Skip to content Skip to sidebar Skip to footer

open weekdays 9 AM - 12 PM & 1 PM - 4 PM

NYC's Story: The City on RecordUnderstanding the Past, Guiding the Future

NYC's Story: The City on RecordUnderstanding the Past, Guiding the Future

NYC's Story: The City on RecordUnderstanding the Past, Guiding the Future

Tag: culture

NYC's Story: The City on RecordUnderstanding the Past, Guiding the Future

Screenshot from a video showing Malcolm X standing at a podium during an outdoor rally.

Nation of Islam meeting featuring Malcolm X, July 13, 1963

What makes NYC, NYC?, Who is a New Yorker?

Watch Malcolm X speaking at a Nation of Islam rally, less than a year before his split from the organization to form Muslim Mosque, Inc and the Organization of Afro-American Unity.

Screenshot from a video showing the dedication of the Thelonious Sphere Monk Circle

Dedication of Thelonious Sphere Monk Circle, 1985

How was NYC built?, What makes NYC, NYC?, Who is a New Yorker?

San Juan Hill community members gather to celebrate jazz musician and composer Thelonius Monk during the dedication of Thelonius Sphere Monk Circle at West 63rd Street in Manhattan.

Rendering of psychopatic building at Bellevue Hospital.

Bellevue Hospital, circa 1800s-1940s

How was NYC built?, What makes NYC, NYC?

Founded in 1736, Bellevue is the nation’s oldest public hospital, known for pioneering medical innovations from ambulances to children’s clinics.

P.T Barnum letter to Mayor Hugh Grant which includes prominent letterhead advertising the circus show.

P.T. Barnum letter to Mayor Hugh Grant, March 26, 1899

What makes NYC, NYC?, Who is a New Yorker?

P. T. Barnum’s Barnum & Bailey Circus, later merged with Ringling Brothers, was famed for its animal acts and unusual exhibits, iconic to New York audiences.

Black and white city scene showing some pushcarts and several businesses nearby including a tailor shop, one business with sign written in Hebrew and a bathouse facility. A tall multiheaded sprinkler stands in the street shooting up water.

Lower East Side scene with street spray shower, circa 1880s

How was NYC built?, What makes NYC, NYC?

New Yorkers have used spray showers to cool down since the 1800s, a tradition reflected today in children playing under open fire hydrants.

Photograph of a large crowd at a demonstration for school integration. The crowd includes students holding signs in front of the Kings County Trust Company.

School boycott, February 3, 1964

What makes NYC, NYC?, Who is a New Yorker?

On February 3, 1964, more than 450,000 students boycotted NYC schools to protest segregation, creating one of the largest civil rights demonstrations.

Photograph showing people, (mostly women) walking in parade carrying banners and Chinese and American flags down Mott Street.

Friends of China Parade, December 1937

What makes NYC, NYC?, Who is a New Yorker?

Chinatown residents march in 1937 Friends of China Parade celebrating Chinese heritage and protesting Japanese occupation.

Photograph showing an airplane parked on corner of 52nd Street and 6th Avenue, surrounded by fencing. A billboard promotes the American Airline flagship. There are pedestrians on the sidewalk and crossing the street and parked cars.

American Airlines exhibit on 52nd Street, July 30, 1946

How was NYC built?, What makes NYC, NYC?

In 1946, American Airlines marked its first transatlantic flight by letting visitors tour a display aircraft near the Airlines Terminal building.

Nighttime view of Times Square illuminated by bright billboards and bustling city traffic.

Times Square at night, 1936

What makes NYC, NYC?

Vibrant nighttime view of Times Square showcasing New York City’s illuminated billboards and bustling streets.

Black and white photo shows protesters burning an American flag in Central Park.

Photograph and flyer from anti-Vietnam War demonstration, 1967

How was NYC built?, What makes NYC, NYC?, Who is a New Yorker?

Images from NYC’s 1967 Vietnam War protest, which included speeches by Martin Luther King Jr. and Stokely Carmichael at the United Nations.

Sepia colored photograph shows people seated in a open air motorized bus with stadium seating. The sign on the bus reads "Seeing New York" and another sign reads, "Leaves Flatiron Building Fith Ave Side" and lists a telephone number.

Seeing New York tourist bus with stadium seating, 1902

How was NYC built?, What makes NYC, NYC?

Early 1900s open-air motorized buses carried tourists through New York City landmarks with live guides

Photograph showing the United Nations building with a display of flags in the front.

United Nations opens, 1945

How was NYC built?, What makes NYC, NYC?

United Nations headquarters opened in 1945 on Manhattan’s east side, establishing New York City as an international center of diplomacy.

Newest posts Older posts