April 17th in N.Y.C. History
Posted: Apr 16, 2013 | 11:52 PM
by Jared Goldstein
1524: Italian Giovanni Da Verrazano, exploring for France, became the first European to sail into New York harbor and was the first European to set foot on Manahatta, aka Manhattan. He was looking for a shortcut to the Pacific, and he thought that the Muheekantuk (aka Hudson aka North River) looked promising, which inspired the Dutch to explore here decades later.
Verazzano returned to North America two more times. The second to settle permanently. He was eaten by Caribbeans. He introduced Italian food to the Americas as well.
The great bridge separating the Atlantic from New York Harbor bears his name.
We experience the Verazzano Bridge on Staten Island Ferry tours, New York Harbor tours, and Statue of Liberty tours.
1837: J.P. Morgan, financier, banker, philanthropist, and U.S. Steel founder, as well as orchestrating the formation of General Electric, born in CT. He died in 1913.
We visit JP Morgan's headquarters on Wall Street tours, and Downtown tours, and the Indomitable Spirit Tour.
1872: Bloomingdale's Department store began as a small dry-goods store on Third Avenue near 56th Street owned by the Bloomingdale brothers, Lyman and Joseph.
We see Bloomingdales on Upper East Side tours.
1929: Babe Ruth married his second wife at 5:45 in the morning. Seize the day!
We see The Ansonia, where Babe Ruth lived and where Saul Bellow's novella Seize the Day took place, on Upper West Side tours.
1951: New York Yankees' Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle debuts, scoring a run and an RBI in a 5-0 victory over Boston.
1964: The New York Mets debuted in their new home, Shea Stadium, losing 4-3 to the Pittsburgh Pirates. They were lovable losers then, but they would become the Amazin' Mets in five years. The Mets played their first two years at the Polo Grounds.
We see CitiField, where the Mets now play, on Queens tours. We see where the Polo Grounds were on Washington Heights tours and Upper Manhattan tours.