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The origins
Before Europeans settled on the East Coast of the United States, the lands of New York were populated by tribes of Indians, including the Algonquins. They led a peaceful life, living by fishing and hunting.
At the time, we were obviously very far from the skyline we know today: no avenues, no taxis and even less glass towers! The New York of the 15th century is above all a very wooded and hilly area. Moreover, the name “Manhattan” means “Island of the hills” among the Indians.
1524
The first European dismounts in New York. His name: Giovanni de Verrazano, who has since given his name to the bridge that spans the entrance to New York Harbor. This Italian navigator in the service of the King of France made only a short stopover in New York before continuing his journey further south.
1609
Almost a century later, Richard Hudson also stops on Manhattan Island. The navigator went up the river which now bears his name with the idea of discovering a passage between the North Atlantic and the Pacific Ocean. Richard Hudson also continues his journey. Decidedly, the New York of then does not seduce the crowds!
1625
The first European colony settles in New York. These are the Dutch who rename the places New Amsterdam, in homage to the capital of the Netherlands. New York’s location is strategic, allowing the Dutch to control trade routes.
A year later, Peter Minuit definitely wanted to establish the presence of the colony. The Dutchman buys all the land from the Algonquins for $ 24. Certainly the most beautiful land transaction in history, considering the prohibitive price of the smallest m² in Manhattan today!
But the British do not intend to leave the Dutch alone. It is for them to extend the grip of their empire and to face the French, who settled in Canada. The Dutch and their leader Peter Stuyvesant organize the defense of New Amsterdam by building a wall all around the city, at the southern tip of Manhattan. This wall also gave its name to Wall Street. However, a very fragile defense against the British armada …
1664
British warships left no chance for the Dutch colony. In a few days, New Amsterdam fell into the English purse. First gesture of the new owners: renaming New Amsterdam in New York, in homage to the Duke of York.
The city grew rapidly and in 1700 it had no less than 5,000 inhabitants. But New York remains at the heart of greed …
1763
The French are trying to wrest New York from the British. In vain. They surrender the land to the British.
1775
The American separatists are organizing to counter British laws. The war of independence, supported by the French, ended with the defeat of the British.
July 4, 1776
The independence of the United States of America is signed where the City Hall, New York City Hall, is now located.
1789
Georges Washington, the first President of the United States, is sworn in in Federal Hall, facing Wall Street. New York then had nearly 30,000 inhabitants. And the city continues to grow. In 1807, New York became the largest city in the United States with 123,000 inhabitants.
1827
The abolition of slavery in the state of New York.
1835
A large fire devastates much of New York’s shopping streets. But New York is quickly rising from its ashes. Moreover, the city is attracting more and more Europeans. In 1850, there were 500,000 inhabitants. Then 2 million in 1880 and 3.5 million in 1900. New York was then the second largest city in the world, behind London.
The 1900s were marked by very strong immigration from Europe. Over 700,000 people land on Ellis Island each year, the gateway to the United States and the American dream.
1920
New York is not immune to prohibition. This law supposed to counter alcoholism generates the proliferation of mafia gangs fighting to take control of alcohol smuggling.
The Roaring Twenties are also exhuberance and celebration, a story of forgetting the First World War which has just ended. Jazz was born in Harlem, and Broadway welcomed show after show.
1929
A terrible stock market crash is sweeping the planet. Black Thursday leaves more than a million savers behind, losing their savings in a matter of hours. America is sinking into the great depression.
1930
Despite the economic recession, the early 1930s saw the inauguration of some of New York’s most beautiful skyscrapers.
The Chrysler building was inaugurated in 1930, becoming the tallest building in the world. Not for a long time ! The following year, in 1931, the Empire State building was inaugurated with great fanfare. The 319 meters of the Chrysler building can hardly compete with the 443 meters of the Empire State building.
1939
While Europe entered the war, America had not yet taken sides (it was not until December 1941 and the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor for the United States to enter the war). In Flushing Meadows, the World’s Fair marks the end of the crisis and the start of a good year for the American economy.
1952
The UN sets up its headquarters in New York. It is now in New York that the UN General Assembly will sit as well as the Security Council.
1973
The skyscrapers keep growing in Manhattan, and more particularly in the downtown area. A new complex is emerging from the ground at the southern tip of Manhattan: the World Financial Center and its two twin towers.
2001
September 11, 2001. This date has definitely entered New York and world history. Two planes hijacked by hijackers crash into the World Trade Center towers.
A few hours later, the two towers collapsed. At the same time, a plane also hits the Pentagon in Washington, while a 4th crashes in a field in Pennsylvania.
2011
US President Barack Obama and his predecessor George W. Bush attend the ceremonies marking the 10th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks. A Memorial and a museum are inaugurated on this occasion while, in the sky, the future World Trade project Center is gradually taking shape.
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