November 20 'Popular Mechanics Day' In New York City

NEW YORK, Nov. 19, 2002; Mayor Michael Bloomberg has issued a proclamation declaring Wednesday, November 20, "Popular Mechanics Day" in New York City, honoring the publication for its 100 years of publication.

In the proclamation, received by Popular Mechanics Editor-in-chief Joe Oldham, the city thanks the magazine and its parent company, Hearst Corporation -- both with their headquarters in Midtown Manhattan, for years of service to both the American public and New York City.

"Although we did not move to New York until 1958, Popular Mechanics has had a presence in New York since the beginning of its publication, reporting on an electric car at Coney Island in its very first issue, January 11, 1902," said Oldham, who has been editor-in-chief since 1985. Popular Mechanics is located at 810 Seventh Avenue, while parent Hearst Corporation is in the 959 Eighth Avenue building.

"We have always written stories based in New York City, or about New York -- everything from Babe Ruth's bylined article on how to hit a home run to an update in the November, 2002 issue on the latest NYFD equipment since 9/11," said Oldham.

In addition to the proclamation, New York City will be receiving more than 50 copies of the book "The Best of Popular Mechanics 1902 - 2002," for use in its main Public Library and branches. The hard-cover edition documents 26 of the original Popular Mechanics articles written by its most famous authors, including President George W. Bush, Winston Churchill, Ted Williams, and New Yorkers Theodore Roosevelt and Lou Pinella.

This proclamation wraps up a year of 100th anniversary celebrations, including visits to America's birthplaces of technology such as the Wright Brothers workshop, the Marconi radio museum, Mt. Palomar observatory, Cape Canaveral, and the Henry Ford Museum at Greenfield Village in Michigan. A specially-equipped Coachman RV, with magazine editors in tow, drove more than 100,000 visiting the sites covered by Popular Mechanics in the past 100 years, and thanks the magazine's millions of readers.

Popular Mechanics, published by The Hearst Corporation, reaches more than nine million readers a month in more than 12 countries. Even more information and illustrations on the wide variety of subjects covered can be found in the "PM.Zone" at http://www.popularmechanics.com. In addition, Popular Mechanics was one of the first consumer magazines to offer an electronically delivered edition as a downloadable file. The magazine also provides its unique blend of information for a younger audience with the daily "PM for Kids" television show on the Discovery Kids Channel.