According to official statistics, more than 8.4 million people live in New York. According to unofficial data, the metropolis accommodates almost 21 million citizens. At the same time, any resident of an American city can become the hero of the film. It is there that more than 200 films are shot every year.
Nevertheless, the history of New York is almost unknown to anyone. How did the largest metropolis in the United States come about? What is its peculiarity and what attractions should every tourist who decides to visit Manhattan see? It is worth dwelling on each question in more detail.
What is known about New York?
Thanks to the developed American film industry, every Russian schoolchild knows that New York is a city that aliens dream of attacking, that it is there that the zombie apocalypse will begin, and also that in the American metropolis there is one modest superhero who will save everyone.
This is actually a truly unique American state. Even the very territory on which New York is located is unusual. Most of it is covered with hills, from the northwest it is washed by Lake Ontario, in the southwest it is closed by the Allegheny Mountains. In the north of the state is the border with Canada. And south-the east is washed by the waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
And of course, the city is famous for its architecture and sights. It is worth seeing the Statue of Liberty, the Brooklyn Bridge, the skyscrapers of the metropolis with your own eyes, as well as visiting the American Museum of Natural History in New York.
Every day, about 13 thousand taxi drivers go to work in the city, and 468 metro stations operate underground and on its surface. At the same time, the subway operates around the clock.
How did the Dutch buy New York for $25?
According to historical data, the Indians settled "in Manhattan" 3 thousand years ago. Scientists believe that people lived on the territory of the modern city already 10 thousand years ago. However, the history of the creation of New York as an American state began only in the 16th century.
In 1524, the Italians arrived on the territory under the leadership of the explorer Giovanni Verrazano. The scientist wanted to study the Hudson River. Later, the Dutch arrived on the island. Science was of little interest to them, they seized the land and announced that it was New Netherland (according to another version, New Amsterdam).
So that the indigenous people do not bother much, Fort Amsterdam was erected in Manhattan. A year later, the governor of New Netherland paid off the Indians. Peter Minuit bought the future largest metropolis for $25 worth of metal trinkets, jewelry and clothes. After the deal of the century, African slaves were brought to Manhattan.
English colony
In the late summer of 1664, the Britishcame to New York. The history of the city tells that the Dutch surrendered their New Netherland without a fight. Richard Nicholson became governor of the English settlement. It was he who gave the city its modern name. The governor named the future metropolis in honor of his brother - King James II, Duke of York.
The events themselves took place during the war between the Dutch and the British. 9 years after the shameful surrender of the city, the indignant Dutch regained their lands and called them New Orange. True, a year later (in 1674) New York again became English under the Treaty of Westminster.
The inhabitants of the city, of course, were not satisfied with such a frequent change of power, so at the end of the 17th century the history of New York was closely connected with internal uprisings. The largest happened in 1689-1691. After him, for almost 100 years the city lived peacefully. Its borders expanded, hospitals, schools, universities were opened.
Independent New York
In 1775, the American War of Independence began. She couldn't get past New York. Moreover, several battles took place in the city itself. And the Battle of Brooklyn led to a terrible fire that destroyed most of the metropolis. The British did not give up the city to the end. Only two months after the war, New York became American on November 25, 1783.
This did not prevent the metropolis from becoming the first capital of the United States. In addition, it was in it that the inauguration of the first president, George Washington, took place. By the way, modern tourists can see with their own eyes the most significant events in life.city by visiting the New York History Museum.
It should be noted that the metropolis itself grew and developed thanks to immigrants from New England and Ireland. At the beginning of the 19th century, the population of New York increased 4 times and exceeded the figure of 1.2 million inhabitants.
The civil war between North and South somewhat suspended the construction of the city, but after it ended, New York began to develop with renewed vigor. In 1886, the French gave the United States the Statue of Liberty. At the same time, the first skyscraper appeared in the metropolis - the Tower Building.
What state is New York in?
The city is located in the state of the same name. The official history of New York State began on July 26, 1788. It was on that day that the region entered the United States.
What is remarkable: the capital of the state was not the largest metropolis in America, but the city of Olabani. Moreover, officially 20 million people live in the state, almost half are residents of New York City.
The state has its own motto, which in Latin sounds like Excelsior, which means "Weight is higher." This is probably due to the fact that the territory in which it is located consists of hills.
The metropolis itself does not have a motto, but there are two whole nicknames - "The Capital of the World" and "The Big Apple". In addition, New York City is world famous for being the location of the UN headquarters.
City of skyscrapers
At the beginning of the last century, the metropolis became one of the centers of trade and industry. Even then, land in New York was expensive, and there was no space for construction. The city began to grow not in breadth, butup.
The history of New York is closely connected with the construction of skyscrapers. Almost every skyscraper in the city has its own name. Already in 1907, the West Street Building was built with a height of 99 meters. And four years later, a 246-meter Woolworth grew in the city.
New Yorkers did not stop there, and in the 30s the first buildings were built that exceeded the mark of 300 meters. The Chrysler Building and the Empire State Building are 319 meters and 381 meters respectively.
In 1971, the tragically famous Twin Towers (417 and 415 meters) were built. For a long time, these were the tallest skyscrapers in the world.
New York is still building skyscrapers. So, in 2013, the Freedom Tower "grew" in the city with a height of 541 meters.
Brooklyn Bridge and Statue of Liberty
Almost as important as skyscrapers for city architecture are bridges: Williamsburg, Manhattan, Queensborough Bridge. But the most famous, thanks to the cinema, is the Brooklyn Bridge.
This unique hanging structure was built back in 1883. At that time, it was the largest suspension bridge in the world, as well as the only viaduct with steel bars in its construction.
Three years after the construction of the bridge, the Statue of Liberty appeared in New York. It was a gift from France to the Americans as a token of friendship between peoples. As many as 324 steps lead to the top of the statue, and 192 steps to the pedestal.
Today it is the pride of every New Yorker. However, at the endIn the 19th century, the builders had financial difficulties. There was not enough money for the Statue of Liberty. Then both countries staged a massive fundraising campaign. Organized concerts and lotteries. And if the French gladly responded to the call to collect the missing amount, the Americans were in no hurry to part with the money. The article of the famous journalist Joseph Pulitzer, who criticized his compatriots, helped. After the publication, US residents hurried to donate money for construction.
Natural History Museum
One of the most beloved museums in the world, the Museum of Natural History, operates in the metropolis. In New York, any resident or visitor of the city can visit it.
Americans are proud that it is in this museum that half a million volumes of books on the subject of natural science are stored. Visitors admire the halls of the museum more.
So, on the ground floor you can see exhibits of people at different stages of human development. There is the famous "Lucy" (Australopithecine skeleton), "Peking Man" and many others.
The second floor is especially loved by girls - there are over 100 thousand copies of precious stones. There is also a room where meteorites are stored, and a room with fossilized skeletons of dinosaurs and other extinct ancient animals.
Ups and downs
As you can see, the history of New York has known its ups and downs. The 70s of the last century were remembered for the economic and social crisis, in the 90s a new wave of immigrants poured into the United States (mainly from the former Soviet Union), andthe city began to develop again. Then the “dot-com” boom happened (roughly reminiscent of modern startups), and young people went into business.
And of course, talking about the history of the city, one cannot but mention the tragic date - September 11, 2001, when the terrorist attack claimed thousands of lives and destroyed the two tallest skyscrapers in New York.
In our time, the metropolis is developing again, increasing the number of its inhabitants and erecting new buildings.
