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Henry Hudson claims land near Albany for the Netherlands
English explorer, Henry Hudson, entered the area known as New York on September 3rd, 1609, trying to find Northwest passage to the Indies. He searched the coast and took his ship up Hudson River, which is now named after him, and landed close to Albany, claiming the land as property of his employer, United East Indie Company (chartered by the Netherlands) on September 12th, 1609. -
The first permanent Dutch settlement was established
In 1624, the Dutch established their first permanent settlement at Fort Orange, which is now Albany. Fort Orange was a fur trading post just south of where currently lies Albany. -
Dutch and England Fight Three Wars
Starting in 1654, the Dutch and England battled each each other in three wars for superiority in shipping and trade. These took place around Netherlands, the colonies, and England until 1674 -
The surrender of New Netherland
England's Charles II promised New Netherland to his brother, the Duke of York, James. In May 1664, James sent Colonel Richard Nicolls to seize the colony from the Dutch. Three hundred soldiers from four ships went to Long Island in August and received support from the colonists on Long Island. The colonel approached Peter Stuyvesant, the Dutch governor of New Netherland, offering in trade of surrender that the settlers could stay. Stuyvesant later surrendered after no gaining his settlers help. -
Stamp Act Congress held in NYC
IN 1765, New York City held the first ever Colonial Congress which was called to discuss the King of England's Stamp Act. Nine of the thirteen colonies sent representatives and this meeting was called the Stamp Act Congress. It was the first time the colonies banded together to protest. -
Key to a Continent without shooting an guns
On May 10th, 1775, Ethan Allen, Benedict Arnold, and eighty-three militiamen surprised a sleeping British garrison at Fort Ticonderoga, New York and took the fort in what was called the Key to a Continent without shooting any guns. -
Declared its independence
On July 9th, 1776, New York declared its independence and became one of the thirteen states of the Federal Union, after over a century under Britain's rule. -
New York City as National Capitol
New York City became the first capitol of the United States in 1785, with George Washington's inauguration happening there. It was the national capitol until 1790. -
New York Joined the Union
The Antifederalists were attacking the Constitution and the Federalists needed to ratify the Constitution in 1788. After many states ratified it, New York finally ratified the Constitution and joined the Union after hearing of Virginia's ratification on July 26, 1788 -
State Capitol
In the January of 1797, Albany was designated as the state of New York. -
New York Federalist Newspaper
The popular tabloid called New York Post created a Federalist, the first political party, newspaper in 1801 named the New York's Evening Post by Alexander Hamilton, who was an author of many Federalist papers and the nation's first secretary of the treasury. -
Eerie Canal
The Eerie Canal opened on October 26th, 1825, which linked the Hudson River to the Great Lakes and led to greater development in the western part of the state. -
Outlawed Slavery
At the forefront of the Underground Railroad movement, New York had more anti-slavery organizations than any other states and birthed many strong anti-slavery public speakers. This led them to outlaw slavery in 1827. -
First Railroad Opened
On September 24th, 1831, the first successful steam-powered railroad running regularly scheduled service in between Albany and Schenectady, NY, was opened for the public. -
Resident of NY becomes 8th president
Martin Van Buren, born in Kinderhook, NY, became the 8th president on March 4th, 1837 -
Nation's First Woman's Right Convention
ON July 19th, 1848, Elizabeth Candy Stanton, Lucretia Mott, and more than 300 men and women met in Seneca Falls, NY, for the nation’s first ever women’s rights convention. -
New York Supplied One-Sixth of All Supplies to the Union
New York supplied almost one-sixth of all Union forces during the Civil War, which started on April 12th, 1861. -
Brooklyn Bridge Opened
The wonder of designing and engineering, the Brooklyn Bridge, opened on May 24, 1883. P. T. Barnum led 21 elephants back and forth the bridge to show its sturdiness. -
Statue of Liberty
It was a gift from France to the United States in celebration of US building a viable democracy. The statue was supposed to be gifted on the 100th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence signing, but creating it was held back and the delivery was 10 years later on June 19th, 1886. -
Ellis Island Immigration Facility
Beginning on January 1st, 1892, more than 12 million immigrants passed through an immigration facility that is now part of the Statue of Liberty called Ellis Island until 1954. -
First Skyscraper
New York City gained its first skyscraper in 1902, which was the 21-story Flatiron building on 23rd St. and Fifth Avenue. -
First Subway
On October 28th, 1904, New York City opened a subway line called IRT. It was New York’s first subway. -
Empire State Building Finished
The Empire State Building was finished on May 1st, 1931, being 102 stories and was the world’s tallest skyscraper until 1972. The president pressed a button in the White House, turning the Empire State Building’s lights on for the first time. Five men died constructing it. -
United Nations HQ
New York City was established as the United Nations headquarters in 1952 by the United Nations, which was founded October 24th,1945. The building was completed somewhere in 1952. -
I LOVE NY
The tourism campaign of I LOVE NEW YORK was created in 1977, during a nationwide decline in money, the governor and the NY Department of Commerce decided to market to tourism to improve the state’s economy. The slogan, logo, and jingle became a instant hit. It endured over 35 years and reflected New York’s culture and natural wonders. -
Terrorist Attack on World Trade Center
There was a terrorist attack on the World Trade Center that killed six people and injured over 1000 on February 26th, 1993. Two years later, ten people were convicted of conspiracy charges due to this attack. Al-Qaeda is suspected to have involvement. -
9/11
On September 11th, 2001, terrorist attacks destroyed the World Trade Center. Nearly 3,000 people were killed. The NY Stock Exchange closed for four days due to the attack. Symbolizing our nation’s strength and resilience, it reopened and set a record volume of 2.37 billion shares. -
National Purple Hearts Hall of Honor
The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor opened in November at the New Windsor Cantonment State Historic Site in the Hudson Valley on November 12th, 2006. The facility commemorates the extraordinary sacrifices of America's servicemen and servicewomen who were killed or wounded in combat, and shares the stories of America's combat wounded veterans and those who never returned, all recipients of the Purple Heart. -
Legalized Same-Sex Marriage
On June 24, 2011, New York became the sixth state in the nation to legalize same-sex marriage. Lawmakers in Albany, NY legalized it. It was uncertain if the bill would pass, but did with the vote of 33 to 29 in an almost silent Senate chamber. -
Nation's Largest Shopping Center
Destiny USA, one of the nation’s largest shopping centers, opened in Syracuse on October 15th, 2012. The 2.4-million-square-foot tourist destination features luxury retailers, premium outlets, diverse restaurants and unique entertainment like an Ice Museum, WonderWorks and Canyon Climb Adventure.
