New York has always been a state that attracts attention with its deep history and interesting infrastructure.
New York is one of the most iconic and impressive cities in the United States. With its mesmerizing skyscrapers, world-renowned art and culture scenes, historic landmarks and diversity, New York attracts millions of visitors every year. From Wall Street, known as the world financial center, to the fascinating Central Park, from Broadway to Times Square, the city is home to many attractions for every taste and interest. New York is also a dynamic mosaic of different cultures, languages and lifestyles. In this article, we will dive deep into this fascinating city and discover facts you may not know about New York?
Humans have lived in New York for more than 12,000 years
We are starting our article with facts about New York. The first group of people to live in America were the Paleo-Indians. These early settlers first came to America 13,000-15,000 years ago through the Bering Strait. They crossed from the far east of present-day Russia to present-day Alaska and gradually spread across the Americas. They were mostly hunter-gatherers and so traveled over land in search of better food sources. Around 10,000 BC they reached the area now known as New York.
When Europeans first arrived in New York, many different Native American tribes lived there
When Europeans first arrived in New York in the 16th century, many long-established tribes already lived in the area. These people were fully developed communities with complex economies, languages and customs. Each tribe had its own traditions, history and culture, but they were usually categorized by language group. Those whose languages belonged to the Algonquian language group included the Nanticoke, Wampanoag, Lenape and Mohican peoples. The majority of other tribes, including the Mohawk, Iroquois and Petun, belonged to the Iroquoian language group.
The first European to discover the New York area was actually an Italian citizen
The first European to cross the shores of present-day New York was an Italian explorer named Giovanni da Verrazzano. He was exploring the area on behalf of the French monarchy. The explorer’s voyage was in the early period of maritime exploration, and so Verrazzano reached the east coast of North America in search of a legendary sea passage to the Pacific Ocean. In 1524 he crossed New York and sailed up the river that would later be called the Hudson River. He arrived very close to the site of New York City, which he named New Angoulême.
The Netherlands was the first European country to lay claim to New York
Almost 100 years later, Europeans came back to claim the territory. The Dutch were the first to do so. In 1609, an expedition funded by the Dutch East India Company, led by English explorer Henry Hudson, arrived at the same place Verrazzano had reached before sailing up the Hudson River. He sailed as far as present-day Albany and claimed the area on behalf of the Netherlands. The first Dutch settlement in North America was established just five years later, on the site of the state capital, Albany.
New York City used to be called New Amsterdam
The new Dutch colony ended rather abruptly on August 27, 1664. England had decided that the area belonged to them and therefore sent several warships to lay claim to it. They captured New Amsterdam and demanded that New Netherland surrender the entire colony to them. This was formalized in June 1665 and from that point on, New Amsterdam was renamed New York. The Dutch recaptured the city in 1673 and subsequently renamed it New Orange. However, New Orange did not last long. When the English recaptured it in 1674, the name was again changed to New York.
New York was caught in the middle of the American Revolution
We continue with facts about New York. When the American War of Independence broke out in 1775, people realized that whoever controlled New York City would have power over the thirteen colonies. Britain assembled a large fleet of ships and 30,000 troops and stationed them off Staten Island. Almost a third of the revolutionary battles took place in New York. Among them was the Battle of Saratoga, one of the most important battles of the entire revolution. While control of the state swung back and forth between the British and the revolutionaries, New York City remained in the hands of British forces until the end.
New York was once the capital of the country
New York City became the capital of the newly formed United States of America shortly after the end of the American Revolution. The city served as the capital on and off between 1785 and 1790, at which point it moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was only on June 11, 1800 that the nation’s capital was moved to its current location in Washington DC.
More than 400,000 men from New York fought in the American Civil War
When the American Civil War broke out in 1861, New York state was the most populous of the Union states. It therefore sent more troops to the war than any other Northern state. Records show that more than half of the troops from New York were under the age of 30.
New York is home to the oldest state park in the United States
Niagara Falls was originally surrounded by privately owned land. It wasn’t until the 1860s that a man named Frederick Law Olmsted began petitioning the provincial government to purchase the land around the falls and allow public access. It took a lot of time and effort, but Olmsted eventually led to the area around the falls being established as the Niagara Reservation in 1885.
A B-25 bomber crashes directly into the Empire State Building
On July 28, 1945, a B-25 bomber crashed at high speed into the 79th floor of the Empire State Building. On the morning of the crash, New York was covered in a particularly thick fog. The plane became disoriented and almost hit the Chrysler building. Struggling to avoid hitting the Chrysler building, the plane crashed into the north side of the Empire State Building.
The city has a “secret” train station
Underneath one of New York’s most famous historic hotels is a private train platform that is not open to the public and connects to route 61. Although this station is in New York City, it is not actually connected to the New York Subway system. Instead, it is connected to the New York Central Railroad (now called Metro-North). It was originally built in the 1910s for storage purposes.
New York is also home to the largest train station in the world!
We have come to the last article of our facts about New York. Located in the heart of Manhattan, Grand Central Terminal is one of the most famous buildings in New York City. The terminal opened to the public on February 2, 1913 and has been constantly welcoming passengers ever since. The entire structure covers 49.95 acres (19 hectares). This makes it the largest train station in the world in terms of size and number of platforms! It is also one of the busiest stations in the world with more than 1 million passengers every week!