12 Facts About New York You’ve Probably Never Heard Before

New York has always been a remarkable state with its deep history and interesting infrastructure.

New York is one of the most iconic and impressive cities in the United States. With its stunning skyscrapers, world-renowned arts and culture scenes, historical 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 hosts many attractions that appeal to every taste and interest. New York also has a dynamic mosaic where different cultures, languages ​​and lifestyles coexist. In this article, we will dive into the depths of this fascinating city and discover facts you didn’t know about New York?

1. People have lived in New York for more than 12,000 years

We are starting our article on facts about New York. The first group of people to live in the Americas were Paleo-Indians. These early settlers first came to America via the Bering Strait 13,000-15,000 years ago. They moved from the far east of present-day Russia to present-day Alaska and gradually spread to the American continent. They were mostly hunter-gatherers and thus moved over the land in search of better food sources. They reached the area now known as New York around 10,000 BC.

2. 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 were already living in the region. These people were fully developed societies with complex economies, languages, and traditions. Although each tribe had its own traditions, history, and culture, they were generally classified by language groups. While those whose languages ​​belong to the Algonquian language group include the Nanticoke, Wampanoag, Lenape and Mohican peoples. The majority of other tribes, including the Mohawk, Iroquois, and Petun, belonged to the Iroquoian language group.

3. The first European to explore the New York area was actually an Italian citizen

The first European to sail off the coast of present-day New York was an Italian explorer named Giovanni da Verrazzano. He was investigating the region 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 while searching for a legendary sea passage to the Pacific Ocean. In 1524 he crossed New York and sailed down what would later be called the Hudson River. He reached a place very close to the area where New York City is located, which he named New Angoulême.

4. The first European country to claim New York was the Netherlands

Almost 100 years later, Europeans returned to claim the region. The Dutch were the first to do this. In 1609, a Dutch East India Company-funded expedition led by English explorer Henry Hudson arrived at the same location that Verrazzano had reached before sailing up the Hudson River. He sailed to present-day Albany and claimed the region on behalf of the Netherlands. The first Dutch settlement in North America was established just five years later, on the site of the state’s capital, Albany.

5. New York City used to be called New Amsterdam

The colony of New Netherlands came to an end rather abruptly on August 27, 1664. Britain had decided that the area belonged to them and so sent several warships to claim the area. They captured New Amsterdam and demanded that New Netherland surrender the entire colony to them. This was formalized in June 1665, from which point New Amsterdam was renamed New York. The Dutch recaptured the city in 1673 and then renamed it New Orange. However, New Orange did not last long. When the British captured it again in 1674, its name was changed to New York again.

6. New York was caught in the middle of the American Revolution

We continue our article on 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 all thirteen colonies. Britain assembled a large fleet of ships and 30,000 soldiers and stationed them off Staten Island. Almost a third of the revolutionary wars took place in New York. Among these was the Battle of Saratoga, one of the most important battles of the entire revolution. While control of the state oscillated between the British and the revolutionaries, New York City remained in the hands of British forces until the end.

7. New York was once the nation’s capital

New York City became the capital of the newly formed United States shortly after the end of the American Revolution. The city served as an occasional capital between 1785 and 1790, after which point it was moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was not until June 11, 1800 that the nation’s capital was moved to its current location in Washington, DC.

8. More than 400,000 New York men fought during the American Civil War

When the American Civil War broke out in 1861, New York state was the most populous of the Union states. That’s why it sent more soldiers to war than any other Northern state. Records show that more than half of the troops arriving from New York were under 30 years of age.

9. 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 state government to purchase the land around the falls and allow public access. It took a lot of time and effort, but Olmsted eventually got the area around the falls established as the Niagara Reservation in 1885.

10. A B-25 bomber crashed directly into the Empire State Building

On July 28, 1945, a B-25 bomber crashed into the 79th floor of the Empire State Building. On the morning of the accident, New York was covered in a particularly thick cloud of fog. The plane became disoriented and nearly crashed into the Chrysler building. The plane, trying to avoid hitting the Chrysler Building, crashed into the north side of the Empire State Building.

11. The city has a “hidden” train station

Beneath 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). This place was first built for storage purposes in the 1910s.

12. New York is also home to the world’s largest train station!

We have come to the last article of our article on 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 since then. The entire structure covers 49.95 acres (19 hectares). So this is 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 over 1 million passengers every week!