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One of the most unexpected legacies generated by The Simpsons is the repeated insistences in which the creative team have some form of clairvoyancy, with so many real-world events appearing to be predicted well ahead of time by Springfield’s most famous family. With that in mind, it was inevitable that an episode removed from the airwaves in the aftermath of the September 11th terror attacks gave rise to a predictive conspiracy theory, even if it was nothing more than a matter of coincidence and a show of respect. The first episode of the ninth season, ‘The City of New York...

Today is the 247th anniversary of the mysterious, Providential fog that covered the evacuation of the Continental Army from Long Island to Manhattan in 1776. The term Providence was very common in this era. The president of Princeton College, John Witherspoon, defined Providence as the operation of God’s presence. After the evacuation on August 29, 1776, one soldier sent a report to a Boston newspaper that said: “Providence favored us. The night was remarkably still. The water as smooth as glass, so that our boats got all over. At sunrise a great fog came up. The enemy did not discover...

The man who died while chasing a volleyball into the East River may have slammed into a railing — sending him plummeting into the waters, his heartbroken brother and girlfriend told The Post Thursday. Andrei Romanov, 36, a Google sales engineer, likely didn’t intentionally dive into the river at Domino Park in Williamsburg Wednesday night, according to his brother Mikhail Romanov. “Perhaps the railing could be extended … Such small changes would certainly would have been worth it if they could have saved his life, given the enormous positive impact he had on so many people,” Mikhail Romanov said.

A tourist helicopter plunged into the East River on Sunday night, leaving at least five people trapped inside the sinking vessel while the pilot scrambled to safety, police sources said. The Eurocopter AS350 went down around 88th Street, near Gracie Mansion, at about 7:15 p.m., sources said. The pilot was able to get out and climb aboard a raft — but five others remained trapped inside the upside-down helicopter, according to sources.

MYFOXNY.COM -- The NYPD's Harbor Unit, patrolling the East River near the United Nations as a part of security operations for the Pope's visit, rescued an apparently sick beaver from the water. The ever-vigilant harbor cops spotted the animal, which appeared to be having trouble breathing and struggled to swim, not far from the U.N., where the Pope was speaking. >>VIDEO: SCUBA COPS BRING BEAVER ASHORE >>VIDEO: OFFICER DESCRIBES BEAVER RESCUE Police Officer John Angus caught the beaver in a safety noose, pulled it aboard, and placed it in a bucket with water. Officers brought the beaver to shore for...

A man in a Revolutionary War-era submarine was cited by the U.S. Coast Guard for drifting into a security zone, and for unsafe sailing in New York's East River near the Queen Mary 2 luxury liner, the Coast Guard and New York City Police Department said Friday. The man in the replica vessel was identified as 35-year-old Philip "Duke" Riley of Brooklyn, N.Y., according to Coast Guard spokesman Petty Officer Seth Johnson.

New York authorities were questioning three men found in a bizarre submersible vessel floating just off Manhattan on Friday, according to local reports. The men were discovered early Friday near the cruise terminal in Brooklyn where the massive ocean liner The Queen Mary II is moored, ABC television reported on its website. When asked about the incident, a police spokeswoman declined to confirm the report or provide any further information, saying only that officers were at the scene. What the three men were doing in the vessel -- which appeared to be spherical with a circular hatch on top --...

New York authorities were questioning three men found in a bizarre submersible vessel floating just off Manhattan on Friday, according to local reports. The men were discovered early Friday near the cruise terminal in Brooklyn where the massive ocean liner The Queen Mary II is moored, ABC television reported on its website. When asked about the incident, a police spokeswoman declined to confirm the report or provide any further information, saying only that officers were at the scene. What the three men were doing in the vessel -- which appeared to be spherical with a circular hatch on top --...

(New York- WABC, August 3, 2007) - Several people are being questioned by police after being stopped apparently attempting to set sail off Brooklyn in a makeshift submarine-type vessel. Police say the men were caught in the area of the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal in Downtown Brooklyn, near the Queen Mary 2, just after 11 a.m. this morning No threatening devices or materials were found on board the vessel. The initial indication is this is not terrorism related.

WW II Sub Replica Intercepted Near Queen Mary 2 Secret Service: Silent Subs In Action New York City Police spotted an unknown vessel near Pier 41 at around 10:45 a.m. Friday. NYPD Harbor and SCUBA units intercepted a replica of a World War II-era submarine in the waters off Red Hook, Brooklyn, near the berth of the Queen Mary II. The self-propelled submarine was escorted by police and the captain of the ship was issued a Coast Guard violation for operating an unsafe vehicle and violating the security zone around the Queen Mary II. The sub, piloted by a Greenpoint...

Authorities are questioning three men after pulling them from a submersible vessel in the East River in Brooklyn, N.Y., according to reports from ABC affiliate WABC. The men were captured near the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal in downtown Brooklyn, near the massive cruise ship the Queen Mary 2, just after 11 a.m.