JUNE 21 FIVE ITEMS NAMED AFTER VANDERBILT FAMILY MEMBERS

JUNE 21  FIVE ITEMS NAMED AFTER VANDERBILT FAMILY MEMBERS

It was a touching moment on CNN earlier this week when anchorman Anderson Cooper teared up reading an obituary. See, it wasn't just anybody who had passed away. Nope, it was his own mother...the iconic Gloria Vanderbilt...who had died at age 95. Although many are vaguely familiar with the famed family from the First Gilded Age, we here at the DUNER BLOG have sorted out the backstories behind five famous contributions from the Vanderbilt Family:

#5 VANDERBILT JEANS. Anyone who was alive in the 1970's remembers this eponymous brand of pants. They were truly special: A high-waisted, skin-tight cut made from ultra-stretchy denim that was perfect for the disco floor. Gloria Vanderbilt's autograph was proudly stitched on the left ass pocket. How cool were they? Even Blondie lead singer extraordinaire Deborah Harry proudly rocked a pair! That's the apex of cool.

#4 THE VANDERBILT TROPHY. Anyone who plays Contract Bridge dreams of winning the coveted Vanderbilt Trophy. Since 1928, it proudly celebrates the best card player in the world. The reason why the trophy bears the famous moniker is simple: Harold Stirling Vanderbilt invented the game. While serving in the Navy, Harold spent a lot of time playing cards on the High Seas. Bored with basic Bridge, he dreamed up a new methodology that is still popular a century later. He also won the trophy twice, in 1930 and 1938.

#3. THE VANDERBILT PARKWAY. While the existence of thousands of miles of American freeways seems ubiquitous today, back in 1908 automobiles were crammed onto city streets with horse and buggies. Then William K. Vanderbilt came up with the crazy idea of constructing a path just for cars. Six million dollars later, the world's first highway opened on Long Island. Since it cost a whopping $2 to enter, it was used mostly by the wealthy as a racetrack.

#2. VANDERBILT GATE. A hidden jewel in New York's Central Park, the Conservatory is the only formal gardens in the park. To enter, you must pass under the massive wrought-iron gate. A century ago, Vanderbilt Way connected the grand chateau to Grand Central Station. Both of which had been constructed by Cornelius Vanderbilt. Today, both the road and the castle have been removed, but the gate has survived. It's a really popular wedding photo site.

#1 VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY. Prior to Cornelius, the Vanderbilt's were just like the other thousand families that immigrated from Holland: Middle Class farmers. As a teen, Cornelius left school to operate a Staten Island Ferry boat. He gained the nickname of 'Commodore.' From there, Cornelius worked upwards, becoming a shipping...then a railroad...magnate. Prior to his death, he donated a million dollars to start a university in Nashville. Today, its students are known as the Vanderbilt Commodores.

NOTE: We are still waiting for today's Second Gilded Age billionaires to build a Zuckerberg University or a Bezos Parkway. Sadly, the public outcry that forced Vanderbilt, Carnegie and Stanford to share their wealth is largely absent today.