| Have you ever wondered what historical events | | | | Although New York City is known as a vibrant |
| made NYC the fascinating city it is today? Over | | | | city of immigrants, this was not the case during |
| the last few centuries, numerous groups have had | | | | the early 19th century, when fully 95% of the |
| an impact on the city, from its original inhabitants | | | | population had been born in the United States. The |
| (the Lenape) to the early Dutch and British | | | | event that changed this for NYC happened |
| colonists, followed by numerous immigrants from | | | | overseas, though: after the Irish Potato Famine, |
| Ireland, Germany, Italy, Poland, and more recently | | | | millions of Irish people left, often coming to the |
| Puerto Rico, Russia, and China. Because there has | | | | US. This began the trend towards immigration into |
| been such a diverse cast of characters in New | | | | NYC, which has fluctuated but not abated since. |
| York's history, some NYC events are disputed | | | | The stock market crash of 1929 was one of the |
| and even widely misunderstood. | | | | defining NYC events of the 20th century. |
| Although the original colonists in New York were | | | | Although the crash marked the end of the |
| Dutch, and they did buy the right to settle on the | | | | booming 1920's and the beginning of the Great |
| island for a nominal fee, the "$24" story is one of | | | | Depression, it also signaled the rise of a new NYC |
| many fictitious NYC events that is only | | | | landmark: skyscrapers became much more |
| well-known because the fictional version is so | | | | popular well into the 1930's, meaning that one of |
| entertaining. The likely price of the island was | | | | the symbols of New York's wealth became |
| closer to $1000, and it was a nominal fee that | | | | ubiquitous after one of the NYC events most |
| was part of a larger exchange of promises. | | | | associated with poverty. |
| The last Dutch governor of the New York colony | | | | In 1938, the city finally abolished the term 'ward', |
| was Peter Stuyvesant, which should satisfy the | | | | in one of several NYC events that instantly |
| curiosity of anyone who wonders why such an | | | | rendered several cliches obsolete. A 'ward heeler' |
| unusual name has ended up on a neighborhood, a | | | | is still a term of reproach, even though the ward |
| street, a school (Governor Stuyvesant was a big | | | | itself is long gone. Similarly, the Big Apple remains |
| believer in education) and a minor brand of | | | | the Big Apple, even though jazz musicians no |
| cigarettes. Oddly, the NYC event through which | | | | longer refer to major performances (including |
| Stuyvesant most impacted NYC does not bear | | | | NYC events) as the Big Apple. |
| his name -- he's credited with introducing tea to | | | | Much has changed in the city's history, but one |
| the colony, and tea taxes decades later were, of | | | | thing remains constant: there are always new |
| course, a major catalyst in transforming the | | | | NYC Events to shake things up and keep things |
| colonies into a nation. | | | | interesting. |