This Day in History

Today in 1524 Giovanni da Verrazano, an Italian explorer in the service of France, becomes the first European to sail into what is now New York Harbor; the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge linking Brooklyn and Staten Island is named for him.

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Social > NYC Facts

The New-York Historical Society and NYC Media, the official network of the City of New York, have partnered to produce a special series of 90 one-minute videos that feature the staff of the New-York Historical Society as they answer some of the most captivating questions ever posed to them about the City’s fascinating and unique history. And now, the series has been nominated for a New York Emmy award!

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Who were the "White Wings"?

In 1895 street cleaning commissioner Colonel George E. Waring Jr. ordered his entire brigade of sweepers to wear all white uniforms and caps. He believed the eye-catching regulation whites would keep members of the force at work, and would prevent them from slacking off. Regulation whites remained in effect until the 1930s.

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How Did New York Get Its Famous Nickname: The Empire State?

Signs commonly point to George Washington. Although other, unsubstantiated stories crediting Washington exist, the best documented source is a 1785 thank-you letter to the New York Common Council for bestowing upon him the Freedom of the City. In addition to praising New York's resilience in the war he describes the State of New York as "the Seat of the Empire."

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Why Are the Streets in Lower Manhattan and Greenwich Village Not on the Grid Pattern, and Why is Broadway on an Angle?

Lower Manhattan and West Village streets reflect the original paths that formed as the early Dutch settlers traveled to the company store. John Randel, Jr.'s grid plan for the rest of the island (1807) reflected the city commissioner's opinion that straight-sided and right angled houses were inexpensive to build and convenient to live in. Broadway runs on a diagonal because it originally followed the Indian Wickquasgeck Trail.

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Is it True Manhattan Used to Have Cowboys?

 Cowboys once roamed the West Side, but not to rustle cattle. Instead they cleared a path for freight trains traveling along chocked Eleventh Avenue and West Street. It was so dangerous that the street was called Death Avenue, and the horsemen who guided the trains were known as Death Avenue Cowboys. The street-level freight line was replaced by the High Line in 1934.

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What Famous Politician Was Buried in the Snow During the Blizzard of 1888?

One-time Republican presidential hopeful, 59-year-old Roscoe Conkling, fell into a snowdrift in Union Square after refusing to pay an exorbitant sum for a cab. Stuck for twenty minutes, Conkling freed himself, but collapsed and died from the effects a month later, one of 400 in the Northeast who died in the most grievous natural disaster to befall New York City.

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When Was Air-Conditioning Introduced into the NYC Subway System?

In 1970, after fifteen years of failed attempts to air-condition subway cars, nine percent of cars were cool. Mayor Lindsay's promise to cool the entire system by 1980 proved untenable due to the city's budget crisis. By 1985, fifty-seven percent of the cars had air conditioning. Twenty-five years later all cars have A/C but the lack of frequent servicing remains an impediment to a guaranteed cool ride.

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