The 13 steps: Welcome to Friday, friends, and not just any Friday but the first and only Friday the 13th of 2022 – bad news if you suffer from friggatriskaidekaphobia (the fear of Friday the 13th) or plain old triskaidekaphobia (the general fear of the number 13).
Alas, you just can’t escape the horror: Every calendar year has at least one Friday the 13th. The good news, at least for the timid, is you’re clear through January 2023, when the next Friday the 13th ruins everything.
As American as…: The apple of our pie.
Wide world of eats: For now, it’s May 13 and another well-earned weekend beckons, but first we span the nutrition spectrum with International Hummus Day, celebrating the uber-healthy Middle Eastern chickpea spread, and National Apple Pie Day, digging into the all-American dessert.
Somewhere in the middle is National Fruit Cocktail Day, which is also celebrated May 13 and usually drowned in sugary syrup, so handle with care.
Hold the press: Speaking of better handling, the Washington hand press – America’s most popular iron hand press, ruling the roost from the 1820s to the end of the hand-press era – was patented on May 13, 1831, by New York printer Samuel Rust.
Other U.S. patents issued on this date include one in 1890 for the “Pyromagneto Electric Generator,” featuring “useful improvements in electrical generators” by Serbian-American genius Nikola Tesla.
Electrifying start: Tesla didn’t make the guest list, but Thomas Edison did, joining other top electricians in New York City 138 years ago today for what history records as the first-ever meeting of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers.
For those keeping score, the AIEE merged with the Institute of Radio Engineers in 1964 to form today’s Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, the world’s largest organization of technology professionals.
Grand prize: Sikorsky’s four-engine foray.
Giving him props: With Russian technology professional (and aeronautics legend) Igor Sikorsky at the stick, the world’s first four-engine plane – the Le Grand, precursor of many modern four-engine jets – took to the skies over St. Petersburg, Russia, on May 13, 1913.
That man again: Sikorsky was back at it on this date in 1942, when a prototype of his legendary XR-4 helicopter – this time, with test pilot Les Morris at the controls – lifted off from Connecticut on a five-day, 16-stop, 761-mile flight to Ohio that set helicopter distance and endurance records.
Hold everything: And Velcro became a thing on May 13, 1958, when the futuristic fastener – now a staple on everything from basketball shoes to spacesuits – was patented by Swiss mountaineer George de Mestral.
Keystone saga: German American craftsman and industrialist Henry Stiegel (1729-1785) – who prospered in Pennsylvania iron forges, expanded into museum-quality glassworks, founded a modern-day town and died penniless after a stint in debtors’ prison – would be 293 years old today.
Truly, the greatest: Joe Louis explains it to challenger Lou Nova. (Photo: New York Daily News Archive)
Also born on May 13 were Greek-American pathologist George Papanicolaou (1883-1962), who developed the Pap smear cancer test; Danish geophysicist Inge Lehmann (1888-1993), who blazed a path for women seismologists straight to Earth’s inner core; American professional pugilist Joe Louis (born Joseph Louis Barrow, 1914-1981), history’s longest-reigning heavyweight champion; Mexican American guitarist, singer and songwriter Ritchie Valens (born Richard Steven Valenzuela, 1941-1959), a true pioneer cut way short; and American singer, songwriter and musician Stevland Hardaway Morris (born 1950), the immortal pop, soul, gospel, jazz, funk and R&B influencer known best as Stevie Wonder.
A bard is born: And take a bow, Kathleen Jamie! The venerated Scottish poet and essayist – as of 2021, the fourth Scott Makar, Scotland’s “royal court poet,” akin to U.S. poet laureate – turns 60 today.
Roses are red, violets are blue, wish Jamie well and help us out, too – news tips, calendar events and original poetry always welcome at editor@innovateli.com.
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BUT FIRST, THIS
Distribution contribution: A Town of Hempstead Industrial Development Agency payment-in-lieu-of-taxes deal will help raise a large-scale distribution center in Garden City.
The IDA has issued preliminary approval for a 10-year PILOT deal benefitting BSREP III 107 Charles Lindbergh Boulevard LLC, an affiliate of Canadian multinational Brookfield Asset Management planning a 102,600-square-foot distribution center on currently vacant land near Nassau County Community College. In 2021, Brookfield paid $13.2 million for a now-demolished 89,464-square-foot office building and its 6.5-acre site; all told, the acquisition/demolition/construction effort is projected to cost Brookfield $33.8 million.
Easing the sting is the 10-year PILOT deal, which (with final IDA approvals) will still raise annual property taxes gradually from $404,629 for the currently vacant land to $739,909, according to the development agency. With Brookfield planning a construction-phase tenant search, Hempstead IDA Chief Executive Frederick Parola noted that the approval “comes with the hope for new jobs and economic benefits … moreover, the project will replace a vacant, unproductive, blighted property with one that will contribute to our local economy.”
Larry Waldman: See you next year.
Honored to be there: The Long Island Association’s first-ever Evening of Honors is in the books – and the large-scale Long Island networker is back.
In a 500-attendee elbow-rubber that would have been decidedly more dicey 12 months ago and impossible in 2020, the LIA held its first-annual celebration of regional innovation May 3 at Woodbury’s Crest Hollow Country Club. Honorees included Harry Chapin Humanitarian Award for Community Service winner Stanley Bergman, chairman and CEO of Melville-based global healthcare products distributor Henry Schein, and Medal of Honor winners David Hardy and Joe Nolan, the CEOs of offshore-wind pioneers Ørsted and Eversource Energy, respectively.
Other awards went to representatives of Farmingdale-based Enzo Biochem, Hill Slater Group CEO Phyllis Hill Slater and Long Island Builders Institute CEO Mitch Pally – but the real winners were LIA members who continue to hang together, according to LIA Board Chairman Lawrence Waldman. “The LIA’s strength is in its membership, and the Evening of Honors was a special night to recognize their vast contributions to Long Island,” Waldman noted. “We look forward to making this an annual event.”
TOP OF THE SITE
Millions in the mix: A massive Simons Foundation gift will significantly bolster diversity in Stony Brook University STEM programs.
Pet project: A new law named for a late Long Island Labrador retriever will require New York veterinarians to disclose more information about prescription pet drugs.
Summer blockbuster: Season 3 of “Spark: The Innovate Long Island Podcast” is coming soon to a top-rated podcast platform near you. Seasons 1 and 2 now playing.
ICYMI
Top honors for Long Island scientists; balanced futures via expanded telehealth.
BEST OF THE WEST (AND SOMETIMES NORTH/SOUTH)
Innovate LI’s inbox overrunneth with inspirational innovations from all North American corners. This week’s brightest out-of-towners:
From California: Los Angeles-based portable-fan pioneer JISULIFE beats the heat with new line of personal cooling devices, including neck fans.
From Texas: Sugar Land-based OR originator TeDan Surgical Innovations digs in with next-gen mechanism for harvesting bone during spinal procedures.
From New York City: Global financial-services provider Klarna enhances online retail with video demos, live in-store expert chats, a merchant app and more.
ON THE MOVE
Fiona Levy
+ Fiona Levy has been appointed medical director of Cohen Children’s Medical Center in New Hyde Park. She was most recently executive director of the Sala Institute for Child and Family Centered Care at Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital, part of NYU Langone Health.
+ Suzanne Hausner has been promoted to president of Mannix Exterior Wall Systems in Brentwood. She previously served as vice president of national sales.
+ Gregory Noone has been promoted to executive director of Patchogue-based Thursday’s Child. He previously served as program manager.
+ Gwen Demir has been hired as an administrative assistant and receptionist at Hauppauge-based Austin Williams. She was previously administrative assistant at Organic Management Solutions in North Babylon.
+ Daniel Perrault has been hired as director of the Pathology Department at Mather Hospital in Port Jefferson. He was previously staff pathologist and residency teaching staff member at Texas-based Brooke Army Medical Center.
+ Dara Giammalva has joined Hauppauge-based Austin Williams as an account director. She was previously vice president of onsite customer acquisition for Manhattan-based Elite Marketing Group.
+ Ralph Marra has been hired as a senior recruiter at Commack-based Executive Alliance. He was previously senior director of technology for Healthix in Manhattan.
Like this newsletter? Innovate Long Island newsletter, website and podcast sponsorships are a prime opportunity to reach the inventors, investors, entrepreneurs and executives you need to know (just ask Nixon Peabody). Marlene McDonnell can tell you more.
BELOW THE FOLD (Random 1979 Rock Ballad Edition)
Got milk?: New York MilkLaunch is a $200,000 startup competition with a splash of Gen Z.
Lovin’: Science may have designed the perfect chocolate.
Touchin’: A NYS dairy-startup competition reaches out to Gen Z.
Sneazin’: Why this year’s allergy season may be the longest yet.
Journey: Please continue supporting the amazing firms that support Innovate Long Island, including Nixon Peabody, where the quest for the best legal strategies never ends. Check them out.
