What do you think?
Rate this book
When Did the Statue of Liberty Turn Green?: And 101 Other Questions About New York City
For years, the librarians at the New-York Historical Society have kept a record of the questions posed to them by curious New Yorkers and visitors to the city. Who was the first woman to run for mayor of New York? Why are beavers featured on the city's official seal? Is it true that a nineteenth-century New Yorker built a house out of spite? These questions involve people, places, buildings, monuments, rumors, and urban myths. They concern sports, food, transportation, the arts, politics, nature, and Central Park, among many other subjects. Taken together, they attest to the infinite stories hidden within the most intriguing metropolis in the world.
In "When Did the Statue of Liberty Turn Green?" the staff of the New-York Historical Society Library answer more than a hundred of the most popular and compelling queries. The endlessly entertaining entries in this book feature hard-to-find data and unforgettable profiles, sharing snapshots of New York's secret history for all to enjoy. Drawing on the library's extensive collections, the staff reveal when the first book was printed in New York, whether the story of Harlem residents presenting rats to government officials is true, who exactly were the Collyer brothers and why were they famous, and why premature babies were once displayed in Coney Island. For readers who love trivia, urban history, strange tales, and, of course, New York City, this book will delight with its rich, informative, and surprising stories.
Look inside to learn:
How "Peg-Leg" Peter Stuyvesant lost his right leg Whether Manhattan used to have cowboysHow the New York Yankees got their nameWho was Pig Foot MaryWhy the Manhattan House of Detention is called the TombsWho was Topsy and how she electrified New York CityHow many speakeasies were open during ProhibitionWhat occurred every May in the nineteenth century to cause so much commotionWhen penguins were stolen from the Coney Island Aquarium
In "When Did the Statue of Liberty Turn Green?" the staff of the New-York Historical Society Library answer more than a hundred of the most popular and compelling queries. The endlessly entertaining entries in this book feature hard-to-find data and unforgettable profiles, sharing snapshots of New York's secret history for all to enjoy. Drawing on the library's extensive collections, the staff reveal when the first book was printed in New York, whether the story of Harlem residents presenting rats to government officials is true, who exactly were the Collyer brothers and why were they famous, and why premature babies were once displayed in Coney Island. For readers who love trivia, urban history, strange tales, and, of course, New York City, this book will delight with its rich, informative, and surprising stories.
Look inside to learn:
How "Peg-Leg" Peter Stuyvesant lost his right leg Whether Manhattan used to have cowboysHow the New York Yankees got their nameWho was Pig Foot MaryWhy the Manhattan House of Detention is called the TombsWho was Topsy and how she electrified New York CityHow many speakeasies were open during ProhibitionWhat occurred every May in the nineteenth century to cause so much commotionWhen penguins were stolen from the Coney Island Aquarium
192 pages, Paperback
First published July 9, 2010
16 people are currently reading
58 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
February 20, 2020
I picked up this book this summer initially, when my husband and I went to the park on a picnic. It was ideal for that scenario--not paying a lot of attention, picking up and putting down, and most importantly the putting down of the book for weeks or months after. I brought it along when we went to a ballooning festival. It is so nice to have fun snippets of fascinating information that don't require much attention or any plot, to keep one occupied during lazy afternoons outside.
It was also great as I was recovering from food poisoning. Again, without a plot to follow and with just enough information to keep me interested without overly taxing my mind, it was ideal. I especially liked that I read about the first New Year's Eve party in Times Square, just a couple of days before New Year's Eve! A perfect book for any New Yorker, wannabee New Yorker, tourist, or a history buff. Loved it.
It was also great as I was recovering from food poisoning. Again, without a plot to follow and with just enough information to keep me interested without overly taxing my mind, it was ideal. I especially liked that I read about the first New Year's Eve party in Times Square, just a couple of days before New Year's Eve! A perfect book for any New Yorker, wannabee New Yorker, tourist, or a history buff. Loved it.
June 29, 2019
I love visiting the New-York Historical Society, and was excited to see this book written by the staff of questions they’re come across over the years, and the answers they provided. I knew a few bits of information, but I also learned quite a bit. Fun book for anyone interested in NYC history.
My favorite new things I learned:
• Coney Island’s Elephantine Colossus, a giant elephant shaped hotel / concert hall, was one of the first things immigrants saw while approaching NY Harbor (before the Statue of Liberty was built)
• Alexander Hamilton started the NY Post (originally called the New-York Evening Post) in 1801, making it NYC’s oldest continuously published newspaper
• Nearly 500 tons of horse manure was collected daily from NYC streets in 1891
• The original Waldorf-Astoria was where the Empire State Building is today
• Henry David Thoreau briefly lived in NYC (for 6 months) and wrote that, “the pigs in the street are the most respectable part of the population”
• There’s a statue of Edwin Booth (brother of John Wilkes) in Gramercy Park
• There are 4 parks in NYC that are larger than Central Park (which is 843 acres): Pelham Bay Park (2,765 acres), Greenbelt (1,778 acres), Flushing Meadows-Corona Park (1,255 acres) and Van Cortlandt (1,146 acres)
My favorite new things I learned:
• Coney Island’s Elephantine Colossus, a giant elephant shaped hotel / concert hall, was one of the first things immigrants saw while approaching NY Harbor (before the Statue of Liberty was built)
• Alexander Hamilton started the NY Post (originally called the New-York Evening Post) in 1801, making it NYC’s oldest continuously published newspaper
• Nearly 500 tons of horse manure was collected daily from NYC streets in 1891
• The original Waldorf-Astoria was where the Empire State Building is today
• Henry David Thoreau briefly lived in NYC (for 6 months) and wrote that, “the pigs in the street are the most respectable part of the population”
• There’s a statue of Edwin Booth (brother of John Wilkes) in Gramercy Park
• There are 4 parks in NYC that are larger than Central Park (which is 843 acres): Pelham Bay Park (2,765 acres), Greenbelt (1,778 acres), Flushing Meadows-Corona Park (1,255 acres) and Van Cortlandt (1,146 acres)
May 10, 2025
Many years ago, I spent a year living in New Jersey. Every weekend I'd take the train into New York City and go exploring. But a year's worth of explorations is simply not enough time to see everything New York has to offer. I enjoyed filling in some of the gaps with this interesting book. It can be read one snippet at a time, which is how I recommend approaching it. You can use each snippet as a launch-point to prowl the internet for more information on the topic. It's a great guide to get you motivated!
March 3, 2024
If you are a native New Yorker or a major fan, read this book. The staff of the New-York Historical Society has composed a book of questions they have been asked and researched. covering all areas of this city’s history and local lore. Areas of study range from origins to politics, curiosities, neighborhoods and entertainment. I love it!
December 23, 2020
Interesting facts about New York based on questions I'm not sure very many people would actually ask. Easy read that got me out of paying attention to the world for a few hours.
August 29, 2020
This was a fun, relatively short read that gives you vignettes of NYC history answered by the New-York Historical Society.
Read
February 8, 2016This little book is just right for dipping into, reading a short little chapter here, and a short little chapter there. Letter telephone exchanges, Peter Stuyvesant's wooden leg, a house five feet wide, built to spite a neighbor, premature babies on display at Coney Island, the doomed amusement park Freedomland, a riot over medical students robbing graves, a riot over the price of flour, a politician who died in a blizzard because he wouldn't pay the price-gouging cab fare. And on and on.
All these are things that people have asked the staff of the New-York Historical Society (the hyphen is a historical anachronism they urge you not to forget). Not everyone will be interested in every thing, but everyone will be interested in something. Naturally, people who live in New York City will find most to interest them.
One of the advantages of the book is that each chapter ends with a list of resources, where, if you wanted to, you could go to read more. One disadvantage is that there is not a picture for every story, and when you are reading about a specific or building or location, you want a picture. Another disadvantage is that there is no table of contents. If you want to know when the Statue of Liberty turned green, you are either going to have to flip through the whole book, or try the index.
All these are things that people have asked the staff of the New-York Historical Society (the hyphen is a historical anachronism they urge you not to forget). Not everyone will be interested in every thing, but everyone will be interested in something. Naturally, people who live in New York City will find most to interest them.
One of the advantages of the book is that each chapter ends with a list of resources, where, if you wanted to, you could go to read more. One disadvantage is that there is not a picture for every story, and when you are reading about a specific or building or location, you want a picture. Another disadvantage is that there is no table of contents. If you want to know when the Statue of Liberty turned green, you are either going to have to flip through the whole book, or try the index.
December 29, 2010
Funny, cute and fast read on New York City history, set up in Q&A style. Favorite stories include why the subway lines don't meet properly, the deli guy who raised $9 million in war bonds during WWII with corny rhymes, and the origin of the phrase "meeting the elephant." Great fun.
February 17, 2011
Interesting (dare I say fun?) trivia about New York City and its history, beginning with the region that was called New Netherland and its capital New Amsterdam (which eventually became New York). Open to any page and learn something new about the greatest city in the world.
December 12, 2015
No, it didn't take me nearly two months to read this book. I bought it at a thrift shop and then put it down. Ooos, down side of dead tree books. While nothing earth shatteringly new, this book is perfect for trivia lovers and NYC
August 22, 2013
Interesting collection of facts and history of New York.
April 14, 2011
Really funny and informative book about the best city in the world!! NYC!!
May 1, 2015
nice book of questions and awnsers about new York!
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews