The first to use the expression is a famous American sports journalist of the 1920s. The latter covered, at the time, the very popular horse races for the New York Morning Telegraph. The winners of these races were awarded prizes called “Apple”.
It was on February 18, 1924, that John J. Fitz Gerald used the term for the first time in a column entitled ” Around the Big Apple where he writes: The Big Apple, the dream of every boy who has ridden a Thoroughbred and the goal of all riders. There is only one Big Apple. It’s New York.” As a result, he decides that whenever he talks about New York, it will be under the name “Big Apple”. Which would therefore have nothing to do with the apple orchards making New York State one of the largest apple producers in the United States.
A worldwide reputation
This nickname was taken up by the Jazz groups who popularized it. The phrase ” many apples on the tree was used to say that there were so many places to play in the world. But the hippest city that jazz lovers preferred, the “Big Apple”, was New York. It was synonymous with success for musicians. A nickname used by locals mainly, not generalized.
This was before New York dubbed itself the Big Apple. The aim was to soften the image of the city which was sinking into delinquency and poverty during the 1970s. A tourist campaign officially used the term “Big Apple” to attract travelers from all over the world. The story of the Big Apple was launched.
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