New York Trivia & Tidbits - Page 9

Looking for New York trivia? Try our list New York little know facts, tidbits and trivia.

The first section of the Appalachian Trail was completed in Harriman-Bear Mountain State Park in 1923. Here it drops to its lowest elevation of 124 feet.

first appeared: 3/14/2004

The state is home to 58 species of wild orchids.

first appeared: 3/7/2004

Stephen M. Babcock of Bridgewater (pop. 1,671) invented in 1890 a precise method to determine the butterfat content of milk. This discouraged the practice of thinning, and led to the development of better dairy cow strains.

first appeared: 3/7/2004

The New York City subway system is 81 miles longer than the state’s thruway system (722 vs. 641 miles).

first appeared: 2/29/2004

The most familiar part of the Hudson River, running from Albany to New York City, is actually an estuary—a long arm of the sea subject to tides and the upriver press of salty ocean water.

first appeared: 2/22/2004

The nation’s oldest cattle ranch was started in 1747 at Montauk (pop. 3,851) on New York’s Long Island and still exists today as Deep Hollow Ranch.

first appeared: 2/15/2004

The Erie Canal, stretching nearly 400 miles from Albany to Buffalo, opened in 1825 and helped establish New York City as America’s center of commerce.

first appeared: 2/8/2004

At nearly 6 million acres, Adirondack Park is larger than Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Glacier and Olympic parks combined.

first appeared: 2/1/2004

Joseph C. Gayetty of New York City invented toilet paper in 1857, selling packs of 500 sheets for 50 cents, with his name imprinted on each one.

first appeared: 1/25/2004

The English took over the area that had been called New Netherland from the Dutch in 1664, and renamed the colony New York to honor England’s Duke of York.

first appeared: 1/18/2004

The American Maple Museum in Croghan (pop. 3,161) was founded in 1977 to preserve the history and evolution of the maple syrup industry. Exhibits depict maple syrup-making techniques, from those used by American Indians to the plastic tubing and stainless steel evaporators used today.

first appeared: 1/11/2004

The state bird, the Eastern bluebird, is experiencing something of a comeback in New York, thanks to the increasing use of bluebird nesting boxes.

first appeared: 1/4/2004

Ontario County, established in 1789, was the first and largest settlement in western New York. It is home to five of the 11 finger lakes and many wineries.

first appeared: 12/28/2003

Sleepy Hollow, site of Washington Irving’s Legend of Sleepy Hollow, is a real town of 9,212 people. The bridge of headless horseman fame still stands today.

first appeared: 12/21/2003

Authorized by George Washington in 1792 and finished four years later, the Montauk Point Lighthouse in Montauk (pop. 3,851) is the oldest lighthouse in the state.

first appeared: 12/14/2003

In 1787, New York newspapers were filled with debate over the proposed Constitution. A series of supportive essays, written anonymously by “Publius,” later became known as the Federalist Papers. Their authors were Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay.

first appeared: 12/7/2003

Springwood, the lifelong home of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, is located in Hyde Park (pop. 20,851). Roosevelt and his wife, Eleanor, are buried in the estate’s rose garden.

first appeared: 11/30/2003

In 1835, Henry Burden of Troy (pop. 49,170) developed the first horseshoe manufacturing machine. He later oversaw production of most horseshoes used by the Union cavalry during the Civil War.

first appeared: 11/23/2003

Arthur Ashe Stadium in the borough of Queens is home to the U.S. Open tennis tournament. It commemorates the first black man to win the U.S. Open (1968) and Wimbledon (1975).

first appeared: 11/16/2003

When finished in 1913, the Woolworth Building in New York City was the tallest building in the world at 792 feet. It was nicknamed the Cathedral of Commerce at its opening celebration.

first appeared: 11/9/2003

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