Fun Facts-uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuh!

In the 1660s New York City's “skyline” was dominated by a two-story-high windmill.

When the Dutch still controlled the region, Wall Street was the city limit and there was actually a wall there.

Why are New York Yellow Cabs yellow? Because John Hertz, the company's founder, read a study that concluded yellow was the easiest color for the eye to spot.

The Verrazano-Narrows Bridge is so long, 4,260 feet to be exact, that the towers on either end were built a few inches out of parallel to accommodate for the curvature of the earth.

The Bayonne Bridge is almost identical to the world-famous Sydney Harbour Bridge, but it is actually two feet longer. Completed a few months beforehand, the Bayonne Bridge was the world's longest steel arch bridge. Rumor has it that the only reason for those two extra feet was to beat the Australians.

The Outerbridge Crossing, connecting Staten Island and New Jersey, is actually named in honor of Eugenius Harvey Outerbridge.

Manhattan's Chinatown is the largest Chinese enclave in the Western Hemisphere.

The vaults 80 feet beneath the Federal Reserve Bank on Wall Street store more than 25% of the world's gold bullion (and you thought it was all in Fort Knox!).

Cleopatra's Needle, a 3,000-year-old Egyptian ruin, can actually be found in New York's Central Park. In 1879 it was given to the city as a gift by the Khedive of Egypt. The 220-ton, 66-foot-high monument took a decade to be fully transported.

The Manhattan grid pattern produces an effect known as “Manhattanhenge” (like Stonehenge) as, on two days - around May 28th and around July 12th - sunset is directly aligned with the street grid pattern. This means the sun can be seen setting exactly over the centerline of every Manhattan street. A similar effect occurs during sunrise on two winter days, understandably less popular.

The Dutch traded New Amsterdam (a.k.a., New York City) to the British in the 1667 Treaty of Breda in exchange for Pulau Run, an obscure tiny Indonesian island once known for its nutmeg.
For decades, the title of “tallest building in the world” switched hands almost 10 times, all the while remaining in Manhattan, before settling on the Empire State Building, which retained the title for decades to come. It was finally overtaken by One World Trade Center in 1970.

The Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan is the only school in the world offering a Bachelor of Science Degree with a Major in Cosmetics and Fragrance Marketing.

Sam Schapiro began the Kosher wine industry on New York's Lower East side with their famous extra heavy original concord wine in 1899.

New York City has 722 miles of subway track.

The first daily Yiddish newspaper appeared in 1885 in New York City.

The "New York Post" established in 1803 by Alexander Hamilton is the oldest running newspaper in the United States.

The first capital of the United States was New York City. In 1789 George Washington took his oath as president on the balcony at Federal Hall.

In November for Boy Scouts and in March for Girl Scouts the annual Urban Camp-Outs are hosted at the Empire State Building.

The Catskills are the home of the legend of Rip Van Winkle, brown trout and flycasting.

The first presentation of 3D films before a paying audience took place at Manhattan's Astor Theater on June 10, 1915.

Gennaro Lombardi opened the first United States pizzeria in 1895 in New York City.

The first Boy's Club was established in New York City in 1876.

Joseph C. Gayetty of New York City invented toilet paper in 1857.

The first public brewery in America was established by Peter Minuit at the Market (Marckvelt) field in lower Manhattan.

"The Big Apple" is a term coined by musicians meaning to play the big time.

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