date In History: A Greek Star-spangled Banner
October 23, 2003: Musician, Yanni, performs a keyboard instrumental version of The Star-Spangled Banner before Game 5 of the 2003 World Series at Pro Player Stadium, Florida. Born Yiannis Chryssomallis in 1954 in Kalamata, Greece,…
This Date In History: Greek Fashion Designer James Galanos Is Born In Philly
On September 20, 1924, James Galanos was born in Philadelphia to Greek immigrant parents from Naousa. His mother, Helen Gorgoliatos, and his father, Gregory Galanos, a frustrated artist, ran a restaurant in southern New Jersey.…
This Date In History: The Greek Billionaire’s Club Of 2013
September 16, 2013: Forbes magazine lists 6 Greek-American billionaires, including John Paul DeJoria, John Catsimatidis, Jim Davis, Michael Jaharis, Dean Mitropoulos, and George Argyros. The first issue of Forbes Magazine, an American business magazine, came…
This Date In History: A Banana Split – Greek Style
September 7, 1968: The Banana Splits Adventure Hour premiers on television. Greek-Canadian/American puppeteers, Sid Krofft, and Marty Krofft designed the costumes. Siblings, Sid (Cydus) Yolas and Marty (Moshopopoulos) Yolas, who later changed their names to…
Life According to Jerry
Meet my father, Jerry, an immigrant that came from Greece around 1949. Since his time in Canada and the United States, he’s never eaten a McDonald’s hamburger, cheeseburger, or anything else made by the fast-food…
This Date In History: A Greek For President
July 21, 1988: Massachusetts Governor, Michael S. Dukakis becomes first Greek-American to be nominated for the U.S. Office of the President. Born to Greek immigrant parents in 1933 in Massachusetts, Dukakis became the 65th Governor…
This Date In History: The Greek That Brought Auto Racing Into Our Homes
July 4, 1961: Greek-American, Chris Economaki, announces the running of the Firecracker 250 NASCAR race at Daytona International Speedway for ABC Sports. Born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1920, Christopher “Chris” Constantine Economaki, was enthralled…
Me and My Monkey
Back in late 60s and early 70s, I played the greatest instrument ever; the accordion. Okay, stop laughing, but I did play it for many years. For those of you who have no idea about…
This Date In History: The American City Of A Greek General
April 21, 1825: Ypsilanti, Michigan, named after Greek Revolutionary Demetrios Ypsilantis, is first recorded. On the east side of the Huron River, in Washtenaw County, Michigan, a small trading post was established in 1809 by…
This Date In History: The Olympics Make A Comeback
April 6, 1896: The Games of the first Olympiad (modern) begin in Athens, Greece. Throughout Europe in the 1800s, many sporting events were held and dubbed “Olympian Games,” including Greek Olympic Games held in Greece…
The Wawa Phenomenon
For those of you from the east coast of the United States, especially the area around Southeastern Pennsylvania, Southern New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland, you know what Wawa is. For those of you who don’t,…
This Date In History: The Mouse that Roared
March 18, 2012: Cosmos Philly launches its new multi-media website. Founders Eleftherios “Ted” Kostans and Vasilios Keisoglou met to discuss the possibility of beginning a website for the Philadelphia Greek-American community, which would include news,…
