History of New York: description, periods of formation, interesting facts, the best museums

According to official statistics, more than 8.4 million people live in New York. According to unofficial data, the megapolis accommodates almost 21 million citizens. In this case, any resident of the American city can become a hero of the film. It is there every year more than 200 films are shot.

Nevertheless, the history of New York is virtually unknown to anyone. How did the largest metropolis of the United States come into being? What is its special feature and what attractions should every tourist who has decided to visit Manhattan see? It is worth dwelling on each issue.

What is known about New York?

Thanks to the developed American film industry, every Russian schoolboy knows that New York is a city that aliens are dreaming of attacking, that it is there that the zombi-apocalypse will begin, and that there is one modest superhero in the American metropolis that will save everyone.

In fact, it is really a unique American state. Even the very territory on which New York is located is unusual. The most part is covered with hills, from the northwest it is washed by Lake Ontario, in the south-west close Alleghen mountains. In the north of the state is the border with Canada. And the southeast is washed by the waters of the Atlantic Ocean.

And of course, the city is famous for its architecture and sights. It's worth seeing the Statue of Liberty, the Brooklyn Bridge, the skyscrapers of the metropolis, and the American Museum of Natural History in New York.

Every day about 13,000 taxi drivers come to work in the city, and 468 subway stations operate underground and on its surface. At the same time the subway works round 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 a 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, Italians arrived on the territory under the guidance of the researcher Giovanni Verrazano. The scientist wanted to study the Hudson River. Later on the island came the Dutch. They were not very interested in science, they seized the lands and announced that they were New Netherlands (according to another version - New Amsterdam).

To the indigenous people did not bother much, Fort Amsterdam was built in Manhattan. And a year later the governor of the New Netherlands paid off from the Indians. Peter Minuite bought the future largest metropolis for metal trinkets, ornaments and clothes worth a total of $ 25. After the transaction of the century, Manhattan began to import slaves from Africa.

English colony

At the end of the summer of 1664, the English came to New York. The history of the city tells that the Dutch surrendered their New Netherlands without a fight. The governor of the English settlement was Richard Nicholson. 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 took place during the war between the Dutch and the British. In 9 years after the disgraceful surrender of the city, indignant Dutchmen regained their lands and named them New Orange. True, a year later (in 1674) New York again became English according to the Westminster Treaty.

Residents of the city, of course, did not like such a frequent change of power, so at the end of the 17th century the history of New York was closely linked to internal uprisings. The largest occurred in 1689-1691. After it almost 100 years the city lived peacefully. Its borders expanded, hospitals, schools, universities opened.

Independent New York

In 1775, the US War of Independence began . She could not walk past New York. Moreover, several fights took place in the city itself. And the Brooklyn battle led to a terrible fire, which destroyed much of the metropolis. The British did not give up the city to the end. Only two months after the war, New York became American - 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 personally see the most significant events from the life of the city, visiting the Museum of the History of New York.

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-fold and exceeded the figure of 1.2 million.

The civil war between the North and the South somewhat suspended the construction of the city, but after its completion, New York began to develop with renewed vigor. In 1886, the French presented the US Statue of Liberty. At the same time, the first skyscraper appeared in the metropolis - the Tower Building.

In what state is New York?

The city is in the state with the same name. The official history of the State of New York began on July 26, 1788. It was on that day that the region entered the United States.

What is noteworthy: the capital of the state was not the largest metropolis in America, but the city of Olabani. And officially in the state live 20 million people, almost half are residents of the city of New York.

The state has its own motto, which in Latin sounds like Excelsior, which means "Weight is higher". Probably, this is due to the fact that the territory on which it is located consists of hills.

The city itself does not have a motto, but there are as many as two nicknames - "Capital of the World" and "Big Apple". In addition, New York City is known throughout the world for the fact that it is the headquarters of the UN.

City of skyscrapers

At the beginning of the last century the metropolis became one of the centers of trade and industry. Even then, the land in New York was expensive, and there was no space for construction. The city began to grow not in breadth, but skyward.

The history of New York is closely connected with the construction of skyscrapers. Almost every skyscraper in the city has a name. As early as 1907, the West Street Building, 99 meters high, was built. And after four years in the city grew 246-meter Woolworth.

This New Yorkers did not stop, and in the 1930s the first buildings were built, which exceeded the 300-meter mark. The Chrysler Building and the Empire State Building are 319 and 381 meters high, respectively.

In 1971, the tragically famous Twin Towers (417 and 415 meters) were built. For a long time these were the highest skyscrapers in the world.

Until now, New York has been building skyscrapers. So, in 2013, the city "grew up" Freedom Tower in height of 541 meters.

Brooklyn Bridge and Statue of Liberty

Almost the same importance as skyscrapers, for the architecture of the city have bridges: Williamsburg, Manhattan, Queensboro Bridge. But the most famous, thanks to the cinema, is the Brooklyn Bridge.

This unique hanging structure was built in 1883. For that time, it was the largest suspension bridge in the world, and also the only viaduct in the design of which were steel rods.

Three years after the construction of the bridge in New York, the Statue of Liberty appeared. It was a gift from France to the Americans as a sign of friendship between the peoples. To the top of the statue is as much as 324 steps, to the pedestal - 192.

Today it is the pride of every New Yorker. However, at the end of the 19th century the builders had financial difficulties. The Statue of Liberty did not have enough money. Then both countries arranged a large-scale campaign to raise funds. They arranged concerts and lotteries. And if the French responded with joy to the call to collect the missing amount, then the Americans did not hurry to part with the money. The article of the well-known journalist Joseph Pulitzer, who criticized his compatriots, helped. After the publication, US residents hurried to donate money for construction.

Museum of Natural History

In the metropolis, one of the most beloved museums in the world - the Museum of Natural History. 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 kept. Visitors are more impressed by the halls of the museum.

So, on the first floor you can see the exhibits of people at different stages of human development. There is the famous "Lucy" (the skeleton of Australopithecus), "Peking Man" and many others.

The second floor we love girls - there are more than 100 thousand copies of precious stones. Also there is a hall in which meteorites are stored, and a hall with petrified skeletons of dinosaurs and other extinct ancient animals.

Ups and downs

Apparently, the history of New York knew its ups and downs. The 1970s were remembered by the economic and social crisis, in the 1990s a new wave of immigrants poured into the US (mainly from the former Soviet Union), and the city began to develop again. Then there was a dotcom boom (roughly reminiscent of modern start-ups), and young people went into business.

And of course, talking about the history of the city, we can not say about the tragic date - September 11, 2001, when the terrorist act took thousands of lives and destroyed the two tallest skyscrapers in New York.

Nowadays the metropolis is developing again, increasing the number of its inhabitants and erecting new buildings.